John Tasker (1742–1800) was a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, of or about Wales
* Welsh language, spoken in Wales
* Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales
Places
* Welsh, Arkansas, U.S.
* Welsh, Louisiana, U.S.
* Welsh, Ohio, U.S.
* Welsh Basin, during t ...
sea captain and shipowner who became the
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 ...
's
Master Attendant at Bombay (now
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
) and purchased the
Upton Castle
Upton Castle is a 13th-century castle
with an associated chapel, located near Cosheston, Pembrokeshire in Wales. Although in private ownership, the gardens are open to the public. They are listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Garden ...
estate in his native
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...
where he was
High Sheriff in 1798.
Arrival in India and early maritime career
Seeking his fortune as a free mariner, Tasker was a passenger on the maiden voyage of the
East Indiaman
East Indiamen were merchant ships that operated under charter or licence for European trading companies which traded with the East Indies between the 17th and 19th centuries. The term was commonly used to refer to vessels belonging to the Bri ...
''Anson'' and arrived at Bombay on 30 September 1764. He quickly found employment on so-called Country Ships trading along the coast of India and into
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, and by 1774 was captain of the ''Louisa'', owned by Governor
William Hornby William Hornby may refer to:
*William Hornby (governor) (1723–1803), Governor of Bombay, 1771–1784
*William Henry Hornby (1805–1884), British industrialist, Member of Parliament (MP) for Blackburn 1857–1869
*Sir William Hornby, 1st Baronet ...
. In 1775 he was paid 10,000 Bombay rupees for carrying East India Company troops from Madras (now
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
) to Bombay, and in December that year he was accompanied by the traveller
Abraham Parsons
Abraham Parsons (died 1785) was an English commercial consul (representative), consul and traveller. His account of his travels in the Middle East were published in 1808.
Life
Abraham's father was a captain of merchant ships, and In early life he ...
on the ''Louisas passage southward along the
Malabar Coast
The Malabar Coast () is the southwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. It generally refers to the West Coast of India, western coastline of India stretching from Konkan to Kanyakumari. Geographically, it comprises one of the wettest regio ...
. Parsons, whose account of the voyage was later published, left Tasker at
Honnavar
Honnavar is a town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India.
History
Honnavar is a port town in Coastal Karnataka known for its beautiful landscapes and rich history. The port hosted foreign traders from the Arab world, as well as later ...
where he took on a cargo of pepper.
In the early 1780s he commanded the ''Shaw Birangore'' and the ''Hornby'' (also owned by the Governor) and, while captain of the latter, captured a vessel sailing under Spanish colours near
Macao
Macau or Macao is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most densely populated region in the world.
Formerly a Portuguese colony, the ter ...
with a cargo of birds' nests. The captive ship was ransomed for two thousand dollars but, as the ''Hornby'' had no
letters of marque
A letter of marque and reprisal () was a government license in the Age of Sail that authorized a private person, known as a privateer or corsair, to attack and capture vessels of a foreign state at war with the issuer, licensing internationa ...
, Tasker was unable to claim her as a prize and surrendered her to the frigate
HMS ''Seahorse'' whose captain claimed her on behalf of the King.
He was in business on his own account when, in the early 1780s, he obtained government contracts to carry
saltpetre
Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with a sharp, salty, bitter taste and the chemical formula . It is a potassium salt of nitric acid. This salt consists of potassium cations and nitrate anions , and is therefore an alkali metal nitrate ...
,
brimstone and rice from the Malabar Coast to Bombay, provided a
packet service for the
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...
, and imported
Madeira
Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...
wine. In 1785 he was living at Calcutta (now
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
), where his house adjoined the landing stage known as Ross's Ghat, and was accepting freight on board the ''Nancy''
grab bound for Bombay and
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 ...
.
Building of the Milford
The grab was probably on charter to Tasker but, in partnership with Pestonjee Bomanjee, he had commissioned the building of a 625-ton teak-hulled vessel by the
Wadia family
The Wadia family is a Parsi family from Surat, India, currently based in Mumbai, India. The family rose to wealth in the mid-1700s as shipbuilders serving the British East India Company as the latter established its sway over India.
During ...
of shipwrights at Bombay. Bomanjee was then "the most distinguished and wealthiest of the
Parsis
The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...
" 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 was a brother of the master-shipbuilder
Jamsetjee Bomanjee. Their vessel was delivered in 1786 and named the ''
Milford Milford may refer to:
Place names Canada
* Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia
* Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia
* Milford, Ontario
England
* Milford, Derbyshire
* Milford, Devon, a place in Devon
* Milford on Sea, Hampshire
* Milford, Shro ...
