John Zephaniah Holwell
Encyclopedia
John Zephaniah Holwell FRS
(17 September 1711 – 5 November 1798) was a surgeon, an employee of the English East India Company, and a temporary Governor of Bengal
(1760). He was also one of the first Europeans to study Indian antiquities
.
Holwell was a survivor of the Black Hole of Calcutta
, June 1756, the incident in which British subjects and others were crammed into a small poorly-ventilated chamber overnight, with many deaths. Howell's account of this incident (1758) obtained wide circulation in England and some claim this gained support for the East India Company's conquest of India. His account of the incident was not publicly questioned during his lifetime nor for more than a century after his death. However, in recent years, his version of the event has been called into question by many historians.
Born in Dublin, he grew up in London, and studied medicine at Guy's Hospital
. He gained employment as a surgeon in the English East India Company and was sent to India in 1732. He served in this capacity until 1749. In 1751, he was appointed as zemindar of the Twentyfour Parganas District of Bengal. He then served as a member of the Council of Fort William
(Calcutta) and defended the settlement against Siraj Ud Daulah in 1756. He later succeeded Robert Clive as temporary Governor
of Bengal
in 1760, but was dismissed from the Council in 1761 for remonstrating against the appointment of Henry Vansittart
as Governor of Bengal. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society
in 1767.
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(17 September 1711 – 5 November 1798) was a surgeon, an employee of the English East India Company, and a temporary Governor of Bengal
Governor of Bengal
From 1690, a governor represented the British East India Company in Bengal, which had been granted the right to establish a trading post by the local rulers, the nawabs of Murshidabad, who were nominal vassals of the Mughal emperor in Delhi....
(1760). He was also one of the first Europeans to study Indian antiquities
Indology
Indology is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent , and as such is a subset of Asian studies....
.
Holwell was a survivor of the Black Hole of Calcutta
Black Hole of Calcutta
The Black Hole of Calcutta was a small dungeon in the old Fort William, at Calcutta, India, where troops of the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, held British prisoners of war after the capture of the Fort on June 19, 1756....
, June 1756, the incident in which British subjects and others were crammed into a small poorly-ventilated chamber overnight, with many deaths. Howell's account of this incident (1758) obtained wide circulation in England and some claim this gained support for the East India Company's conquest of India. His account of the incident was not publicly questioned during his lifetime nor for more than a century after his death. However, in recent years, his version of the event has been called into question by many historians.
Born in Dublin, he grew up in London, and studied medicine at Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
. He gained employment as a surgeon in the English East India Company and was sent to India in 1732. He served in this capacity until 1749. In 1751, he was appointed as zemindar of the Twentyfour Parganas District of Bengal. He then served as a member of the Council of Fort William
Fort William, India
Fort William is a fort built in Calcutta on the Eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganges, during the early years of the Bengal Presidency of British India. It was named after King William III of England...
(Calcutta) and defended the settlement against Siraj Ud Daulah in 1756. He later succeeded Robert Clive as temporary 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 Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
in 1760, but was dismissed from the Council in 1761 for remonstrating against the appointment of Henry Vansittart
Henry Vansittart
Henry Vansittart was the English Governor of Bengal from 1759 to 1764.Vansittart was born in Bloomsbury in Middlesex, the third son of Arthur van Sittart . His father and his grandfather, Peter van Sittart , were both wealthy merchants and directors of the Russia Company...
as Governor of Bengal. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1767.
Publications
By Holwell:- A Genuine Narrative of the Deplorable Deaths of the English Gentlemen and others who were suffocated in the Black Hole (London, 1758)
- Interesting Historical Events, Relative to the Provinces of Bengal, and the Empire of Indostan With a seasonable hint and perswasive to the honourable the court of directors of the East India Company. As also the mythology and cosmogony, fasts and festivals of the Gentoo's, followers of the Shastah. And a dissertation on the metempsychosis, commonly, though erroneously, called the Pythagorean doctrine, 3 vols. (London, 1765-1771)
See also
- Urs AppUrs AppUrs App is a historian of ideas, religions, and philosophies with a special interest in the history and modes of interaction between East and West.- Biography :...
(2010). The Birth of Orientalism. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press (ISBN 978-0-8122-4261-4); contains a 66-page chapter (pp. 297-362) on Holwell.