Sir Hugh Cleghorn FRSE LLD (1751-1836) was the first colonial secretary to Ceylon.
[1] In 1795 Cleghorn used his friendship with Comte Charles-Daniel de Meuron, who owned a regiment of Swiss mercenaries, the Regiment de Meuron, that controlled Ceylon for the Dutch, to transfer control to the British.
[5] In 1795 Cleghorn traveled to India and Ceylon with Charles Daniel, the Comte de Meuron.
The Regiment de Meuron withdrew its support of the Dutch and shortly thereafter, on 15 October 1796, the town and fortress of Columbo surrendered to the British.
His daughter Jenny ("Jessie") Douglas Cleghorn married and lived in Edinburgh.