Thomas Pitt
Encyclopedia
Thomas Pitt born at Blandford Forum, Dorset
, to a rector and his wife, was a British
merchant
involved in trade with India
.
He at first came into conflict with the British East India Company
, however this was settled and the company appointed him governor of Fort St. George, Madras. He is known as "Diamond" Pitt for his purchase of and profit from an extraordinary diamond. He was the grandfather and great-grandfather of the Prime Ministers William Pitt the Elder and William Pitt the Younger
.
, however he soon began trading for himself as an 'interloper' in defiance of the East India Company's legal monopoly on Indian trade. Upon his return to England he was fined £400 for his actions, although by that time Pitt was already very wealthy and could easily afford the fine. He then proceeded to buy the manor of Stratford and its surrounding borough Old Sarum
. With that acquisition he gained a seat
in the House of Commons
, as that was a rotten borough
. It was a purchase that would have a significant effect on British history, as the seat would pass to Pitt's rather influential descendants.
Pitt returned to India, and eventually was hired by the British East India Company. He bought out the Nawab of the Carnatic
region, in order to save Madras, his base of operations.
In 1698, a new Company called English Company Trading to the East Indies was floated by English merchants with Tory affiliations with a capital of 2 million pound sterling. In August 1699, one John Pitt arrived at Madras and claimed that he had been appointed as the Governor of Fort St George by the new Company on behalf of the Stuarts. However, the Government in England passed a stern order that the authorities were to receive orders from no one save those appointed by King William III of Orange
.
On 4 December 1700, the Government of Fort St George banned cock-fighting and other traditional games regarding it as the foremost reason for the poverty of the inhabitants of Madras.
His term of office is known as the 'Golden Age of Madras'. He fortified the walls of Black town and organized an accurate survey of the city. Pitt is best known for the acquisition of the Five New Towns: Tiruvatiyoor, Kathiwakam, Nungambakkam
, Vyasarpady and Sathangadu.
, often called "Pitt the Elder". His second sons were twins, based on an entry to the baptismal records of St. Lawrence, Stratford sub Castle, Salisbury, Wilts records, Thomas Pitt
, 1st Earl of Londonderry
and William
. No other record of William
can be found so he probably died in infancy. His third son John was a distinguished soldier. His second daughter, Lucy married James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope
. Thomas Pitt also had a grandson, by his older son Robert, named Thomas Pitt
. But perhaps Thomas Pitt's most famous descendant was his great-grandson (through William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham) - William Pitt the Younger
, who went on to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the early 19th century.
acquired from an Indian merchant named Jamchund in Madras in 1701. The merchant had purchased the diamond from an English sea captain, who had, in fact, stolen the diamond from a slave. The slave found the diamond in one of the Golkonda
mines on the Kistna River and had concealed it inside a large wound in his leg. According to another version, the diamond had formed an eye of some Hindu idol and was stolen therefrom.
Pitt bought the diamond for 48,000 pagodas or £20,400, and sent it back to England in 1702 with his eldest son. For two years from 1704-1706, the jeweller Harris labored in London
to hew a 141 carat (28.2 g) cushion brilliant from the rough stone. Several secondary stones were produced from the cut that were sold to Peter the Great
of Russia. After many attempts to sell it to various European royals, including Louis XIV of France, Pitt and his sons went with the diamond to Calais
in 1717. With John Law
acting as agent, it was sold that year to the French regent, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
for £135,000, becoming one of the crown jewels of France
. Today, "Le Régent" as it came to be known, remains in the French Royal Treasury at the Louvre
, where it has been on display, since 1887.
and the Down at Blandford, he acquired Boconnoc
in Cornwall
from Lord Mohun
's widow in 1717, and subsequently Kynaston in Dorset
, Bradock, Treskillard and Brannell in Cornwall
, Woodyates
on the border of Dorset
and Wiltshire
, Abbot's Ann in Hampshire
(where he rebuilt the church) and, subsequently his favourite residence, Swallowfield Park
in Berkshire
, where he died in 1726.
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, to a rector and his wife, was a British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
involved in trade with India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
He at first came into conflict with 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...
