William Gyfford
Encyclopedia
William Gyfford was an English
factor and Agent of Madras from July 3, 1681 to August 8, 1684 and the President of Madras from January 26, 1685 to July 25, 1687..
William Gyfford was associated with the Honourable East India Company
's factory at Madras right from the time of its inception. He was made a factor of the East India Company in December 1657 and in 1662 became also a member of Council of Fort St George.
on charges of private trade in the year 1681, William Gyfford was made the Agent of Madras. He was more or less a puppet of the authorities in England, most importantly, Josiah Childe.
was signed by the Naik of Poonamallee on behalf of the Sultan of Golconda
providing a new cowle for the district of Madraspatnam at the rate of 1,200 pagodas per annum.
On November 12, 1683, a messenger from the Sultan of Golconda arrived at the Company's garden house and was greeted by a volley of gunshots. Amidst celebration and excitement the firman was signed.
in 1843 and eventually merged with the Bank of Bengal and the Bank of Bombay
to form the Imperial Bank of India
in 1921 is the oldest European-style banking instituition in India
Gyfford also introduced a law to curb the slave trade in the Agency of Fort St George. The trade in slaves was made punishable by law and a Court of Admiralty was established to try offenders on July 10, 1684 thereby replacing the Court of Judicature that had been established by Streynsham Master
in which the Agent passed judgement over interlopers and slave traders.
On August 8, 1684, Madras was elevated to a Presidency and Elihu Yale
made its First President.
soldiers in the service of the East India Company deputed to serve in the war in Bengal refused to embark on their journey under the suspicion that the factors actually intended to send them to revive an abandoned settlement in West Sumatra
which had fallen to a mysterious epidemic. When the authorities tried to force them, a mutiny broke out. The administration responded by arresting the ringleaders and executing them. The rebellion eventually subsided within a few days.
power in the Deccan began to decline and the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb lead a huge expedition to the South
to recover lost territories. In 1686, Aurangazeb's son Muazzam
lanched an invasion of Golconda culminating in the siege and the eventual conquest of the capital in September 1687. The forces of Golconda however defended stoutly for over seven months, during which the whole of Golconda was gripped by fear of invasion and carnage.
The factors of Madras, who had been faithful allies of Golconda, anticipating an invasion, applied to England for help. They also persuaded the factory at Calcutta, which had a stronger contingent and greater influence, to negotiate with Aurangazeb. However, even before the siege of Golconda came to an end and before Aurangazeb was free to direct his energies towards minor allies of the Sultan of Golconda, Gyfford was recalled and replaced by Elihu Yale as the President of Madras.
English colonial empire
The English colonial empire consisted of a variety of overseas territories colonized, conquered, or otherwise acquired by the former Kingdom of England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries....
factor and Agent of Madras from July 3, 1681 to August 8, 1684 and the President of Madras from January 26, 1685 to July 25, 1687..
William Gyfford was associated with the Honourable 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 factory at Madras right from the time of its inception. He was made a factor of the East India Company in December 1657 and in 1662 became also a member of Council of Fort St George.
Tenure as Agent of Madras
On the removal of Streynsham MasterStreynsham Master
Sir Streynsham Master was one of the 17th century pioneers of the English East India Company. He served as the Agent of Madras from 27 January 1678 to 3 July 1681 and is credited with having introduced the first administrative reforms in the Madras Government.Returning to England, in 1692 he...
on charges of private trade in the year 1681, William Gyfford was made the Agent of Madras. He was more or less a puppet of the authorities in England, most importantly, Josiah Childe.
Peace with Lingappa
Gyfford ended hostilities with Lingappa, the Naik of Poonamallee by proposing peace with him. Lingappa seeing his chance demanded a huge amount in return for his friendship ahd help in curbing private trade and other criminal activities. The Company agreed and paid him 7,000 pagodas. A firmanFirman
A firman is a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in certain historical Islamic states, including the Ottoman Empire, Mughal Empire, State of Hyderabad, and Iran under Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. The word firman comes from the meaning "decree" or "order"...
was signed by the Naik of Poonamallee on behalf of the Sultan of Golconda
Golconda
Golconda may be:Places:* Golkonda, ruined city and fortress in India* Golconda, Illinois, town in the United States* Golconda, Nevada, former town in the United StatesOther:* Golconda...
providing a new cowle for the district of Madraspatnam at the rate of 1,200 pagodas per annum.
On November 12, 1683, a messenger from the Sultan of Golconda arrived at the Company's garden house and was greeted by a volley of gunshots. Amidst celebration and excitement the firman was signed.