'' after Tasker's original home waters of
Milford Haven
Milford Haven ( ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has been used as a port since the Middle Ages.
The town was ...
. She was in almost constant employment in trade with China and Europe for the next 24 years and received her first thorough inspection in 1810 when "it was not found necessary to shift a timber".
In 1787 Tasker gave "a sumptuous entertainment to a number of English gentlemen" on board the ''Milford'' at
Canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative divisions
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and entertainment
* Canton (band), an It ...
. Among the guests was the
Hawaiian prince
Kaʻiana
Kaʻiana, also known as Keawe-Kaʻiana-a-ʻAhuʻula, (about 1755 – 1795) was a Native Hawaiian (kānaka ʻōiwi/maoli) warrior and '' aliʻi'' ( noble) of Puna, Hawai‘i, who turned against Kamehameha I in 1795 during his conquest of Oahu and ...
, also known as Tyaana, at whose request Tasker ordered all broken victuals to be brought on deck so that Ka'iana could feed the Chinese who had gathered alongside the vessel. In October of the following year
Arthur Bowes Smyth
Arthur Bowes Smyth (23 August 175031 March 1790) was a naval surgeon, who traveled on '' Lady Penrhyn'' as a part of the First Fleet that established a penal colony in New South Wales. Smyth kept a diary and documented the natural history he e ...
, surgeon in the
First Fleet
The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the History of Australia (1788–1850), European colonisation of Australia. It consisted of two Royal Navy vessel ...
returning home via China, recorded that Tasker and the ''Milford'' were then at Whampoa (now
Pazhou
Pazhou is a subdistrict of Haizhu in southeastern Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, in China.
, formerly Whampoa Island, has a total area of and is the site of Pazhou Pagoda. Its eastern bay was formerly the chief anchorage for ships part ...
). Tasker may have disposed of his interest in the vessel shortly afterwards.
First return to Wales
In 1789, believing that he had accumulated sufficient funds for comfortable retirement, Tasker returned to his native Pembrokeshire and in December purchased the Upton Castle estate for £7,000. He took the waters at
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
in June 1790 but, though able to lend
Lord Cawdor £10,000 on mortgage in January 1791, he returned to India later in the year seeking to augment his fortune. He left Upton Castle in the hands of his brother-in-law, Rev. John Rees, whom he had presented to the rectory of Nash-cum-Upton (the
advowson
Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...
of which had passed to him with Upton), and engaged Abraham Leach as steward.
Around the time when Tasker left Upton Castle, Elizabeth Bishop, sister of
Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft ( , ; 27 April 175910 September 1797) was an English writer and philosopher best known for her advocacy of women's rights. Until the late 20th century, Wollstonecraft's life, which encompassed several unconventional ...
, came to reside there as governess to some of Tasker's grand-nieces, and she continued there in an unhappy frame of mind for more than three years. The Wollstonecrafts' stepmother was a sister of Rev. Thomas Woods, whom Tasker later appointed to succeed Rees as Rector of Nash.
Master Attendant
On returning to India, Tasker entered the service of the East India Company as Master Attendant at Bombay. It was at Bombay that the Company stationed its navy: there its vessels were built and repaired, its crews were paid, and its dockyard maintained. Its Master Attendant was sometimes called Harbourmaster or Captain of the Port and was deputy to the Marine Superintendent; he controlled the movement and mooring of vessels at the port, facilitated the works undertaken there, collected the dues accruing to the company, and kept good order about the company's premises. His annual salary was £3,000 and he was permitted to engage in commerce for private reward.
His appointment as Master Attendant may have owed something to the influence of Governor William Hornby and of
John Hunter John Hunter may refer to:
Politics
*John Hunter (British politician) (1724–1802), British Member of Parliament for Leominster
* John Hunter (Canadian politician) (1909–1993), Canadian Liberal MP for Parkdale, 1949–1957
*Sir John Hunter ( ...
who was for twenty years a Director of the East India Company. Perhaps reflecting this obligation, at his death Tasker left £100 to each of them to buy a ring. When Tasker took up the Bombay appointment Hunter had counselled him against allowing ambition for "wanton lavishment of his property" to prolong his stay in India and, while there, Tasker managed Hunter's Indian investments and shipped locally sourced supplies to him in England.
In 1793 Tasker and one of the Bomanjee brothers commissioned the building of another ship, the 627-ton and 14-gun vessel which they named ''
Upton Castle
Upton Castle is a 13th-century castle
with an associated chapel, located near Cosheston, Pembrokeshire in Wales. Although in private ownership, the gardens are open to the public. They are listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Garden ...
