Job Charnock, Gov. Elihu Yale, and Lord Robert Clive were influential figures in the British East India Company and its ealy mercantile operations in Kolkata and other places. Historically, they share unique ties with t St. Mary’s Church in Fort St. George, Madras (now Chennai).
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| St. Mary's Ft.St. George, Chennai, TN alamy.com |
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| St. Mary's Ft.St. George, Chennai, TN traveller-lakshmi.blogspot.com |
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| 1905 St. Mary's church, Madras |
Above images: St. Mary's church inside Ft. St.George, Chennai (Madras) Tamil Nadu ; Considered to have been one of the oldest European buildings, it is the oldest church East of Suez canal Its consecration by the Caplain Richard Portman took place on October 28, 1680. Many famous colonial officers were buried here,
Job Charnock
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| Charnock. mylesstandish.info |
In 1656, Job Charnock, a prominent and hard working employee of the East India company in Bengal was struggling to establish a secure and sustainable trading post in that region despite the presence of o belligerent rulers and traders there . With no option available, he made a brief visit to Madras (now Chennai, TN) to strengthen his initiated efforts to expand British trading interests in Bengal. So he sought assistance from the Madras Presidency, then headed by Gov. Elihu Yale. He supported Charnock to establish a fortified trading post in Sutanuti in 1690, marking the modest beginnings of Calcutta. Charnock also helped develop surrounding villages like Gobindapur and Kalighat.
Charnock’s connection to Madras was further marked by personal events. On August 19, 1689, his three daughters, Mary, Elizabeth, and Catherine, whom he had with his Hindu wife, were baptized at St. Mary’s Church in Fort St. George, Chennai. Their names remain recorded in the church’s baptismal register to this day. Charnock worked for the East India Company for 34 years, and after his death, a mausoleum was built at St. John’s Church in Kolkata in his memory, where his tomb is preserved by the Church of North India. His tomb there was built of Pink granite apparently mined from the St. Thomas Mount area of Chennai.It was named Charnockite by the colonial geologist T.H. Holland
Elihu Yale
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| Gov. Elihu yale, Madras alchetron.com |
Governor Elihu Yale, then head of St. St. George, was a British merchant and a supporter of the East India Company’s activities in India. He is best known as a benefactor of the Collegiate School in Connecticut, which was renamed Yale College in his honor in 1718. His donation tosh a college in the US. Cotton Mather helped him establish a college in the US His connection with St, Mary's church is quite known. He was Vestryman and Treasurer of St. Mary's Church and his wedding also took place here In 1680 Yale married Catherine Elford, widow of Joseph Hymers, second-in-command of Fort St George, India as Deputy Governor for the East India Company. Their wedding took place at St Mary's Church, at Fort St George. Theis marriage was the first registered at the church. They had 4 children together. David Yale died young in 1687. In 1970, a portrait of him, with Members of his Family and an Enslaved Child, was donated to the Yale Center for British Art from Chatsworth House.(?). A portrait, painted during the 18th century, was also given to Yale University by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Yale was highly criticised for his unethical role as the head of Ft. St. George. On the side line he made lots of money in the slave trade and some business activities that included selling diamond mine in Kollur (now Andhra state). His role in getting a foothold in Bengal for the EIC was a crucial one in the 1690s. .
Robert Clive
Robert Clive of India?in Shropshire
Robert Clive, the man who laid the basic foundation of the British Empire by securing the Bengal region had his humbling beginning in Madras. He began his career as a clerk -writer with the EIC operating from Ft. St George. His wedding with Margaret Maskelyne took place in 1753 at St. Mary's church. They returned to England and then returned to Bengal in 1755. His transfer to EIC, Kolkata E after his war exploits in the Angelo-Arcot wars saw him establish a strong foothold in Bengal. He also became the richest company officer after retirement. He returned to England with a big bundle. Back in England he earned the fury of many MPs for earning ill-gotten money by way of forced gift, donation, coercion, etc.
These connections reflect the strategic role of the Angelicin St. Mary’s Church as a spiritual and social hub for British officials in Madras, as well as its links to early British colonial expansion in Bengal.
https://www.navrangindia.in/2018/11/historical-st-marys-church-ft-st-george.html
https://www.navrangindia.in/2018/11/historical-st-marys-church-ft-st-george.html
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