Sir John D'Oyly, 1st Baronet, of Kandy

Sir John D'Oyly, 1st Baronet (6 June 1774-25 May 1824), was a British colonial administrator.

D'Oyly had a key role in arranging for the British takeover of the Kandyan kingdom in 1815. Fluent in Sinhala, he was the intermediary between the British Governor and the disaffected Kandyan chiefs who were intriguing to "sell out" the king, Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe. D'Oyly is credited with drafting the Kandyan Convention of March 2, 1815 which set out the terms of the accession. He was made a baronet and chose to stay in Kandy, eventually dying there. A Briton who visited Kandy before 1815 had described him as living like a "Cingalese hermit". His earlier association with a woman poet, Gajaman Nona, in Matara led to some speculation.

References

* [http://www.leighrayment.com/Baronetage.htm Leigh Rayment' s baronetage page]