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| Colonial Bombay castle (fort) in.pinterest.com |
Not many of us know that the city of Mumbai (Bombay) and the surrounding areas were either sized or acquired by the East India Company that came to India as a mercantile trading company in the 1600s. According to Samuel T Sheppard in his book ‘Bombay’ it was the declaration made by King Charles roughly 352 years ago that made the company “the true and absolute Lords and Proprietors of the [Bombay] Port and Island.'' Do you know how much rent did they pay to the British Brown for occupying vast land? Just peanuts, a yearly rent of only ten pounds. The EIC's successful trading activities in Bombay laid the foundation of the city, now the most important city in India. Previously owned by the Portuguese, there were frequent ’flare-ups between them and the company over the payment of port axes and custom duty.
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| Bombay islands, Alamy.com |
The EIC was lucky and the political scenario had changed from one of confrontation to cooperation because of ’ royal dowry when the Portuguese princess married King Charles II of England. The Anglo-Portuguese marriage treaty was dated 23rd June, 1661 (ratified on 28th August) and the city was given to the British on a silver platter as a gift of Catherine of Braganz who married the English king on 31st May, 1661 in a far-off land in Europe.
With the arrival of 2nd Governor, Gerald Aungier (1640 – 30 June 1677) in Bombay in 1661 the small town of Bombay saw a drastic change in its growth. During Aungier's administration Bombay was converted into an active center for commerce and mercantile activities and great care was taken to bring in the best traders, artisans and other professions to settle there. Gov. Aungier was instrumental in setting up the first court of law and the first Anglican mint in 1676 in Bombay castle. This move made Bombay more prosperous as the presence of mint attracted the wealthy merchant community. Traveler Tavernier reported in 1678 that the currency (produced by the mint in Bombay) was circulated within the ''fort precincts and some two or three leagues in the country''.
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| 1890 Colonial mint in Bombay (Mumbai) in.pinterest.com/ |
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| St. Thomas cathedral, first built in colonial Bombay.frontline.thehindu.com/ |
Apart, knowing the growing need of the European community in the Bombay area, the Governor established ''the first Anglican Church in western India in two small rooms of the Bombay Castle'', according to Farrokh Jijina, Mumbai historian and the former curator of the Maritime History Society. St Thomas’ Cathedral celebrated its 300th Christmas in December 2018 and has a shared history with Mumbai from its earliest colonial days. It is in Mumbai’s Fort precinct; the first service in this iconic church was held on December 25, 1718. As part of the tercentenary, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) named a crossroad, St. Thomas’ Cathedral Chowk, after it. In 2004 the St. Thomas cathedral got the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage and Conservation award
Soon after receiving Bombay in the form of dowry by the British Crown, the English administration had begun the process of claiming the land. But there was some delay, as some higher-ups like the Portuguese Viceroy Mello de Castro had qualms about about handing over their possession. The local Portuguese government, on purpose, made the transition process a difficult one. One method of slowing down the transition is to make a declaration that most of the lands of any value were being owned by the private individuals and hence could not be ceded to the crown or company. To solve this impasse, Gov. Aungier came up with an amicable settlement on property titles by arranging residents to pay annual quit rents in lieu of better administration, an innovative move that won the admiration of all sections of the population, This strategy did not materialize in the case of acquisition of Colaba and Old Woman islands off the coast of Bombay and till 1674 they were not handed over to the British by the Portuguese. In 1675 Aungier took possession of both islands, thus successfully completing the transfer of power to the British.
The first execution of an English soldier under the British law was taken place on 21 October 1674 in Bombay. The British soldiers engaged in a mutiny and created serious trouble. With no choice, the Gov. ordered the execution and the corporal was shot dead.
It was Gov. Aungier who wanted the Presidency of West India shifted to Bombay, now a fast growing city with a port and other public services in colonial India. However it happened on 2 May 1687 many years later after his death in Surat (now in Gujarat). where, before moving over to Bombay (Mumbai) he was the president of the Surat factory run by the English company. Aungier died in Surat on 30 June 1677 and there lies his tomb.
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