Government Agent's Quarters (Hambantota)

The old Quarters of Hambantota Government Agent (Sinhala: හම්බන්තොට දිසාපති නිල නිවස) is situated near the Martello Tower in Hambantota District, Sri Lanka. History Although this building is presently known as the Government Agent's quarters, it was originally the quarters of Sub-District Agent for Hambantota District during the British ruling Period (1815-1948 A.D.).  Appointing of a government agent as the authoritative person for a province and a sub-agent for a district was initiated in 1833. However, the ruling area of the Government Agent was restricted to one district by an act passed later and accordingly, the sub-agents in each district were appointed as the Government Agents. Captain Charles Driberg, the first such appointed government agent under the British ruling system was the commanding officer of paid corps that used for preventing the Uva-Wellassa rebellion (1817-1818 A.D.).   Leonard Woolf (1880-1969), the Government Agent for Hambantota from 1908 to 1911, has menti…