, however this was settled and the company appointed him governor of Fort St. George, Madras. He is known as "Diamond" Pitt for his purchase of and profit from an extraordinary diamond. He was the grandfather and great-grandfather of the Prime Ministers William Pitt the Elder and William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
.
In India
In 1674, Pitt went to India with the British East India CompanyBritish 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...
, however he soon began trading for himself as an 'interloper' in defiance of the East India Company's legal monopoly on Indian trade. Upon his return to England he was fined £400 for his actions, although by that time Pitt was already very wealthy and could easily afford the fine. He then proceeded to buy the manor of Stratford and its surrounding borough Old Sarum
Old Sarum
Old Sarum is the site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury, in England. The site contains evidence of human habitation as early as 3000 BC. Old Sarum is mentioned in some of the earliest records in the country...
. With that acquisition he gained a seat
Old Sarum (UK Parliament constituency)
Old Sarum was the most infamous of the so-called 'rotten boroughs', a parliamentary constituency of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which was effectively controlled by a single person, until it was abolished under the Reform Act 1832. The constituency was the site of what had been...
in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, as that was a rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....
. It was a purchase that would have a significant effect on British history, as the seat would pass to Pitt's rather influential descendants.
Pitt returned to India, and eventually was hired by the British East India Company. He bought out the Nawab of the Carnatic
Nawab of the Carnatic
Nawabs of the Carnatic , ruled the Carnatic region of South India between about 1690 and 1801. They initially had their capital at Arcot,vellore city...
region, in order to save Madras, his base of operations.
As the President of Madras
Thomas Pitt became the President of Madras on 7 July 1698 and remained in his post till 1709.In 1698, a new Company called English Company Trading to the East Indies was floated by English merchants with Tory affiliations with a capital of 2 million pound sterling. In August 1699, one John Pitt arrived at Madras and claimed that he had been appointed as the Governor of Fort St George by the new Company on behalf of the Stuarts. However, the Government in England passed a stern order that the authorities were to receive orders from no one save those appointed by King William III of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
.
On 4 December 1700, the Government of Fort St George banned cock-fighting and other traditional games regarding it as the foremost reason for the poverty of the inhabitants of Madras.
His term of office is known as the 'Golden Age of Madras'. He fortified the walls of Black town and organized an accurate survey of the city. Pitt is best known for the acquisition of the Five New Towns: Tiruvatiyoor, Kathiwakam, Nungambakkam
Nungambakkam
Nungambakkam is one of the wealthiest localities in the heart of Chennai, India's fourth largest metropolitan city. The neighborhood is abound with multi-national commercial establishments, important government offices, foreign consulates, sprawling educational institutions, shopping malls,...
, Vyasarpady and Sathangadu.
Family
He was married in 1679/80 to Jane Innes. He had at least four sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Robert, was father of William Pitt, 1st Earl of ChathamWilliam Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War...
, often called "Pitt the Elder". His second sons were twins, based on an entry to the baptismal records of St. Lawrence, Stratford sub Castle, Salisbury, Wilts records, Thomas Pitt
Thomas Pitt, 1st Earl of Londonderry
Thomas Innes Pitt, 1st Earl of Londonderry was a British politician. He served as Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1728 to 1729....
, 1st Earl of Londonderry
Earl of Londonderry
Earl of Londonderry is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation came in 1622 in favour of Thomas Ridgeway, 1st Baron Ridgeway, who served as Treasurer of Ireland and was involved in the colonisation of Ulster...
and William
William
-British:*William I of England , aka William the Conqueror, William the Bastard*William II of England , aka William Rufus*William I of Scotland -British:*William I of England (1027-1087), aka William the Conqueror, William the Bastard*William II of England (1056-1100), aka William Rufus*William I...
. No other record of William
William
-British:*William I of England , aka William the Conqueror, William the Bastard*William II of England , aka William Rufus*William I of Scotland -British:*William I of England (1027-1087), aka William the Conqueror, William the Bastard*William II of England (1056-1100), aka William Rufus*William I...
can be found so he probably died in infancy. His third son John was a distinguished soldier. His second daughter, Lucy married James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope
James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope
James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope PC was a British statesman and soldier who effectively served as Chief Minister between 1717 and 1721. He is probably best remembered for his service during War of the Spanish Succession...
