| Sir Thomas Metcalfe, Bt | |
|---|---|
Sir Thomas Metcalfe, Bt, on a picture from the Delhi Book |
|
| Born | 2 January 1795 Portland Place, London |
| Died | 3 November 1853 (aged 58) [1] Metcalfe House, Delhi, India |
| Resting place | St. James' Church near Kashmiri Gate, Delhi |
| Occupation | Governor-General's Agent at the Imperial court of the Mughal Emperor |
| Employer | East India Company |
| Title | Baronet |
| Successor | Sir Theophilus Metcalfe, 5th Baronet |
| Spouse | Grace Clark (1815-); Fe'licite Anne Browne (1826- her death, 1842) |
| Children | Sir Theophilus John Metcalfe, 5th Baronet Emily Ann Theophila Metcalfe Charles Theophilus Metcalfe Georgiana Charlotte Theophila Metcalfe Eliza Theophila Debonnaire Metcalfe Sophia Selena Theophila Metcalfe |
Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe, 4th Baronet (2 January 1795 – 3 November 1853) was an East India Company servant and agent of Governor General of India at the imperial court of the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II.[2][3] He was invested with the Order of the Bath.[4]. He was the son of Sir Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baronet (1745–1813), Director of the Honourable East India Company.
Contents |
Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe was born on 2 Jan 1795 at 49 Portland Place, London, and christened 2 on 27 Mar 1795 in St Marylebone Parish Church, Saint Marylebone, London, England. He arrived in Delhi in 1813 and lived there for forty years.[5] His elder brother, Charles Metcalfe (1785 – 1846), was Resident to the Mughal Emperor's court, and briefly the provisional Governor General of Bengal (1835-36). He married Fe'licite Anne Browne on 13 Jul 1826.
In 1830, Metcalfe began to build the "Metcalfe House" on the outskirts of Delhi, taking land belonging to Gujjar villagers. He filled it with his collections of art, books and relics of Napoleon.[6] The Metcalfe House was called Matka Kothi by the bearers and khansamahs (chefs) serving Sir Thomas, as they found it difficult to pronounce the name Metcalfe.[7]
In 1835, Metcalfe became the agent at Delhi after the murder of William Fraser and ran the "Delhi Territory", the area around the old capital under British control since 1803.[7] He succeeded his brother as Baronet in 1844, and became an important figure in the cultural climate of Delhi.[5]
While working in India as the Governor-General's Agent at the Imperial court of the Mughal Emperor, between 1842 and 1844, Metcalfe ordered a series of images of the monuments, ruins, palaces and shrines from Delhi artist named Mazhar Ali Khan, and later an album termed as Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi (also Dehlie Book or Delhi Album) was compiled by Metcalfe in 1844, containing 89 folios around 130 paintings by Indian artists [8], and including descriptive text and touching words and was sent to his daughter Emily as she headed from an English schooling to join him in Delhi. The album has now been acquired by the British Library [9][10].
During the rainy season he used to stay at 'Dilkusha' (Delight of the Heart), which was built on the first floor of the tomb of Mohammed Quli Khan, brother of Adham Khan, general of Mughal Emperor, Akbar, situated south east of the Qutb complex in Mehrauli, an area which was also the traditional retreat of the Mughals for the season. [11]. While his main house was a colonial bungalow, built in 1844, its library contained over 20,000 books including Napolean memorabilia, however during the Uprising of 1857 the library was destroyed and looted [12].
Metcalfe was allegedly poisoned by one of Bahadur Shah's queens in 1853.[5][13] He was buried in a grave to the east of the Skinner Family's cemetery, at the St. James' Church near Kashmiri Gate, Delhi. [14].
His son and successor, Sir Theophilus John Metcalfe, 5th Baronet, was also in the Indian Civil Service. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Metcalfe House was sacked by the Gujjar villagers from whom the land was taken to erect the building.[15]
His father was Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baronet, born on 8 Jan 1745 in Throstle Nest, Gisborough, Cleveland, England. ,He first went to India in 1767 as a cadet in the King’s Army, after wards he became a major in the Bengal Army, a Bart. MP, and finally Director of the British East India Company (1789 -1812), and was created a baronet on 21 December 1802 [16][17].
He died 3 on 17 Nov 1813 and buried 4 on 24 Nov 1813 in Winkfield, St. Mary, Berkshire, England. He married Susannah Sophia Selina Debonnaire on 18 Apr 1782. Their children were, Sir Theophilus John Metcalfe 2nd Baronet, Charles Theophilus Metcalfe 1st Baron (3rd Baronet) (1785-1846), Louisa Sophia Metcalfe (1787-), Selina Sophia Metcalfe (1788-1791), Emily Theophila Metcalfe, Georgiana Theophila Metcalfe, Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe 4th Baronet and Henry Theophilus Metcalfe
The second last child, Sir Thomas Metcalfe first married Grace Clark on 7 Jun 1815. Later he married Fe'licite Anne Browne on 13 Jul 1826, the couple had, Sir Theophilus John Metcalfe (28 November 1828, Delhi – 8 November 1883, Paris), Emily Ann Theophila Metcalfe, Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, Georgiana Charlotte Theophila Metcalfe, Eliza Theophila Debonnaire Metcalfe and Sophia Selena Theophila Metcalfe, who died early in Oct 1841. [1] Felicite died at Shimla on 26 September 1842, where she was buried [18]
'Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi’, an album consisting of 89 folios containing approximately 130 paintings of views of the Mughal and pre-Mughal monuments of Delhi, as well as other contemporary material, had an accompanying manuscript text written by Metcalfe.
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Theophilus Metcalfe |
Baronet (of Chilton) 1846–1853 |
Succeeded by Theophilus John Metcalfe |