Sir David Ochterlony: American-born Scottish officer with 13 wives

Sir David Ochterlony (1758–1825). artuk.org

Sir David Ochterlony (1758–1825) remains one of the most intriguing and colorful personalities of British India, a figure whose life perfectly embodied the cultural complexities and contradictions of the early East India Company (EIC) era. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1758 to a Scottish father and an American mother, Ochterlony began his career as a cadet in the Bengal Army in 1777. His military prowess was undeniable; he served under Lord Lake in decisive battles and later earned distinction for his skillful defense of Delhi in 1804 against Jaswant Rao Holkar. His greatest triumph was leading the successful campaign in the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–15), which secured the Treaty of Sugauli. For this, he was created a baronet and became the first EIC officer to receive the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB), a truly covetous award. His military skill earned him the admiration of both British and Indian soldiers, who reportedly referred to him as "Luni Akhtar" (crazy star).

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Yet, what truly set Ochterlony apart and fueled the legends surrounding him was his deep immersion in and adoption of Indo-Mughal culture, a stark contrast to the increasing social segregation practiced by later British officials. As the first British Resident to the Mughal court in Delhi, Ochterlony embraced local customs, dressing in Indian attire, smoking a hookah, and maintaining a magnificent household. The most famous element of this lifestyle was his collection of thirteen Indian wives (Bibis), a practice of polygamy that both scandalized and fascinated the British and rivaled the opulence of Indian Nawabs and Maharajahs.

The most prominent of his wives was Bibi Mubarak-ul-Nissa, a Brahmin dancing girl from Pune who converted to Islam. She was known as "Generallee Begum," a powerful and dominant personality who wielded considerable influence and even had her own foreign policy. She was widely known for her lack of deference, offending the British by calling herself "Lady Ochterlony" and the Mughals by assuming the title "Qudsia Begum"—a title reserved only for royalty. After Ochterlony's death, Mubarak Begum's continued independence was evident; she inherited the Mubarak Bagh in Delhi and, significantly, she is recorded as having fought against the British during the Great Indian Rebellion (Sepoy Mutiny) of 1857, a powerful symbol of the fractured and personal loyalties Ochterlony's era produced.

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David Ochterlony was no doubt the most amazing and amiable person, whose exploits add zest to the Indo-British history. This self assured and confident 19th century EIC official still attracts the curiosity and interest of soldiers, administrators and others.

Sir David Ochterlony in Indian dress smoking a hookah ca. 1820s/en.wikipedia.org

Sir David Ochterlony's unique personal life yielded six "natural" children with two or more of his wives. He felt keenly that these children, who were products of two worlds, would not be fully accepted by either English or Mughal society. They became part of a developing and complex social group in India known as the Anglo-Indians—a community that, in the words of the time, was "too white to live with Indians, and too 'dark-blooded' to live in England." His only son, Roderick Peregrine Ochterlony, received both English and Mughal education, and it was through his grandson, Charles Metcalfe Ochterlony, that the baronetcy descended.

Ochterlony died on July 15, 1825, hastened, it is said, by the ill health and distress caused by a final, humiliating conflict with the Governor-General, Lord Amherst, who countermanded his military orders. His memorial stands today as the Shahid Minar (Martyr's Memorial) in Kolkata, a lasting tribute to the American-born Scottish gentleman whose adventurous spirit and embrace of two cultures added a truly unique zest to the pages of Indo-British history.

https://navrangindia.blogspot.com/2016/04/america-born-sir-david-ochterlony-east.html

http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/ochterlony-and-his-bibis
/article2001540.ece

http://masshist.org/database/822