East India Company College
Encyclopedia
The East India College was a college in Hertford Heath
, Hertfordshire
, England. It was founded in February 1806 as the training establishment for the British East India Company
(BEIC). At that time, the BEIC provided general and vocational education for young gentlemen of sixteen to eighteen years old, who were nominated by its directors to writerships (i.e. clerkships) in the overseas civil service. Its counterpart for the training of officers for the East India Company's army was Addiscombe Military Academy
.
Charles Grant
, Chairman of the British East India Company
and Member of Parliament
, was closely involved in the foundation of the college. It was temporarily located in Hertford Castle
, then moved in 1809 to its purpose-built site at nearby Hertford Heath
. Its architect, William Wilkins
, also designed the National Gallery
in London
.
In 1856 an open competitive examination replaced the system of appointment to the Indian Civil Service by patronage. In the wake of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
, the British government took over the administration of the country in January 1858, and the college closed. The site, just outside Hertford
, was reopened in 1862 as Haileybury and Imperial Service College
. Haileybury still runs, as an independent school
, with hundreds of boarders
.
. From 1815, until his death in 1837, the Revd. Joseph Hallett Batten
, D.D., of Penzance held the position. Batten was succeeded by Charles Webb Le Bas
, who resigned in 1843.
The Revd. Henry Melvill
, afterwards Canon of St. Paul's, was the final principal 1844 - 1858.
William Dealtry, MA (1813)
Charles Webb Le Bas, MA (1814–38)
James Amiraux Jeremie (Professor of Classics) (1838–50)
W E Buckley (1850–57)
William Dealtry (1813)
Bewick Bridge (1814–16)
Edward Lewton (1816–30)
Henry George Keene (1831–34)
James Michael (1834–37)
Fred Smith (1838–57)
Assistants in the Oriental Department included Maulavi Abdal Aly (1809–12), Maulavi Mirza Khedel (1809–19), The Revd. Robert Anderson (1820–25), and David Shea
(1826–36). Moonshy Ghoolam Hyder and Thomas Medland taught oriental writing.
Hertford Heath
Hertford Heath is a small village and civil parish near the county town of Hertford in Hertfordshire, England.-Geography:It is located on a heath above the River Lea valley, on its south side...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England. It was founded in February 1806 as the training establishment for the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
(BEIC). At that time, the BEIC provided general and vocational education for young gentlemen of sixteen to eighteen years old, who were nominated by its directors to writerships (i.e. clerkships) in the overseas civil service. Its counterpart for the training of officers for the East India Company's army was Addiscombe Military Academy
Addiscombe Military Academy
The East India Company Military Seminary, colloquially known as Addiscombe Seminary, Addiscombe College, or Addiscombe Military Academy was a British military academy at Addiscombe, Surrey, in what is now the London Borough of Croydon. It was established in 1809, and closed in 1861...
.
History
Charles Grant (British East India Company)
Charles Grant was a British politician influential in Indian and domestic affairs who, motivated by his evangelical Christianity, championed the causes of social reform and Christian mission, particularly in India...
, Chairman of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, was closely involved in the foundation of the college. It was temporarily located in Hertford Castle
Hertford Castle
Hertford Castle was a Norman castle situated by the River Lea in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire, England.-Early history:Hertford Castle was built on a site first fortified by Edward the Elder around 911. By the time of the Norman Invasion in 1066, a motte and bailey were on the site...
, then moved in 1809 to its purpose-built site at nearby Hertford Heath
Hertford Heath
Hertford Heath is a small village and civil parish near the county town of Hertford in Hertfordshire, England.-Geography:It is located on a heath above the River Lea valley, on its south side...
. Its architect, William Wilkins
William Wilkins (architect)
William Wilkins RA was an English architect, classical scholar and archaeologist. He designed the National Gallery and University College in London, and buildings for several Cambridge colleges.-Life:...
, also designed the National Gallery
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In 1856 an open competitive examination replaced the system of appointment to the Indian Civil Service by patronage. In the wake of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
, the British government took over the administration of the country in January 1858, and the college closed. The site, just outside Hertford
Hertford
Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000...
