Elihu Yale of Yale University, USA and Fort Ft. David, Cuddalore, India
Elihu Yale was instrumental in getting Ft. David in 1690 for the English company through successful bidding in the auction
The British East India company came to India in the 1600s for trading purpose and after the company got a major victory over the Portuguese, who had been controlling colonies in Goa and Kerala, in the Battle of Swally in 1612, they opened a trading post at Suvali in Surat(now in Gujarat) in 1619. They had good terms with the then Mogul rulers of Delhi As the company business operations expanded, they established trading posts in Madras (1639), Bombay (1668), and Calcutta (1690). By 1647, the company had 23 factories, each under the command of a master merchant and governor, and 90 employees.
After getting necessary permission from the local ruler, at Chennapatnam (Madras/Chennai) close to the shore, they built Fort St George in April 1644 in the place now known as the Marina beach. Historically, it was called White Town and at that point of time it was not inhabited by the people. Near-by there were some fishing villages, and soon Ft. St. George became the hub of merchant activity and the town had begun to develop around the fort. Their strategic location enhanced their trade in spices and export opportunities to the Far East countries. Their flourishing mercantile business encouraged them to expand their influence in other places like the Carnatic and to keep the rulers of Arcot and Srirangapatna, as well as the French forces based at Pondichérry at bay. They fortified the trading post in Chennai for security reasons, when the French had established a trading post in Pondicherry, roughly 100 miles away from Chennai.
The EIC wanted to have another trading post near Cuddalore, now in Tamil Nadu on the Coromandel coast, close to the small settlement of the French in Pondicherry. The English company wanted to stay ahead of the French who were their competitors in the subcontinent which they did not cherish. The French company’s operations were in the early stages then and, at this point of time, it was a small establishment.
Fort St. David, an ancient English fort is located in the vicinity of Cuddalore city on the banks of the river Gadilum close to the Coromandel Coast. This historical monument is now in a dilapidated condition because of negligence on the part of the ASI under the state / central government control. This region was under the Gingee Nayak rule in the 17th century. Through negotiations, the Dutch traders were given permission in 1608 by the local Nayak rulers to build a fort as they chose Cuddalore for their mercantile trades. Since Portuguese had more influence with the ruler, at last, the deal was called off in the middle, obviously at the instigation of the Portuguese who found the Dutch their tough competitors.
The fort was initially built by a Hindu merchant in the year 1677. The Marathas in 1690 took control of this fort along with Gingee fort under Shivaji’ s son Rajaram Chhatrapati. During the Mogul attack, the Gingee fort was under siege and the Maratha ruler sold the Devipatnam (Cuddalore) fort to the highest bidder — the British East India company (1690). Surprisingly, the purchase price not only included the fort but also the adjacent towns and villages that could fall within the range of a random shot of a canon from that area. Hence, they were later called ‘’cannonball’’ villages.
Elihu Yale, the Governor of Madras, was instrumental in getting the fort through successful bidding against the Dutch and the French. He after long protracted negotiations, acquired the fort and named it Fort David in honor of the patron Saint of Wales . After purchase, the British carried out major repair works as it was not functional. The fort, a 300 plus year old two-story structure made of brick and lime mortar, became the British headquarters for Southern India in between 1746, and 1756. For a brief period in 1758, the fort came under the French control. On display at the site is a plaque stating “Was capital of the English possessions on the Coromandel coast from 1746–1752. Fortifications demolished by the French and site restored to the English in 1785.” In another conflict with the French, the fort was damaged, but was restored in 1785 by the British after recapturing it.
Tourists can visit this site which is in ruins on the back waters of the Gadilam River. Now a forgotten place, this simple looking fort built in 1725 is known to have housed such powerful British officers like Elihu Yale, Robert Clive and James Mac Rae. The structure is in a state of decay as many pillars and wooden beams in the interior parts are eaten away by termites. Apparently, they had not been painted periodically for a long time. The surprising features are the presence of several underground chambers and secret tunnels in the base of the fort; but they are now covered with overgrowth of wild grass, plants, bushes, etc. The Chambers and the base were used as ammunition depot and horse stable. Under the management of the Arcot Lutheran Church (ALC), the ground floor of this heritage structure — colonial legacy in this part of Tamil Nadu is now mainly used for conducting church meetings. During Cyclone Thane in 2011, the structure was severely damaged. The ALC had spent Rs. 70 lakhs on repairs in the front parts. The District administration or the Archaeology dept. should come forward and carry out the repairs on the roof, etc and store this heritage structure back to old glory for the benefits of the posterity.
During this time Elihu Yale (of Yale university,USA fame), was the Governor of Madras. Regarding acquisition of the fort near Cuddalore, there were some allegations made against Yale that he purchased the territory for private purposes with East India Company funds, including a fort at Tevnapatam (now Cuddalore). He refuted the charges, however, his under dealings with the local traders at Madras against the company, his corrupt practices and his link with local slave traders landed him in the soup.
In order to maintain the colonial garrison and town (Cuddalore) which was a costly affair, Yale imposed high taxes, resulting in disappointment and resentment among the locals and, further, he failed to develop close relationship with garrison soldiers. This culminated in revolts and Yale used brute forces to quell the upraising by the soldiers. Here, Yale got a bad name on account of his intemperate action against the natives on his own authority and in one instance, without scruples, he had a stable boy hanged to death. His crime was, being childish as he was, he rode away with the company horse. Being impulsive, and hot-headed, his handling of people in the garrison town of Cuddalore was condemned and consequently the company ‘s name was further tarnished by Yale’s antics bordering on arrogance and pride. The authorities, having no choice, subsequently removed him in 1692 from the post.
Above image: Founded in 1701, Yale is the third oldest institution of higher education in the United States and Yale was a benefactor of Yale university, which began as Yale college. Yale University in 2017 changed the name one of its colleges — named after John Calhoun, a former US vice-president, who is remembered as an advocate of slavery. This was done after several protests by the students and the staff. Elihu Yale, himself, while serving as the Governor of Madras, India had links with slave trade going on there………..
James MacRae, the governor of the fort strengthened it in 1740s as it became the British headquarters in the southern region, besides they needed a strong fort against the French attack. In 1756, Robert Clive (who was to become the founder of the British empire) served as the governor of Fort St David. There were some skirmishes between the British and the French under Gov. Dupleix and the control of the fort kept changing. Sir Eyre Coote, KB finally brought stability to the fort and the region. Again another bout of repair work was carried out by them. During the Nayak (Nayak rulers of Gingee) period overseas mercantile trade continued and the port became an important source of cloves, nutmeg, mace,sandalwood, camphor, green velvet,porcelain, etc.
Ref:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/fort-st-david-once-crown-jewel-of-coromandel-now-in-ruins/article29356788.ece
Fort St. David, c. 1763, Francis Swaine, British Library
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_St._Davidcuddalore-history.blogspot.in/2009/03/cuddalore-fort-de…
Originally published at http://navrangindia.blogspot.com (revised June 17 , 2020).
