Edward Harrison (British administrator)
Encyclopedia
Edward Harrison was a British
aristocrat
who served as the President of Madras
from 11 July 1711 to 8 January 1717.
had been ruled by Swaroop Singh, who was actually the Rajput
Governor
of the Mughal province who had declared his independence and assumed the title of Raja
. The English at Fort St David frequently failed to pay their rents to the Raja. On one such occasion when Swaroops Singh did not receive any rent for the villages, he responded by capturing two English officers from Fort St David and imprisoning them. Matters came to standstill in February 1711, when open hostilitiews broke out between the kingdom of Gingee and the British settlement at Fort St David
. Three Muslim officers in the service of Gingee and one officer of the British East India Company
were killed in the ensuing hostilities. Harrison sent Richard Raworth, a member of the Council of Fort St George along with three ships to the scene of action to settle the matter.
Raworth arrived in Fort St David with three ships as Fort St David was blockaded by Swaroop Singh from land. Raworth's troops ran into a contingent of 400 cavalry and 1,000 foot commanded by Mahobat Khan on 11 August 1711 and barely managed to hold their ground. However, two top officers in the army,Captain Coventry ande Ensign Somerville both lost their lives along with around 140 to 150 men of the Company's army. With matters reaching a standstill,Edward Harrison tried to enthuse the Nawab of Carnatic to come to the Company's aid but failed miserably. In the meantime, Richard Raworth was made the deputy Governor at Fort St David. Immediately on assumption of office, Raworth negotiated terms of peace with the Raja of Gingee. The Raja demanded a war indemnity of 16,000 pagodas in return for which he promised to cede three villages whose names have been mentioned as Trevandrun, Padre Copang and Coronuttum. However, even as the matter was under consideration, hostilities broke out once more when the Company troops attacked the forces of Gingee at Crimambakkam on 25 January 1712.
The war was, however, brought to a conclusion in April 1712 through the mediation of M.Hebert, the French Governor of Pondicherry
. Swaroop Singh agreed to a settlement on payment of a war indemnity of 12,000 pagodas.
On 15 November 1714, Gingee fell to the forces of the Carnatic bringing Rajput rule to an end.
was established between the factories at Madras and Calcutta. This was the first postal system established by the British East India Company in India. Mail was carried by runners or Tappy peons who travelled all the way to Ganjam
where they exchanged mails with runners from Calcutta.
The force reached Fort St David on 18 October 1713 after passing through Mangadu
, Pondicherry and Cuddalore
. Condapah Choultry was taken and a strong ultimatum was issued to Raworth. Besieged and starved for the want of provisions, Raworth finally agreed to a settlement on 10 December 1713 and with the mediation of the French of Pondicherry, Raworth was finally pardoned and allowed to seek asylum in France.
disturbances broke out in Madras city which affected life and commerce in the city to a great extent. These disturbances started when a man belonging to the Komati caste which is regarded as a right-hand caste reportedly worshipped the idol of a God woprshipped by the Chetties
who formed a left-handed caste. The problem was solved in a few days; but tensions persisted and hostilities resumed at the slightest excuse. The continuous caste-wars forced the painters of Triplicane
to leave the area. With the dispute remaining unresolved and continuing to threaten the functioning of Madras city, Harrison's was recalled and replaced with Joseph Collett
.
for Hertford
. He also served as a Postmaster-General
from 1725 till his death in 1732.
Harrison had one daughter Audrey Ethelreda Harrison, through his marriage with Frances Bray, who married Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend in 1723.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
who served as the President of Madras
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
from 11 July 1711 to 8 January 1717.
War with Gingee
Since its occupation by the Mughals in 1698, GingeeGingee
Gingee is a panchayat town in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The nearest town with a railway station is Tindivanam, 28 km away....
had been ruled by Swaroop Singh, who was actually the Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the Mughal province who had declared his independence and assumed the title of Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
. The English at Fort St David frequently failed to pay their rents to the Raja. On one such occasion when Swaroops Singh did not receive any rent for the villages, he responded by capturing two English officers from Fort St David and imprisoning them. Matters came to standstill in February 1711, when open hostilitiews broke out between the kingdom of Gingee and the British settlement at Fort St David
Fort St David
Fort St. David was a British fort near the town of Cuddalore, a hundred miles south of Madras on the Coromandel Coast of India.-History:It was bought from the Mahrattas by the British East India Company in 1690. Robert Clive served as the governor of Fort St David in 1756.The ruins of Fort St David...
. Three Muslim officers in the service of Gingee and one officer 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...
were killed in the ensuing hostilities. Harrison sent Richard Raworth, a member of the Council of Fort St George along with three ships to the scene of action to settle the matter.
