William Watts Of EIC And The Conspiracy Behind the Plassey Coup that led to the Fall of Bengal - Early Colonial India

navrangindia.blogspot.com October 19, 2026

 Robert Clive (also known as Clive of India (?), Commander-in-Chief of British India, a British officer and soldier of fortune) of British East India company  made up his mind  to take  absolute control over the rich, productive and money-spinning Bengal Province that was  ruled by Nawab Siraj ud Daulah with whom the British were not on good terms. Part of the reason was,the British company officials cunning as they were, lacked credibility, honesty and sense of fairness.   The British never stuck to the agreed trade deals and showed more interest in violating them than following them by letter and spirit. Apart, on personal level,  they were arrogant.

Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah en.wikipedia.org

Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah,being furious over their dishonesty,  resisted Company encroachments, while British merchants kept frequently braking  trade agreements. To get rid of the roadblock   and to eliminate the non-cooperative Nawab  for good , Robert Clive masterminded a covert plot, choosing William Watts—chief of the Cossimbazar factory—as his agent at the Murshidabad court. 

Nawab Siraj's tomb and others Murshidabad
tripadvisor.in

Robert Clive Clipart  usf.edu

So, Clive he chose  William Watts (1722 - 4 August 1764), another senior official of the English company, and gave him  the responsibility of acting as a representative  of  the company in the Nawab's  court at Murshidabad. Watts, who was chief of the Kasimbazar (or Cossimbazar) factory of the British East India Company had been a resident in Bengal for sometime 

Book on Bengal Revolution amzon.com

William  Watts was born in 1722 in Glasgow, Scotland. On 24 March 1749, he  married twice-widowed Frances Altham, née Croke (10 April  1728 – 3 February,1812) in  Calcutta, daughter of Edward Croke (1690 – 12 Feb. 1769),  the Governor of Fort St. David, Cuddalore, about 100 miles south of Madras. she and her husband were  treated with respect and honors by the Nawab of Bengal. Mrs. Watts returned to India from England around 1769 after settling her husband's estate, the reason being she didn't feel comfortable in England.  She died in Calcutta on 3 February, 1812. Her memorial in St Johns Church, Calcutta states,  "The oldest British resident in Bengal, universally beloved, respected and revered".

Watts, Jafer & his son Miran-1757 treaty
en.wikimdedia.org

Fluent in Bengali, Hindustani, and Persian, Watts was uniquely equipped to negotiate within the Durbar. Under Clive’s precise instructions, Watts systematically exploited factional divisions among the court's influential figures. He forged a secret alliance with key dissident commanders, including Mir Jafar (commander-in-chief), Rai Durlabh, Yar Lutuf Khan, and the wealthy banker Jagat Seth.   

Acting on Clive’s strategic advice, Watts orchestrated a secret treaty offering Mir Jafar the masnad (throne) of Bengal in exchange for military betrayal during battle and massive financial compensation to the Company. To ensure absolute commitment, Watts personally visited Mir Jafar’s residence on June 5, 1757, securing his allegiance on the Quran. 

 Clive and Mir Jaffar after Plassey war.en.wikipedia.org

Meanwhile, Clive managed double-dealing tactics—such as forging Admiral Watson's signature on a fake red treaty to deceive their co-conspirator Omichand—allowing Watts to keep the plot hidden until the troops took the field.   The conspiracy culminated in the Battle of Plassey on June 23, 1757. Mir Jafar stood his forces down, ensuring an easy victory for Clive. Siraj-ud-Daulah fled, but was captured and subsequently executed on the orders of Mir Jafar’s son, Miran.  
In recognition of his dedicated, but risky services at a crucial period,  Watts was given a reward of £114,000.00 from the Nawab's treasury and made the Governor of Fort William on 22 June, 1758, in place of Roger Drake who had deserted the fort,  when it was attacked and captured in June, 1756 by the Nawab's army. This was the location of the Black Hole of Calcutta on 20 June, 1756. The coup established puppet rule in Bengal, siphon off immense wealth to fuel Britain's Industrial Revolution.
For the next 200 years both the English Company and the british Crown  ruled India and with great struggle India became an independent nation in August, 1947.

Tit-Bits

Four days later he resigned the post in favor of Robert Clive to return to England. He wrote a book 'Memoirs of the Revolution in Bengal' which was published first in 1757.

Book on Bengal Revolution.
homeshop18.com

On his return to England, he built the  South Hill Park mansion which lies to the south of Bracknell,  Berkshire  which is now an arts Center. In June 1764, he wanted to buy Hanslope Park, Hanslope, Buckinghamshire, but died in  August. The sale was completed for his son Edward, who became Lord of the Manor. William is buried in the Watt vault in Hanslope church. The original South Hill Park  mansion was built in 1760 for William Watts for his retirement from service as a senior official of the Bengal Government. 

Ref: 

Watts, William. Memoirs of the Revolution in Bengal in 1757. London, 1760.   
Dalrymple, William. The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019.

Marshall, P. J. Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828. Cambridge University Press, 1987.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siraj-ud-Daulah

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Watts

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Bl9T4uJcBFAC&q=Alexander+Wynch,+Governor+of+Fort+George,+Madras&pg=PA319

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir_Jafar

(Reviewed February, 2026)

Selected articles from  my Archive:

https://navrangindia.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-tomb-of-mir-jaffer-nawab-who.html

https://navrangindia.blogspot.com/2025/11/hickys-bengal-gazette-indias-first.html




K. N. Jayaraman Ph. D (1977) Univ. of Washington, Seattle. Retd Earth Scientist.  Vocational Interest: Indian Colonial history, architecture of  heritage  structures,colonial buildings,temples,etc.  (Author: navrangindia.blogspot.com )