Gabriel Boughton was an
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
(EIC) ship surgeon who travelled to India in the first half of the seventeenth century and became highly regarded by
Mughal royalty
Mughal or Moghul may refer to:
Related to the Mughal Empire
* Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries
* Mughal dynasty
* Mughal emperors
* Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia
* Mughal architecture
* Mug ...
.
He became the centre of a legend surrounding the acquisition by the EIC of a licence to trade freely in India and establish the first EIC factories on the banks of the
Hooghly River
The Hooghly River (, also spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') is the westernmost distributary of the Ganges, situated in West Bengal, India. It is known in its upper reaches as the Bhagirathi. The Bhagirathi splits off from the main branch of the G ...
in Bengal. According to the legend, incorrectly retold for over a century, Boughton treated and cured emperor
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...
's daughter
Jahanara Begum
Jahanara Begum (23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a princess of the Mughal Empire. She was the second and the eldest surviving child of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal.
After Mumtaz Mahal's untimely death in 1631, the 17-ye ...
of burns after her clothing caught fire, and in return the emperor granted the EIC a
licence
A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...
to trade freely and to open factories. Boughton was further credited with receiving concessions from the emperor's son
Shah Shuja for treating one of the prince's concubines.
After being retold in a number of reputable sources mainly throughout the eighteenth century,
EIC expansion in the Indian
state of Bengal
Saifullah "Sam" Zaman (17 April 1965 – 19 May 2015), known by the stage name State of Bengal, was a British DJ and music producer of Bangladeshi descent associated with the UK and Asian Underground movement.
Early life
Zaman was born on 1 ...
in the 1840s became attributed to Boughton's story. However, when historians examined its details, some details were found to be impossible due to inconsistencies in dates and the absence of evidence that the emperor's licence ever existed.
Background
In the early days of the EIC, doctors frequently travelled with traders who were on their way to establish factories. In addition to medical care for themselves and their ships, warehouses, and factories, these "Company ship surgeons" were found to be useful in trading medical treatment for concessions from rich rulers.
In India, EIC establishments included
Bombay
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
,
Surat
Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...
, Persia,
Madras
Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
and the east coast, and Bengal and the Bay. Boughton was one of the early medical practitioners of this era, the others including
John Woodall,
William Hamilton,
John Zephaniah Holwell
John Zephaniah Holwell (17 September 1711 – 5 November 1798) was a surgeon, an employee of the British East India Company, and a temporary Governor of Bengal (1760). He was also one of the first Europeans to study Indian antiquities and was ...
, and
William Fullerton.
[
The English acquired a foothold in India in 1613 by establishing a factory at Surat under the reign of ]Jahangir
Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was List of emperors of the Mughal Empire, Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal emperors, Mughal ...
and with Portuguese opposition. In 1631, by the order of Shah Jahan, the Portuguese were expelled from Hooghly, and seven years later the emperor appointed his son Shah Shuja to be Viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory.
The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...
of Bengal. The capital of the province was changed from Gaur
The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ) is a large bovine native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 ...
to Rajmahal
Rajmahal is a subdivisional town and a notified area in Rajmahal subdivision of the Sahebganj district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is situated at the banks of Ganges and was former capital of Bengal Subah under Mughal governor, Man S ...
in 1639.[
]
Life
Boughton entered Surat in 1644 and was appointed to Asalat Khan
Mir Abdul Hadi (died 1647), known by the title Asalat Khan, was a noble and general of the Mughal Empire during the reign of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. He briefly served as the empire's ''mir bakhshi'' (paymaster-general), one of the highest posit ...
, the paymaster general of the Mughal empire, who was keen on having the services of a European surgeon. Subsequently, Boughton travelled to Agra
Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...
. Following the death of Khan in 1647, Boughton was appointed to the emperor’s son, Shah Shuja, then the governor general of Bengal based at Rajmahal. When one of the prince's concubines developed a pain in her side, Boughton was able to cure her and, according to colonial administrator John Beard John Beard may refer to:
* John Beard (artist) (born 1943), Welsh artist and painter
* John Beard (colonial administrator) (died 1685), Chief Agent and Governor of Bengal
* John Beard (embryologist) (1858–1924), Scottish embryologist and anatomis ...
in 1685, in return received exemption from duty for personal trade but not for the EIC. In 1649, Captain Brookhaven's ship from London arrived in Bengal with duty-free goods "upon the account of Boughton's nishauns", giving the British an advantage over other traders. Two years later, the British returned to establish a factory at Hooghly and obtain another exemption for the EIC. They obtained this by informing Shah Shujah that the previous privileges given by Shah Jahan were for the exemption of all duty.
The legend
The traditional story differs and first appeared in the second volume of Robert Orme
Robert Orme (25 December 1728 – 13 January 1801) was a British historian of India. Son of a British East India Company physician and surgeon, he entered the service of the Company in Bengal in 1743. He was regarded as an authority on India.
...
's '''' with a more detailed description in Stewart's book, amongst a number of other publications. Their primary sources are likely to have been two accounts, one by EIC ship captain Thomas Bowrey
Thomas Bowrey (1659-1713) was an English merchant and mariner involved in the East Indies trade. Initially, an independent mariner in the country trade, he became a Wapping-based merchant and “projector”.
Biography
Bowrey was born on 7 S ...
and the other by John Beard. It was also reiterated in the article "Surgeon in India: Past and Present", contributed by Dodwell and Miles to the ''Calcutta Review
The ''Calcutta Review'' is a bi-annual periodical, now published by the Calcutta University
The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university l ...