, was reopened in 1862 as Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College, , is a prestigious British independent school founded in 1862. The school is located at Hertford Heath, near Hertford, from central London, on of parkland occupied until 1858 by the East India College...
. Haileybury still runs, as an independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
, with hundreds of boarders
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
.
Principals
The College had four principals; the first was Samuel HenleySamuel Henley
Samuel Henley D.D. was an English clergyman, school teacher and college principal, antiquarian, and man of letters.-Life:Born in England, he began his career when he was recruited as a professor of moral philosophy for William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia. He arrived in 1770...
. From 1815, until his death in 1837, the Revd. Joseph Hallett Batten
Joseph Batten
The Reverend Joseph Hallett Batten DD FRS was principal of the East India Company College....
, D.D., of Penzance held the position. Batten was succeeded by Charles Webb Le Bas
Charles Webb Le Bas
Charles Webb Le Bas was an English clergyman, fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge and principal of the East India Company College.Le Bas was of a Hugenot family: his grandfather had fled to England in 1702...
, who resigned in 1843.
The Revd. Henry Melvill
Henry Melvill
The Revd. Henry Melvill was a priest in the Church of England and principal of the East India Company College from 1844-1858. Afterwards, he served as Canon of St Paul's Cathedral.-Early years:...
, afterwards Canon of St. Paul's, was the final principal 1844 - 1858.
Deans
The position of Dean was filled by one of the professors:William Dealtry, MA (1813)
Charles Webb Le Bas, MA (1814–38)
James Amiraux Jeremie (Professor of Classics) (1838–50)
W E Buckley (1850–57)
Registrars
The position of Registrar was filled by one of the professors:William Dealtry (1813)
Bewick Bridge (1814–16)
Edward Lewton (1816–30)
Henry George Keene (1831–34)
James Michael (1834–37)
Fred Smith (1838–57)
Languages
- Graves Chamney Haughton (1817–27) FRS previously of Fort William CollegeFort William CollegeFort William College was an academy and learning centre of Oriental studies established by Lord Wellesley, then Governor-General of British India. It was founded on July 10, 1800 within the Fort William complex in Calcutta...
, Calcutta - Francis JohnsonFrancis Johnson (linguist)Francis Johnson was a linguist who taught Sanskrit, Telugu and Bengali at the East India Company College between 1824 and 1855...
taught Sanskrit, Bengali and Telugu (1824–55). - Mirza Muhammed IbrahimMirza Muhammed IbrahimMirza Muhammed Ibrahim was an educator who traveled from his native Persia to Britain in 1826. There, he took up a permanent appointment to teach oriental languages at the prestigious East India Company College, where he remained until 1844. While there, he also worked as an official translator,...
, a Persian, held a permanent appointment as a professor of Arabic and PersianPersian languagePersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
(1826–44) - Monier Monier-WilliamsMonier Monier-WilliamsSir Monier Monier-Williams, KCIE was the second Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University, England...
- whose SanskritSanskritSanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
dictionaryDictionaryA dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
is still in print - taught Sanskrit, Bengali and Telugu (1844–58). - Edward Backhouse EastwickEdward Backhouse EastwickEdward Backhouse Eastwick CB was a British orientalist, diplomat and Conservative Member of Parliament....
was Professor of Urdu (Hindustani), Hindi and Marathi (1845–57). - Major J.W.J.Ouseley, Professor of Persian and Arabic (previously Professor of the Arabic and Persian Languages in the College of Fort-William, Calcutta) (1844–57)
Law
- Edward Christian (1806–18)
- James MackintoshJames MackintoshSir James Mackintosh was a Scottish jurist, politician and historian. His studies and sympathies embraced many interests. He was trained as a doctor and barrister, and worked also as a journalist, judge, administrator, professor, philosopher and politician.-Early life:Mackintosh was born at...
was Professor of Law and General Politics 1818-24. - William EmpsonWilliam Empson (lawyer)William Empson was a barrister, professor and journalist.William Empson was educated at Winchester, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was Professor of general polity and the laws of England at the East India Company College 1824–52...
