On Madras Day, 22nd August 2025 -Tracing the life of The Collector of Madras, H.Taylor Esq

 

On Madras Day -Tracing the life of The Collector of Madras, H.Taylor Esq.who served as an Honorable East India Company’s Civil Servant of The Madras Presidency in 1806, when Lord William Bentinck was the Governor of Madras.

Our ancestors lived in Mylapore, near Mundagakanni Amman Kovil from the date not known to us! After my father’s demise in 1994, I could put my hands on our old house documents, where we also lived from my great grandfather’s time, from the facts shared by my father.

I love Madras, a name given to Madrasapatnam by the British, because the house I referred above has a great family connection. My parents got married in the same house and we two brothers were born in  that house. So, the history of our Mylapore house is more interested to me than the history of Madras.

22^nd August 1639 is a significant date to celebrate Madras Day each year, initiated by Vincent D’Souza of Mylapore Times, Sashi Nair of Press Trust of India and Historian S.Muthiah, in 2004, as found in website.

I wish to talk about the oldest house document of our Mylapore house dated 1806. The year 1806 also witnessed a number of rebellions starting with the Vellore Mutiny. My family history interest made me too deeply study the document from top to bottom and bewildered to see the East India Company’s Red Wax seal (broken in half) with the wonderful ink signature of the then Collector of Madras, H.Taylor dated “ Twenty fifth day of June One Thousand Eight Hundred and Six” and the street name spelled differently and above all the authorities claim of Rupee One per annum from the owner of that time, Erusuppah Grawmony as QUIT RENT.

Before tracing the life of the Collector of Madras in 1806, let us understand what is Quit Rent.

What is Quit Rent? Google search gave me some answers: A contemporaneous list of individuals owning private property made a distinction between the "Landlord or Owner of House but Tenant of the Land [paying quit rent]" and the "Land Holders or Proprietors of Land [paying pension and tax]. Such taxes were important revenue sources for the Company.

Details as in the Document with East India Company’s Red Wax Seal:

 Date of the Document: 25^th June 1806

Name of the street as in the document: ……(not legible) Cunny Ummen Street ( Presently : Mundaga Kanni Amman Koil Street)

The Measurement 1756 ¼ Squarefeet Quit Rent 1 Rupee

The Authority: (As in the document) “The Right Honorable The Governor in Council having duly authorized and appointed me H.TAYLOR Collector of Madras to issue CERTIFICATES for LANDS within the Bounds, I do by virtue of the authority so delegated to me, hereby certify and declare that ….” (Property details continued …) now occupied by Erusuppah Grawmony is held under the Honorable the United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies, under a Demise, for a term of years non-… at the Annual Quit Rent of ONE RUPEE In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and the Seal of the said United Company this Twenty fifth day of June One Thousand Eight Hundred and Six.”  (Sd. H.Taylor Collector). REGISTERED : A.Vincent Asum MEASURED: Vedagiri Maistry

Biography of Taylor,Harry:

From web search: Harry Taylor (abt. 1760 - 1806).

Born about 1 Jan 1760 [uncertain] in England

Died 5 Dec 1806 at about age 46 in At sea, on board ship 'Glory' on way back to England

Harry Taylor married Charlotte Andrews in 1795 at St. Mary's, Fort St. George, Madras, India. Harry and Charlotte's children were all born in India. When Harry died in 1806 there were 11 children, of whom the eldest was only 9.

The children are: Emma, Henry, Robert, Sarah, John, William, Thomas & Elizabeth (twins), and 9, 10, 11 (to be filled in)

Research Notes:

MADRAS CIVIL SERVICE (M.C.S) TAYLOR, Harry. - 1777: Writer. 1782: Factor. 1790: Senior Merchant. 1791: Senior Merchant and Paymaster at Ellore. 1800: Collector of the Cuddalore and Pondicherry Revenue. 1801: At Home. 1805: In India, without employ. Died, on his way to England, 5th December 1806, on board the ship “Glory”."

*The above records contradicts the signature of H.Taylor , signed as Collector of Madras in our document dated 25^th June 1806.

Sources: Record of services of the Honorable East India Company's civil servants in the Madras presidency, from 1741 to 1858 [1] Andrews/Taylor Genealogy.

Conclusion arrived by me: As Taylor,Harry has served as Collector of Cuddalore and Pondicherry during the year 1800, he could have been delegated the duty of Collector of Madras by the authority, The Right Honorable The Governor in Council, Lord William Bentinck ( who later become the First Governor General of India(1828 t0 1835), to issue the CERTIFICATES for LANDS during 1806 ( our document dated 25^th June 1806) before he sailed to England and passed away in the ship “Glory” on 5^th December 1806.

I also would like to share my inquisitiveness in tracing the life of H.Taylor, with Historian  Sri.S.Muthiah by email on Nov.18, 2014 and sought his views. His two mail replies to me are appended below. He also views H.Taylor , Collector of Madras, signed our document might be the same who died in the ship on the way back to England on 5^th December 1806.

QUOTE:

(1)Emails to me from S Muthiah <smuthiah.mes@gmail.com>Tue, Nov 18, 2014, 11:33 AM to me.

Dear Mr.Chandar,

 Yes, your mails reach me at a time when I involved with Madras Week and had lost track of my mail. Now that I am less busy, let me go through it and get back to you.

With best wishes S.Muthiah

(2) Email from S Muthiah <smuthiah.mes@gmail.com>Tue, Nov 18, 2014, 9:23 PM to me

Dear Mr. Chander,

 I am afraid you are asking for the impossible to be done in Madras when you want to find an East India Company employee of c.1800.  The only places you may be lucky at are: 1) the Tamil Nadu Archives where you will have to register yourself as a Research Scholar with a certificate from a University OR

2)  The British Library –India Office Records, in London. Sorry I can’t help, but judging from the information you provide, I would say the two Taylors are different people.  In fact, your document clearly says H. Taylor, Collector of Madras! Seems like your Harry Taylor might have been in trouble or was sick and was being sent back to England.

With best wishes,

S Muthiah.

UNQUOTE: To conclude…

I cannot go beyond the Chronicler of Madras’s views, but still in question on the life of H.Taylor and the whereabouts of his wife and eleven children!

The house property was sold in 1994 to a real estate owner and now our heritage building is no longer exists.

Though this is my personal story, beyond that it is the History of Madras with unsolved mysteries…..

Curious Madras Enthusiasts may further explore from the archives of British Library or by any other means....

Happy Madras Day 22^nd August.

 

 

 

  

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