. Thomas Pitt also had a grandson, by his older son Robert, named Thomas Pitt
Thomas Pitt of Boconnoc
Thomas Pitt of Boconnoc was the Lord Warden of the Stannaries until 1751, when the Cornish Stannary Parliament last met. He was the grandson and namesake of the better known Thomas Pitt, and the son of Robert Pitt and elder brother of William Pitt the Elder...
. But perhaps Thomas Pitt's most famous descendant was his great-grandson (through William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham) - William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
, who went on to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the early 19th century.
Pitt's diamond
Pitt is most famous for his purchase of a 410 carat (82 g) uncut diamondDiamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
acquired from an Indian merchant named Jamchund in Madras in 1701. The merchant had purchased the diamond from an English sea captain, who had, in fact, stolen the diamond from a slave. The slave found the diamond in one of the Golkonda
Golkonda
Golkonda or Golla konda a ruined city of south-central India and capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda , is situated 11 km west of Hyderabad.The most important builder of Golkonda was a Hindu Kakatiya King...
mines on the Kistna River and had concealed it inside a large wound in his leg. According to another version, the diamond had formed an eye of some Hindu idol and was stolen therefrom.
Pitt bought the diamond for 48,000 pagodas or £20,400, and sent it back to England in 1702 with his eldest son. For two years from 1704-1706, the jeweller Harris labored 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...
to hew a 141 carat (28.2 g) cushion brilliant from the rough stone. Several secondary stones were produced from the cut that were sold to Peter the Great
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
of Russia. After many attempts to sell it to various European royals, including Louis XIV of France, Pitt and his sons went with the diamond to Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
in 1717. With John Law
John Law
John Law may refer to:*John Law *John Law DD was an English mathematician*John Law *John Law , Hong Kong film director...
acting as agent, it was sold that year to the French regent, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
for £135,000, becoming one of the crown jewels of France
French Crown Jewels
The French Crown Jewels were the crowns, orb, sceptres, diadems and jewels that were the symbol of royalty and which were worn by many Kings and Queens of France. The set was finally broken up, with most of it sold off in 1885 by the Third French Republic...
. Today, "Le Régent" as it came to be known, remains in the French Royal Treasury at the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
, where it has been on display, since 1887.
Properties
With the money received for his famous diamond, he now began to consolidate his properties. Besides Mawarden Court at Stratford Sub CastleStratford Sub Castle
Stratford-sub-Castle in Wiltshire, England was anciently a separate village and civil parish but is now a northern suburb of the city of Salisbury. It lies beneath, and south-west of, the abandoned medieval settlement of Old Sarum and is approximately twenty miles from Southampton.Stratford is...
and the Down at Blandford, he acquired Boconnoc
Boconnoc
Boconnoc is a civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom, approximately four miles east of Lostwithiel. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 121.The parish is rural in character and is fairly well wooded...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
from Lord Mohun
Charles Mohun, 4th Baron Mohun
Charles Mohun, 4th Baron Mohun was an English politician best known for his frequent participation in duels and his reputation as a rake....
's widow in 1717, and subsequently Kynaston in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, Bradock, Treskillard and Brannell in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, Woodyates
Woodyates
Woodyates is a small hamlet, sometimes considered a village, in the county of Dorset, near its border with Wiltshire, in the west of England.-History:...
on the border of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
and Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, Abbot's Ann in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
(where he rebuilt the church) and, subsequently his favourite residence, Swallowfield Park
Swallowfield Park
Swallowfield Park is a Grade II* listed stately home and estate in the English county of Berkshire. The house is situated near the village of Swallowfield, some 4 miles south of the town of Reading.-The House :...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, where he died in 1726.
Sources
- Moore, Gloria. The Anglo-Indian Vision, 1986.
- Palmer, R.R., et al. A History of the Modern World, 2004.
- Edward J. Davies, “Jane Innes, Wife of Governor Thomas Pitt”, Notes and Queries, 253(2008):301-03 http://nq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/gjn068?ijkey=7ut8U8kI0fMmdQM&keytype=ref