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Name: SELLWOOD, Reuben James
Nee: often called Reuben John Sellwood. Son of Young Sellwood
Birth Date: 1865 Newbury, bapt. 4 June
Death Date: 20.2.1914 Nairobi, cirrhosis of liver
First Date: 1912
Last Date: 1914
Profession: Bootmaker, prison official, guard, public executioner at time of death
Area: Victoria St., Nairobi
Married: In Bombay 6 Dec 1897 Blanche Winifred Ne'Roy b. 1873, d. 28 Apr 1939 Bangalore (later m. in India 1915 Thomas Clear)
Book Reference: HBEA, EAHB 1905, Drumkey, Land, Advertiser, Gazette, Globe, North, EAHB 1907, Barnes, mini-SITREP XXXIII, Red Book 1912
War Service: Middlesex Regt.
General Information:
Land 1909 - R.J. Sellwood - Agricultural, 10 acres - Katisura River - 28/9/09 - Under Occupation Licence for 3 years to 99 years lease from 1/3/10 - Registered 5/4/10
Advertiser - 12/6/1908 - Advert - R.J. Sellwood - Bootmaker, Government Road, Nairobi
Gazette - 18/3/14 - Probate & Admin. - R.J. Sellwood who died at Nairobi 20/2/14
The Globe Trotter 6 March 1907 - The Guard's Story - probably written by Sellwood - amusing account of experiences as a guard on the railway in 1899 - mentions the writer as Sellwood
Nairobi South cemetery - R.J. Sellwood, died Feb 1914, prison official, buried 21 Feb 1914
mini-SITREP XXXIII - Legion of Frontiersman - in 1907 the Legion established its first known presence in this Colony. This was a Mr R.J. Sellwood of Nairobi who was appointed Acting Hon. Secretary.
Red Book 1912 - R.J. Sellwood - Nairobi
EAHB 1905 has J. Selwood, Fort Smith, Kikuyu
North gives occupation as bootmaker
East African Standard 14 Mar 1914 The death of Mr Reuben James Sellwood, the public executioner for this protectorate, which occurred at the European Hospital a short while ago, robs the community of an official whose duty, if unpleasant, was nonetheless necessary. Fortunately the services of the late Mr Sellwood were not required so far as Europeans were concerned with but one exception, although he was instrumental in making the ends of justice meet on several occasions by carrying out the capital penalty in the case of native malefactors. Mr Selwood, who came from India, where he served in the army, joined the service of the Uganda Railway, and was a valued servant there for some months before taking up his new duties. Of a quiet and retiring disposition, the deceased gentleman was not much in the public eye, in spite of the position he held as public executioner. Prior to his death he had suffered from dropsy, which caused him much pain and discomfort and ultimately cut short his career. The authorities will have some difficulty in securing a successor to take up the duties so unostentatiously and satisfactorily as in the case of the deceased.