Addiscombe Military Academy
Encyclopedia
The East India Company Military Seminary, colloquially known as Addiscombe Seminary, Addiscombe College, or Addiscombe Military Academy was a British
military academy
at Addiscombe
, Surrey, in what is now the London Borough of Croydon
. It was established in 1809, and closed in 1861. Its purpose was to train young officers to serve in the East India Company
’s private army in India
. It was a sister institution to the East India Company College
in Hertfordshire, which trained civilian "writers" (clerks); while in military terms it was a counterpart to the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich
, and a forerunner to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
.
, who in 1703 pronounced the house "in all points of good and solid architecture to be one of the very best gentleman's houses in Surrey, when finish'd". Its interior included many mural paintings of mythological subjects, supposed to be the work of Sir James Thornhill
; while high up on the exterior east front was carved the Latin inscription, "Non faciam vitio culpave minorem" ("I will not lower myself by vice or fault"). By the late 18th century the house was in the ownership of Charles James Clarke, who leased it to the statesman Charles Jenkinson, Lord Hawkesbury
, later 1st Earl of Liverpool. Regular visitors during Liverpool's tenure included King George III
and William Pitt
.
, and it became a military seminary. Although the East India Company was primarily a trading concern, it also maintained its own private army, and the officers of this army were to be trained at Addiscombe before setting off for India. The doors of the Seminary opened on 21 January 1809, although the formal transfer of title did not take place until a year later, in January 1810.
The initial intake comprised 60 cadets, but the numbers rose to about 150 a year. In all, 3,470 cadets passed through Addiscombe during the years of its existence. To accommodate them, the college had to expand: the initial purchase comprised the mansion house and 58 acres of land to the south of Lower Addiscombe Road, but a further 30 acres (to the north of Lower Addiscombe Road) were subsequently acquired. New buildings included barracks, a chapel, a drawing and lecture hall, a hospital, a dining-hall, a sand-modelling hall, a gymnasium, and other service facilities including a bakehouse, dairy, laundry, and brew-house.
Cadets entered the Seminary between the ages of 14 and 16, and normally remained for 4 terms (2 years), although it was possible to pass the final examination within a shorter period. Each cadet had to pay £30 annually. The curriculum comprised Mathematics, Fortification, Oriental Languages (including Hindustani), and Military and Civil Drawing; while supplementary subjects included Classics, French, Geology, and Chemistry. In the 1850s Photography was also studied. Specialist training was given to cadets destined for the Engineer or Artillery arms of the service. The cadets regularly worshipped at Croydon Parish Church (marching there each Sunday in uniform, accompanied by their band) until 1829, after which they began to worship at the newly-consecrated St James's Church.
The academy's first Superintendent and Head Master was James Andrew
(1809-22). He was temporarily followed by Major W.H. Carmichael-Smyth (1822-4), stepfather of William Makepeace Thackeray
. The headship was then retitled Lieutenant-Governor, and was held successively by Lt-Col Robert Louis Houston (1824-34), General Sir Ephraim Gerrish Stannus (1834-50), and finally Sir Frederick Abbott (1851-61), who had himself been a cadet at Addiscombe.
(or First War of Independence
) of 1857, the British East India Company was wound up in 1858. The Seminary passed into government hands, becoming known as the Royal Indian Military College, Addiscombe, but continued to perform much the same function. With the amalgamation of the Royal and Indian services in 1861, there was initially a proposal that Addiscombe should be retained as a military college. However, this did not happen (the War Office
considering that the establishments at Woolwich and Sandhurst
were sufficient for their needs), and the college closed in June the same year. The site was sold on 30 August 1861 for £33,600 to the British Land Company
, who demolished most of the buildings. All that remains are two former professors' houses, "Ashleigh" and "India", on the corner of Clyde Road and Addiscombe Road; and the former gymnasium on Havelock Road, now private apartments. The Land Company laid out five parallel roads over the greater part of the grounds, and built them up with villas. The five roads - Outram, Havelock, Elgin, Clyde and Canning Roads - all took their names from soldiers and politicians who were prominent on the British side in the events of 1857-58, but none was in fact a college alumnus.
to the best cadet of the training season. The award was named after Field Marshal
George Pollock
. The Pollock Prize was transferred to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich after Addiscombe was closed.
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...
military academy
Military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...
at Addiscombe
Addiscombe
Addiscombe is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Croydon. It is situated south of Charing Cross.It is situated just to the northeast of central Croydon, and is home to a high proportion of people who commute to Central London, owing to its proximity to the busy...
, Surrey, in what is now the London Borough of Croydon
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
. It was established in 1809, and closed in 1861. Its purpose was to train young officers to serve in the East India Company
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...