'' in 1854 (vol. xxiii).[
]
Appearance in India
Prior to 1639, as stated in Charles Stewart's 1813 book ''The History of Bengal'', Sir Thomas Roe
Sir Thomas Roe ( 1581 – 6 November 1644) was an English diplomat of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. Roe's voyages ranged from Central America to India; as ambassador, he represented England in the Mughal Empire, the Ottoman Emp ...
, who had been sent by James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
* James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
* James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
* James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334� ...
as ambassador to Jahangir in 1615 and who remained in the Mughal courts for three years, made an entry regarding Boughton in his memoirs, when he wrote that Boughton "had for his dinner three hens, with rice, his drink being water, and a black liquor called cahu offee drank as hot as could be endured". This story was found to be untrue and related to another Boughton. For many years after there is no mention of him until 1636–1637, when he appears stationed in Surat in medical charge of the EIC's ship the ''Hopewell'', as part of the Bombay establishment.[
]
Jahanara Begum's burns
In either 1636, 1643, 1644, or 1645, Jahanara Begum
Jahanara Begum (23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a princess of the Mughal Empire. She was the second and the eldest surviving child of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal.
After Mumtaz Mahal's untimely death in 1631, the 17-ye ...
, the favourite daughter of Mughal Emperor
The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty (House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in ...
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...
, was severely burnt when her clothing caught fire in an accident during a dance performance. Local healers had failed to cure her, and, at the advice of vizier
A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...
Assad Khan, the Emperor requested an English surgeon. The council of Surat
Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...
recommended Boughton, the surgeon of the EIC ship the ''Hopewell'', as best-qualified for attending to the Princess and sent him to the Deccan
The Deccan is a plateau extending over an area of and occupies the majority of the Indian peninsula. It stretches from the Satpura and Vindhya Ranges in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound by the mount ...
, where the emperor had his camp. Boughton was successful in healing her and, in return, was asked to name his reward. His request was for the EIC to be granted the privilege and licence
A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...
of founding factories in Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
and of trading there freely, without the requirement to pay duty.
Sultan Shah Shuja
Thereafter, to secure and begin trading, Boughton travelled to Rajmahal, where he became acquainted with the Viceroy of Bengal, Shah Shuja, one of the Emperor's sons, and where further privileges were granted after Boughton healed a lady from the Sultan's zenana
Zenana (, "of the women" or "pertaining to women"; ; ; ) is the part of a house belonging to a Muslim family in the Indian subcontinent, which is reserved for the women of the household. The zenana was a product of Indo-Islamic culture and was ...
. With royal approval, Boughton sent for his EIC men, and subsequently factories were founded at Hooghly, Balasore
Balasore, also known as Baleswar, is a city in the state of Odisha, about from the state capital Bhubaneswar and from Kolkata, in eastern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Balasore district and the largest city as well as heal ...
, and Pipli.
He was described "with that liberality which distinguishes Britons, sought not for any private emolument, but solicited that his nation might have liberty to trade free of all duties in Bengal and to establish factories in that country", and had therefore been credited with the beginnings of the EIC's trade in Bengal.
Inconsistencies
An alternative account based on evidence from the historian Firishta
Firishta or Ferešte (), full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astarabadi (), was a Persian historian, who later settled in India and served the Deccan Sultans as their court historian. He was born in 1570 and died between 1611 and 1623.
Life
F ...
is given in Alexander Dow
Alexander Dow (1735 or 1736 – 31 July 1779) was a Scottish Orientalist, writer, playwright and army officer in the East India Company.
Life
He was a native of Crieff, Perthshire. Alexander Dow's father worked at the Customs at Dunbar. The yo ...
's book ''The History of Hindostan, from the death of Akbar to the complete settlement of the empire under Aurangzebe'' (1772).
There is enough evidence to show that Boughton pleased his royal patients and had much "influence in high places",[ important enough that the legend gained popularity and was retold in reputable sources for over a hundred years, gaining its acceptance as true.][ The legend was first scrutinised by historiographer Sir William Foster.]
A number of dates have been found to be incompatible. Boughton was not near any royal residence or Agra
Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...
at the time of Jahanara's injuries. On 3 January 1644, an official letter to the directors of the EIC in London, addressed by its president and council, discloses that Boughton was not sent to Shah Shuja until several years later than the legend tells.[ Therefore, when further royal concessions were obtained, he was not in Rajmahal as stated in the legend. In addition, Jahanara's burns occurred in 1643–1644, while Boughton's mission to Agra occurred a year later. Her burns had in the meantime been treated and cured by Hakim Anitulla of Lahore. It is also not possible to credit the founding of the factory at Balasore to the further concessions, as it had already been established 12 years before Boughton's visit to Agra.][ In Stewart's book, he leaves a footnote regarding the concessions given by the emperor, saying "I was not able to find a copy of this firman among the Indian records."]
Death
Gabriel Boughton died in India shortly after the opening of the ports.[
]
References
Further reading
''The English in western India''
Anderson, Phillip. Bombay, Smith, Taylor and co. 1854
''The History of Hindostan, from the death of Akbar to the complete settlement of the empire under Aurangzebe''
Alexander Dow
Alexander Dow (1735 or 1736 – 31 July 1779) was a Scottish Orientalist, writer, playwright and army officer in the East India Company.
Life
He was a native of Crieff, Perthshire. Alexander Dow's father worked at the Customs at Dunbar. The yo ...
, T. Beket and P. A De Hondt, London (1772)
''The History Of Bengal''
Charles Stewart, Basilisks Press (1813)
The Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Ed. by James Prinsep, Volumes 2–3
James Prinsep, Calcutta, 1834, p.157
“Surgeons in India – Past and Present”
Dodwell and Miles ''Calcutta Review'' (1854), Vol.XXIII, pp. 241–243
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boughton, Gabriel
British surgeons
British East India Company people