, was Professor of Law (1824–52). - John Farley Leith QC (1872–80), later Member of Parliament for AberdeenAberdeen (UK Parliament constituency)Aberdeen was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until 1885. It was represented by one Member of Parliament , elected by the first past the post voting system.- 1832 to 1868 :...
Political Economy
- Thomas MalthusThomas MalthusThe Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus FRS was an English scholar, influential in political economy and demography. Malthus popularized the economic theory of rent....
taught from 1805-34. In 1809 he moved into the east side of a house (Hailey House), which he then bought in 1815 and occupied until his death, after which it was taken over by Mr Empson. - Richard JonesRichard Jones (economist)Richard Jones was an English economist who criticised the theoretical views of David Ricardo and T. R. Malthus on economic rent and population....
was Professor of History and Political Economy (1834–55). - The Rt Hon Sir James StephenJames Stephen (undersecretary)Sir James Stephen was the British under-secretary of state for the colonies from 1836 to 1847. He was instrumental in implementing the slavery abolition act.-Early life:...
also taught political economy (1855–57)
Mathematics and Natural Philosophy
- William DealtryWilliam DealtryWilliam Dealtry was an English clergyman of evangelical views, who became archdeacon of Surrey and a Fellow of the Royal Society.-Life:...
was Professor of Mathematics 1806-13. He had been Second Wrangler in 1796. - Bewick BridgeBewick BridgeBewick Bridge was an English vicar and mathematical author.In 1786, he was admitted as a sizar to study mathematics Peterhouse, Cambridge University, where he graduated as senior wrangler in 1790....
(1767–1833) was Professor of MathematicsMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
1806-16. - Charles Webb Le Bas (1813–37)
- Charles BabbageCharles BabbageCharles Babbage, FRS was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer...
applied unsuccessfully for a job in 1816. - Herry Walter (1816–30)
- William SturgeonWilliam SturgeonWilliam Sturgeon was an English physicist and inventor who made the first electromagnets, and invented the first practical English electric motor.-Early Life :...
lectured on scienceScienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
in 1824. - Frederick Smith (1831–50) of Peterhouse College, Cambridge
- J W L Heaviside (1838–57) previously of Trinity College, and then Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he graduated Second Wrangler and a Smith's PrizeSmith's PrizeThe Smith's Prize was the name of each of two prizes awarded annually to two research students in theoretical Physics, mathematics and applied mathematics at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England.- History :...
winner in 1830, and tutored until he moved to Haileybury.
Classical and General Literature
- Edward Lewton (1806–30)
- Joseph Hallett Batten (1806–15)
- James Amiraux JeremieJames Amiraux JeremieJames Amiraux Jeremie was Professor of Classical Literature at The East India Company College 1830-50, Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge from 1850, and Dean of Lincoln....
(also Dean) (1830–50), elected in 1850 Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge. - W.E.Buckley (1850–57) previously tutor and fellow at Brasenose College, OxfordBrasenose College, OxfordBrasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
and Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford (1844–50), and a member and subsequently vice-president of the Roxburghe ClubRoxburghe ClubThe Roxburghe Club was formed on 17 June 1812 by leading bibliophiles, at the time the library of the Duke of Roxburghe was auctioned. It took 45 days to sell the entire collection. The first edition of Boccaccio's Decameron, printed by Chrisopher Valdarfer of Venice in 1471, was sold to the...
.
Other
- Henry George Keene, who served at the Battle of SeringapatamBattle of SeringapatamThe Siege of Seringapatam was the final confrontation of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore. The British achieved a decisive victory after breaching the walls of the fortress at Seringapatam and storming the citadel. Tippu Sultan, Mysore's...
with the first Lord Harris (his uncle), and whose American wife, though she came of a New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
family, was related to Lord CornwallisCharles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess CornwallisCharles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
. His son became a Fellow of the University of CalcuttaUniversity of CalcuttaThe University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
and a prolific writer. - Horace Hayman WilsonHorace Hayman WilsonHorace Hayman Wilson was an English orientalist.He studied medicine at St Thomas's Hospital, and went out to India in 1808 as assistant-surgeon on the Bengal establishment of the British East India Company....