’s private army in 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...
. It was a sister institution to the East India Company College
East India Company College
The East India College was a college in Hertford Heath, Hertfordshire, England. It was founded in February 1806 as the training establishment for the British East India Company . At that time, the BEIC provided general and vocational education for young gentlemen of sixteen to eighteen years old,...
in Hertfordshire, which trained civilian "writers" (clerks); while in military terms it was a counterpart to the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
, and a forerunner to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
.
Addiscombe Place
The country house, Addiscombe Place, which formed the central building of the later Seminary, was erected in about 1702 by William Draper, who had inherited the property at Addiscombe in 1700 from his aunt, Dame Sarah Temple. Draper's father-in-law was the diarist John EvelynJohn Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
, who in 1703 pronounced the house "in all points of good and solid architecture to be one of the very best gentleman's houses in Surrey, when finish'd". Its interior included many mural paintings of mythological subjects, supposed to be the work of Sir James Thornhill
James Thornhill
Sir James Thornhill was an English painter of historical subjects, in the Italian baroque tradition.-Life:...
; while high up on the exterior east front was carved the Latin inscription, "Non faciam vitio culpave minorem" ("I will not lower myself by vice or fault"). By the late 18th century the house was in the ownership of Charles James Clarke, who leased it to the statesman Charles Jenkinson, Lord Hawkesbury
Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool
Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool PC , known as the Lord Hawkesbury between 1786 and 1796, was a British statesman. He was the father of Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool....
, later 1st Earl of Liverpool. Regular visitors during Liverpool's tenure included King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
and William Pitt
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...
.
The military seminary
Following the death of Lord Liverpool, Addiscombe Place was sold in 1809 by Emelius Delmé-Radcliffe (Clarke's brother-in-law) to the East India CompanyEast 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...
, and it became a military seminary. Although the East India Company was primarily a trading concern, it also maintained its own private army, and the officers of this army were to be trained at Addiscombe before setting off for India. The doors of the Seminary opened on 21 January 1809, although the formal transfer of title did not take place until a year later, in January 1810.
The initial intake comprised 60 cadets, but the numbers rose to about 150 a year. In all, 3,470 cadets passed through Addiscombe during the years of its existence. To accommodate them, the college had to expand: the initial purchase comprised the mansion house and 58 acres of land to the south of Lower Addiscombe Road, but a further 30 acres (to the north of Lower Addiscombe Road) were subsequently acquired. New buildings included barracks, a chapel, a drawing and lecture hall, a hospital, a dining-hall, a sand-modelling hall, a gymnasium, and other service facilities including a bakehouse, dairy, laundry, and brew-house.
Cadets entered the Seminary between the ages of 14 and 16, and normally remained for 4 terms (2 years), although it was possible to pass the final examination within a shorter period. Each cadet had to pay £30 annually. The curriculum comprised Mathematics, Fortification, Oriental Languages (including Hindustani), and Military and Civil Drawing; while supplementary subjects included Classics, French, Geology, and Chemistry. In the 1850s Photography was also studied. Specialist training was given to cadets destined for the Engineer or Artillery arms of the service. The cadets regularly worshipped at Croydon Parish Church (marching there each Sunday in uniform, accompanied by their band) until 1829, after which they began to worship at the newly-consecrated St James's Church.
The academy's first Superintendent and Head Master was James Andrew
James Andrew (East India Company)
James Andrew, LL.D. , was the principal of the East India Company's Military Seminary at Addiscombe, Surrey.Andrew was from Scotland, and received his education at Aberdeen...
(1809-22). He was temporarily followed by Major W.H. Carmichael-Smyth (1822-4), stepfather of William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
. The headship was then retitled Lieutenant-Governor, and was held successively by Lt-Col Robert Louis Houston (1824-34), General Sir Ephraim Gerrish Stannus (1834-50), and finally Sir Frederick Abbott (1851-61), who had himself been a cadet at Addiscombe.
Closure and development of the site
Following the Indian RebellionIndian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
(or First War of Independence
India's First War of Independence (term)
The First War of Indian Independence is a term that is sometimes used, predominantly in India, to describe the Indian Rebellion of 1857, which has been described variously outside of India as "uprising", "revolt" and "mutiny".- History :...
) of 1857, the British East India Company was wound up in 1858. The Seminary passed into government hands, becoming known as the Royal Indian Military College, Addiscombe, but continued to perform much the same function. With the amalgamation of the Royal and Indian services in 1861, there was initially a proposal that Addiscombe should be retained as a military college. However, this did not happen (the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
considering that the establishments at Woolwich and Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
were sufficient for their needs), and the college closed in June the same year. The site was sold on 30 August 1861 for £33,600 to the British Land Company
British Land
The British Land Company plc is one of the largest property development and investment companies in the United Kingdom. The firm switched to Real Estate Investment Trust status when REITs were introduced in the United Kingdom in January 2007. It is headquartered in London...