Reforms
Under extreme pressure from Josiah Childe, William Gyfford introduced reforms to increase the revenues of the East India Company. The Madras Bank was established on June 21, 1683 with a capital of one hundred thousand pounds sterling. This bank lent money to the citizens of Madras at six percent interest. The Madras Bank, which later became the Bank of MadrasBank of Madras
The Bank of Madras, one of the three Presidency Banks, the other two being, the Bank of Bengal and the Bank of Bombay, was established on 1 July 1843, and was headquartered in Madras, now Chennai. It is now subsumed in the State Bank of India.-Origin:...
in 1843 and eventually merged with the Bank of Bengal and the Bank of Bombay
Bank of Bombay
Bank of Bombay was the second of the three presidency banks of the Raj period. It was established, pursuant to a charter of the British East India Company, in the year 1868, about a decade after India's First War of Independence. The bank was headquartered in Bombay, now called Mumbai...
to form the Imperial Bank of India
Imperial Bank of India
The Imperial Bank of India was the oldest and the largest commercial bank of the Indian subcontinent, and was subsequently transformed into State Bank of India in 1955.-Origin:...
in 1921 is the oldest European-style banking instituition in India
Gyfford also introduced a law to curb the slave trade in the Agency of Fort St George. The trade in slaves was made punishable by law and a Court of Admiralty was established to try offenders on July 10, 1684 thereby replacing the Court of Judicature that had been established by Streynsham Master
Streynsham Master
Sir Streynsham Master was one of the 17th century pioneers of the English East India Company. He served as the Agent of Madras from 27 January 1678 to 3 July 1681 and is credited with having introduced the first administrative reforms in the Madras Government.Returning to England, in 1692 he...
in which the Agent passed judgement over interlopers and slave traders.
On August 8, 1684, Madras was elevated to a Presidency and Elihu Yale
Elihu Yale
Elihu Yale was a Welsh merchant and philanthropist, governor of the East India Company, and a benefactor of the Collegiate School of Connecticut, which in 1718 was named Yale College in his honour.- Life :...
made its First President.
Tenure as Second President of Madras
William Gyfford succeeded Elihu Yale was the Second President of Madras on January 26, 1685. Under pressure from Josiah Child and the Board of Directors of the East India Company, he imposed stringent taxes on the inhabitants of the settlement. The house tax which had been in vogue since the times of Streynsham Master was standardized and strictly enforced and defaulters punished.Rebellion against taxation
In January 1686, a rebellion broke out amongst the disgruntled people of Madras over the stringent taxation. The clerks, weavers and dubashes under the pay of the Company revolted and threatened to boycott their jobs. William Gyfford responded sternly and placed all the entrances to the city under heavy guard. A proclamation was issued and read out to the public. According to this proclamation, the administration threatened to banish all those who refused to pay the taxes. The grain merchants of the city were threatened with confiscation of their goods if they did not sell their grain. The next day (January 4, 1686), a compromise was reached by which the inhabitants of Madras submitted and agreed to pay the taxes.Mutiny of the army
On August 4, 1686, the PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
soldiers in the service of the East India Company deputed to serve in the war in Bengal refused to embark on their journey under the suspicion that the factors actually intended to send them to revive an abandoned settlement in West Sumatra
West Sumatra
West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra. It borders the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast...
which had fallen to a mysterious epidemic. When the authorities tried to force them, a mutiny broke out. The administration responded by arresting the ringleaders and executing them. The rebellion eventually subsided within a few days.
Famine
In the year 1686, a terrible famine broke out in Madras. 35,000 out of an estimated population of 300,000 died and over 6,000 families were forced to migrate from the cityMughal conquest of Golconda
With death of Shivaji in 1680, MarathaMaratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
power in the Deccan began to decline and the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb lead a huge expedition to the South
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
to recover lost territories. In 1686, Aurangazeb's son Muazzam
Bahadur Shah I
Bahadur Shah was a Mughal Emperor, who ruled India from 1707 to 1712. His original name was Qutb ud-Din Muhammad Mu'azzam later titled as Shah Alam by his father. He took the throne name Bahadur Shah in 1707. His name Bahādur means "brave" & "hero" in Turko-Mongol languages...
lanched an invasion of Golconda culminating in the siege and the eventual conquest of the capital in September 1687. The forces of Golconda however defended stoutly for over seven months, during which the whole of Golconda was gripped by fear of invasion and carnage.
The factors of Madras, who had been faithful allies of Golconda, anticipating an invasion, applied to England for help. They also persuaded the factory at Calcutta, which had a stronger contingent and greater influence, to negotiate with Aurangazeb. However, even before the siege of Golconda came to an end and before Aurangazeb was free to direct his energies towards minor allies of the Sultan of Golconda, Gyfford was recalled and replaced by Elihu Yale as the President of Madras.
Further reading
- WHEELER, J. T. (1861). Madras in the olden time: being a history of the presidency from the first foundation. Madras, Printed for J. Higginbotham by Graves and co., Ch VI and VII.
- The English Historical Review, Vol 70, No 277, (1955), pp670–671
- Early Records of British India: A History of the English Settlements in India, James Talboys Wheeler, 1878, p. 79.