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.
22nd 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:
25th 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 25th 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 25th June 1806) before he sailed to
England and passed away in the ship “Glory” on 5th 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 5th
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 22nd August.
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