, Examiner in Sanskrit (1837–57)
Assistants in the Oriental Department included Maulavi Abdal Aly (1809–12), Maulavi Mirza Khedel (1809–19), The Revd. Robert Anderson (1820–25), and David Shea
David Shea (linguist)
-Life:The son of Daniel Shea, a farmer, he was born in County Limerick. He entered Trinity College, Dublin on 3 June 1793, and in 1797 obtained a scholarship in classics. Several of his friends belonged to the Society of United Irishmen...
(1826–36). Moonshy Ghoolam Hyder and Thomas Medland taught oriental writing.
Notable alumni
- John Russell ColvinJohn Russell ColvinJohn Russell Colvin, Esq. was a British civil servant in India, part of the illustrious Anglo-Indian Colvin family. He was lieutenant-governor of the North-West Provinces of British India during the mutiny of 1857, at the height of which he died.-Life:Colvin's was an Anglo-Indian family of...
- Ashley EdenAshley EdenThe Hon. Sir Ashley Eden KCSI CIE was an official and diplomat in British India.Eden was the third son of Robert John Eden, 3rd Lord Auckland and bishop of Bath and Wells. His uncle was George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland...
- Henry Bartle Frere
- Sir John LawrenceJohn Lawrence, 1st Baron LawrenceJohn Laird Mair Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence, GCB, GCSI, PC , known as Sir John Lawrence, Bt., between 1858 and 1869, was an Englishman who became a prominent British Imperial statesman who served as Viceroy of India from 1864 to 1869.-Early life:Lawrence came from Richmond, North Yorkshire...
- Charles MerivaleCharles MerivaleThe Very Reverend Charles Merivale was an English historian and churchman, for many years dean of Ely Cathedral...
- Monier Monier-WilliamsMonier Monier-WilliamsSir Monier Monier-Williams, KCIE was the second Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University, England...
- John Muir (indologist)John Muir (indologist)John Muir was a Scottish Sanskrit scholar and Indologist .-Biography:Muir was born in Glasgow, Scotland, one of four brothers amongst whom was William Muir, and educated at the grammar school of Irvine, the University of Glasgow, and the East India Company College at Haileybury...
- Sir William Muir
- Richard PaternosterRichard PaternosterRichard Paternoster was an English civil servant in the East India Company, barrister and founder of the Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society, an organisation that exposed abuses in lunatic asylums and campaigned for the reform of the lunacy laws.-Early life and career:Paternoster was born in 1802 in...
- Sir Richard Temple, 1st BaronetSir Richard Temple, 1st BaronetSir Richard Temple, 1st Baronet, FRS, GCSI, CIE, PC was an administrator in British India and a British politician.-Career:...
- Charles TrevelyanSir Charles Trevelyan, 1st BaronetSir Charles Edward Trevelyan, 1st Baronet, KCB was a British civil servant and colonial administrator. As a young man, he worked with the colonial government in Calcutta, India; in the late 1850s and 1860s he served there in senior-level appointments...
- Charles John WingfieldCharles John WingfieldSir Charles John Wingfield KCSI, CB, MP , who had a distinguished career with the Bengal Civil Service, was later elected as the first Member of Parliament for the United Kingdom's Parliament constituency of Gravesend....
External links
- Death record of Joseph Batten
- Persian Professor in Britain: Mirza Muhammed Ibrahim at the East India Company's College, 1826-1844 by Michael H. Fisher
- Frederick Charles Danvers, Harriet Martineau, Monier Monier-Williams, Stuart Colvin Bayley, Percy Wigram, Brand Sapte et al. Memorials of old Haileybury College Westminster 1894 Archibald Constable & Co.