Raworth arrived in Fort St David with three ships as Fort St David was blockaded by Swaroop Singh from land. Raworth's troops ran into a contingent of 400 cavalry and 1,000 foot commanded by Mahobat Khan on 11 August 1711 and barely managed to hold their ground. However, two top officers in the army,Captain Coventry ande Ensign Somerville both lost their lives along with around 140 to 150 men of the Company's army. With matters reaching a standstill,Edward Harrison tried to enthuse the Nawab of Carnatic to come to the Company's aid but failed miserably. In the meantime, Richard Raworth was made the deputy Governor at Fort St David. Immediately on assumption of office, Raworth negotiated terms of peace with the Raja of Gingee. The Raja demanded a war indemnity of 16,000 pagodas in return for which he promised to cede three villages whose names have been mentioned as Trevandrun, Padre Copang and Coronuttum. However, even as the matter was under consideration, hostilities broke out once more when the Company troops attacked the forces of Gingee at Crimambakkam on 25 January 1712.
The war was, however, brought to a conclusion in April 1712 through the mediation of M.Hebert, the French Governor of Pondicherry
French India
French India is a general name for the former French possessions in India These included Pondichéry , Karikal and Yanaon on the Coromandel Coast, Mahé on the Malabar Coast, and Chandannagar in Bengal...
. Swaroop Singh agreed to a settlement on payment of a war indemnity of 12,000 pagodas.
On 15 November 1714, Gingee fell to the forces of the Carnatic bringing Rajput rule to an end.
Postal service
It was during Edward Harrison's time that a postal serviceMail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
was established between the factories at Madras and Calcutta. This was the first postal system established by the British East India Company in India. Mail was carried by runners or Tappy peons who travelled all the way to Ganjam
Ganjam
Ganjam is a town and a notified area committee in Ganjam district in the state of Orissa, India.-Geography:Ganjam is located at . It has an average elevation of 3 metres .-Demographics:...
where they exchanged mails with runners from Calcutta.
Armenian Church
The Armenian church was constructed in Armenian Street in 1712 to cater to the religious needs of the powerful Armenian community of Madras.Richard Raworth's Rebellion
In October 1713, Richard Raworth, Deputy Governor of Fort St David broke into rebellion and shook off his allegiance to Fort St George. Harrison immediately deputed a powerful army commanded by John De Morgan to invade Fort St David and remove Raworth. Henry Davenport was commissioned as the provisional Deputy Governor of Fort St David on 10 October 1713.The force reached Fort St David on 18 October 1713 after passing through Mangadu
Mangadu
Mangadu is a town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Literally meaning a mango forest, it is a south-western suburb of Chennai. It is about 20 km from the city. The town is famous for its Kamatchi Amman temple. Mangadu is close to Poonamalle, a major suburb of Chennai...
, Pondicherry and Cuddalore
Cuddalore
Cuddalore is a fast growing industrial city and headquarter of Cuddalore district in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. Located south of Pondicherry on the coast of Bay of Bengal, Cuddalore has a large number of industries which employ a great deal of the city's population.Cuddalore is known...
. Condapah Choultry was taken and a strong ultimatum was issued to Raworth. Besieged and starved for the want of provisions, Raworth finally agreed to a settlement on 10 December 1713 and with the mediation of the French of Pondicherry, Raworth was finally pardoned and allowed to seek asylum in France.
Caste disturbances in Madras
In late 1716, casteCaste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
disturbances broke out in Madras city which affected life and commerce in the city to a great extent. These disturbances started when a man belonging to the Komati caste which is regarded as a right-hand caste reportedly worshipped the idol of a God woprshipped by the Chetties
Chettiar
Chettiar , also spelled Chetty, is a title used by various castes in South India especially in Tamil Nadu. In Kannada, it appears as Setty, Shettar and Shettigar, who are Padmashalis in Andhra Pradesh....
who formed a left-handed caste. The problem was solved in a few days; but tensions persisted and hostilities resumed at the slightest excuse. The continuous caste-wars forced the painters of Triplicane
Triplicane
Triplicane also has the famous powerful Ellamman temple in SMV Koil street. A beautiful Sundaramurthy Vinayagar temple is right opposite to the Ellamman Temple....
to leave the area. With the dispute remaining unresolved and continuing to threaten the functioning of Madras city, Harrison's was recalled and replaced with Joseph Collett
Joseph Collett
Joseph Collett was a British administrator in service of the British East India Company. He served as the Governor of Bencoolen from 1712 to 1717 and as the President of Madras from 1717 to 1720...
.
Later life
On his return to England, Harrison was elected Member of ParliamentMember 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,...
for 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...
. He also served as a Postmaster-General
United Kingdom Postmaster General
The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom is a defunct Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act of 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electric telegraphs...
from 1725 till his death in 1732.
Harrison had one daughter Audrey Ethelreda Harrison, through his marriage with Frances Bray, who married Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend in 1723.