, who demolished most of the buildings. All that remains are two former professors' houses, "Ashleigh" and "India", on the corner of Clyde Road and Addiscombe Road; and the former gymnasium on Havelock Road, now private apartments. The Land Company laid out five parallel roads over the greater part of the grounds, and built them up with villas. The five roads - Outram, Havelock, Elgin, Clyde and Canning Roads - all took their names from soldiers and politicians who were prominent on the British side in the events of 1857-58, but none was in fact a college alumnus.
Pollock Medal
In 1848 the Seminary began awarding the Pollock MedalPollock Medal
The Pollock Medal is a prize awarded to the best cadet of the season, in commemoration of Sir George Pollock's exploits in Afghanistan, first at the East India Company's Military Seminary, at Addiscombe Military Academy, and later at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.- Foundation :In 1844, the...
to the best cadet of the training season. The award was named after Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
George Pollock
George Pollock
Field Marshal Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet, GCB, GCSI was a British soldier.-Military career:Educated at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Pollock was commissioned into the Bengal Artillery in 1803....
. The Pollock Prize was transferred to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich after Addiscombe was closed.
Notable students
- Sir Frederick Abbott, 1820-22
- Sir Proby CautleyProby CautleySir Proby Thomas Cautley KCB , English engineer and palaeontologist, born in Suffolk, is best known for conceiving and supervising the construction of the Ganges canal in India...
, 1818-19 - Sir Pierre Louis Napoleon CavagnariPierre Louis Napoleon CavagnariSir Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari KCB CSI , British military administrator, was the son of Count Louis Adolphus Cavagnari, of an old Italian family from Parma in the service of the Bonaparte family, by his marriage in 1837 with an Irish lady, Caroline Lyons-Montgomery...
. c.1857 - Arthur CottonArthur CottonGeneral Sir Arthur Thomas Cotton KCSI was a British general and irrigation engineer.Cotton devoted his life to the construction of irrigation and navigation canals throughout the British Empire in India, however, his dream was only partially realized, but he is still honored in parts of rural...
, 1818-19 - Sir Henry Marion DurandHenry Marion DurandSir Henry Marion Durand was a British soldier and colonial administrator.-Career:After training at the East India Company's Military Seminary at Addiscombe , Durand left Britain for India in 1829, arriving in May 1830. He served initially as Second Lieutenant in the Bengal Engineers...
, 1827-8 - Major-General Vincent EyreVincent EyreVincent Eyre was an English General in the Indian Army, who saw active service in India and Afghanistan.-Early life:Born in Portsdown, Portsmouth in 1811, Eyre was the third son of Captain Henry Eyre and was educated at Norwich School....
, 1827-8 - General Douglas HamiltonDouglas HamiltonGeneral Douglas Hamilton was a British Indian Army officer, gazetted to the 21st Regiment of the Madras Native Infantry from 1837 to 1871. He was a well known surveyor of the early British hill stations in South India and a famous sportsman, shikari, big-game hunter and trophy collector. He was an...
, 1835-7, big game hunter and artist - Lieutenant-General Sir James Hills-Johnes, 1851-3, awarded the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
- Brigadier-General John Jacob, 1826-7
- Major-General Sir Henry LawrenceHenry Montgomery LawrenceSir Henry Montgomery Lawrence was a British soldier and statesman in India, who died defending Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny.-Career:Lawrence was the brother of John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence and was born at Matara, Ceylon...
, 1820-22, first Chief Commissioner of Punjab - General Sir Peter LumsdenPeter LumsdenGeneral Sir Peter Stark Lumsden GCB, CSI, DL was a British military officer who served in India. Born in Belhelvie, Aberdeenshire, he was the fourth son of Colonel Thomas Lumsden CB. He studied at Addiscombe Military Academy, before officially joining military service as an ensign in the 60th...
, 1846-7, of the Indian ArmyBritish Indian ArmyThe British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947... - General Sir George Malcolm, 1835-6
- Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of MagdalaRobert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of MagdalaField Marshal Robert Cornelis Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, GCB, GCSI, CIE, FRS was a British soldier.-Early life:...
, 1825-6 - General Sir William OlphertsWilliam OlphertsGeneral Sir William Olpherts VC GCB was born in Dartrey, County Armagh, and was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.- Early life :Olpherts was born on 8 March...