'' after Tasker's estate in Wales. The ship was launched on 21 August 1793 when those attending the event and the following "elegant dinner" included Tasker's "good friend"
Lachlan Macquarie
Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; ; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Gove ...
, then stationed at Bombay with his regiment.
A few days later Tasker was one of the small party present at Macquarie's marriage and, with the bride's father, he was a trustee of the marriage settlement. Macquarie recorded that he and his new wife afterwards had the use of Tasker's carriage "whenever we want it" and in 1794 they lived at
Admiralty House, Tasker's town residence, while he remained at his house in the country.
Marine support from Bombay was important for land-based forces during the
Third Anglo-Mysore War
The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–1792) was a conflict in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, the Travancore, Kingdom of Travancore, the Maratha Empire, Maratha Confederacy, and the Nizam of Hyderabad ...
and for attacks on Dutch settlements in India, but the port itself was not under threat during Tasker's period as Master. It was presumably on account of the protection provided to commercial transport that, when Tasker announced his retirement from office in July 1795, the merchants of Bombay combined to give him their particular thanks for "the prompt assistance afforded the shipping of this port when in a situation of the greatest danger" and for his "exertions and professional abilities so eminently displayed".
Tasker's retirement from his post as Master Attendant was consistent with his earlier intentions. He had considered it "too late in life to enter into extensive mercantile connections", and in February 1792 had written to his steward Leach "If I am alive you will see me in three years and to spend the remainder of my days at Upton". He retained financial interests in India after his departure home, and in 1799 Hormusjee Bomanjee reported having invested in shark-fins and sandalwood on his behalf.
Final retirement and death
In addition to the manor of Upton, Tasker's estate included lands in the adjacent parishes of
Carew and
Cosheston
Cosheston is a village, parish, and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on an inlet of the Daugleddau estuary, north-east of Pembroke. The parish includes the settlement of Bateman's Hill. The northern part of the community is in ...
, and upon his return he embarked on a programme of land drainage and improvement. He undertook restorative work on
Upton Chapel, which had been in ruins when he bought the estate, and planned to build a new mansion house though no progress was made in this respect. The list of those to whom he bequeathed "handsome gold
mourning ring
A mourning ring is a finger ring worn in memory of someone who has died. It is one subcategory of the larger group of mourning jewelry and often bears the name and date of death (and possibly an image or a motto) of a deceased individual. The n ...
s" in his will indicates his social circle comprised many of the principal landed families of South West Wales and in 1798 he served as High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire.
He remained unmarried and, dying at Upton on 12 December 1800, aged 58, was buried in the chapel there with what his executor directed should be proper "pomp". By his will and its codicils, all dated three days before his death, he appointed annuities for various relatives and his "black servant Antonio", gave legacies exceeding £14,500 in aggregate, and left his Upton Castle and Carew properties to his grand-niece Maria Jones who had married Rev. Thomas Woods, the Rector of Nash. Maria's descendants continued to own and live at Upton until 1927.
The boy who called him father
Shortly before his return to Wales in 1795, Tasker had sent to his relatives at Upton a dark-skinned boy from Bombay named John William Tasker who, he wrote, "calls me father". In his will he referred to the youth as his "friend John William Tasker" and left him £1,500, and as late as 1803 Tasker's executors contributed to the cost of his support and education.
After six years as an assistant in the office of
Forbes & Company, John William Tasker opened his own marine agency at Bombay in 1812. In April 1817 he took delivery of a ship (596 tons) built for him by John Crookenden at Cochin (now
Kochi
Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...
) and named it ''Upton Castle'', the previous vessel of that name having been destroyed by fire at
Saugor
Sagar, formerly Saugor, is a city, municipal corporation and administrative headquarter in Sagar district of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. It's Madhya Pradesh's 6th largest city of by Population. The city is situated on a ...
in February. In 1818 he was recorded as owner of the ships ''Dandaloy'', ''Jane'', ''Pembroke'' and ''Zephyr'', as well as the ''Upton Castle'' — five of the thirty-seven Merchant Ships then belonging to or sailing out of Bombay. In the same year he took into partnership John Furlong, one of John Tasker's grand-nephews, but in 1819 their firm of Tasker & Co. was bankrupt and the ''Upton Castle'' was seized and sold by the Sheriff of Bombay.
[''Bombay Gazette'', 13 October 1819, p. 1.]
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tasker, John
1742 births
1800 deaths
People from Pembrokeshire
High sheriffs of Pembrokeshire
Sea captains
British East India Company people