The ancient city ruins at Trowulan had been discovered by the 19th century. Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Lieutenant-Governor of British Java,[4] Governor-General of Bencoolen[5] from 1811 until 1816 and an indefatigable enthusiast for the island's history, reported the existence of 'ruins of temples.... scattered about the country for many miles'. Much of the region was blanketed with dense teak forest at that time, making detailed survey impossible.