, 1837-9, awarded the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories.... - Major Eldred PottingerEldred PottingerEldred Pottinger , Anglo-Indian soldier and diplomatist, son of Thomas Pottinger of Mountpottinger, County Down, and Charlotte Moore. He was educated at Addiscombe Military Academy, and entered the Bombay Artillery in 1827...
, 1826-7 - Lord Roberts of Kabul and KandaharFrederick Roberts, 1st Earl RobertsField Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
, 1850-51, awarded the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories.... - Sir Richard SankeyRichard Hieram SankeyLieutenant General Sir Richard Hieram Sankey KCB was an officer in the Royal Engineers in the East India Company's army in British India, later transferring to the British Army after the Indian Mutiny and the assumption of Crown rule in India.See also The Sankey Tank in Bangalore which he...
, 1845-6 - Richard Baird SmithRichard Baird SmithRichard Baird Smith , British engineer officer, was the son of a surgeon in the Royal Navy.He was educated at Lasswade and Addiscombe, and joined the Madras Engineers in 1838. Being transferred to the Bengal Engineers, he served through the second Anglo-Sikh War, and was present at the battles of...
, 1835-6 - Lieutenant-General James Francis TennantJames Francis TennantLieutenant-General James Francis Tennant was a noted soldier and astronomer.He was born in Calcutta to Scottish parents...
, 1845-7, soldier and astronomer - Henry TombsHenry TombsMajor General Sir Henry Tombs VC KCB was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
, 1839-41, awarded the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories.... - Major-General Charles WaddingtonCharles Waddington (army engineer)Charles Waddington CB was a major-general in the Bombay engineers.- Biography :Charles Waddington was the fifth son of William Waddington or Walkeringham, Nottinghamshire, by his wife, Grace Valentine, daughter of Henry Sykes of London, was born at Brompton on 24 Oct. 1796...
, 1811-12 - Henry YuleHenry YuleSir Henry Yule was a Scottish Orientalist.He was born at Inveresk, Scotland, near Edinburgh, the son of Major William Yule , translator of the Apothegms of Ali. Henry Yule was educated at Edinburgh, Addiscombe, and Chatham, and joined the Bengal Engineers in 1840...
, 1837-8, geographer and orientalist
Notable staff
- Sir Frederick Abbott, Lieutenant-Governor 1851-61
- James AndrewJames Andrew (East India Company)James Andrew, LL.D. , was the principal of the East India Company's Military Seminary at Addiscombe, Surrey.Andrew was from Scotland, and received his education at Aberdeen...
, Superintendent 1809-22 - David T. AnstedDavid T. AnstedDavid Thomas Ansted was an English geologist and author.- Youth, education :Ansted was born in London on 5 February 1814. He was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, and after taking his degree of M.A...
- John CallowJohn CallowJohn Callow, an English water-colour landscape painter, was born in 1822. He was an associate of the Water-Colour Society, and died at Lewisham in 1878.-References:...
- Theodore Henry Adolphus FieldingTheodore Henry Adolphus FieldingTheodore Henry Adolphus Fielding was an English painter, engraver, and author.-Life:Fielding was the eldest son of Nathan Theodore Fielding...
- Sir Edward FranklandEdward FranklandSir Edward Frankland, KCB, FRS was a chemist, one of the foremost of his day. He was an expert in water quality and analysis, and originated the concept of combining power, or valence, in chemistry. He was also one of the originators of organometallic chemistry.-Biography:Edward Frankland was born...
- William MudgeWilliam MudgeWilliam Mudge was an English artillery officer and surveyor, an important figure in the work of the Ordnance Survey.-Life:He was a son of Dr. John Mudge of Plymouth, by his second wife, and grandson of Zachariah Mudge, and was born at Plymouth on 1 December 1762...
, Public Examiner 1810-20 - John Christian SchetkyJohn Christian SchetkyJohn Christian Schetky , Scottish marine painter, descended from an old Transylvanian family, was born in Edinburgh....
, Professor of Drawing 1837-55 - Sir John Mark Frederick SmithJohn Mark Frederick SmithSir John Mark Frederick Smith was a British general and colonel-commandant of the Royal Engineers. He was also the Conservative Member of Parliament for Chatham from 1852 to 1853 and 1857 to 1865...
, Public Examiner 1856-61 - William SturgeonWilliam SturgeonWilliam Sturgeon was an English physicist and inventor who made the first electromagnets, and invented the first practical English electric motor.-Early Life :...
- William Frederick WellsWilliam Frederick WellsWilliam Frederick Wells was an English watercolour landscape painter and etcher.Wells was born in London in 1762. Wells studied art in London under John James Barralet . On 20 November 1804, Wells initiated the founding of a watercolour painters society at a meeting at the Stratford Coffee House,...