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on the life and achievements of eighteenth-century inventor Henry Cort. Please email site controller Eric Alexander
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ILLNESS
OF CORT'S SON
Much of this material is derived from evidence given at hearings
in Calcutta in 1802. The earliest
evidence of young Henry in Bengal may be Robert Downie's testimony of knowing
him "for six or seven years".
Assuming that period terminates in Henry's leaving India in 1800, his
arrival may be in 1793 or even earlier.
However, if the end date is that of the hearing, then Michael Cheese's testimony of having seen him
"eight years ago in Dinapore" is more significant, and his arrival
may have been as late as 1794.
Either way, we can be sure that Henry
cousin's John Harman Becher is already there when
he arrives, as is his mother's cousin Edward Burges
(whose illegitimate daughter Henry later marries), and probably Edward's father
Thomas.
It seems Henry is engaged in an indigo-growing venture that may
keep him away from Calcutta when his brother Coningsby
and (probably) sister Harriet arrive with James Watson
in 1796. Watson's party is cordially
received by the Burges, whose friend Thomas Dowell marries Harriet the
following year (there is a difference of some 18 years in their ages). Other evidence shows Coningsby leaving in
1798, so it is doubtful whether he witnesses the episode that leads to Henry’s
confinement in a mental hospital.
By then young Henry's indigo-growing venture has failed, and he is
in Calcutta, staying with his cousin John
Harman Becher. Becher's marriage has
broken up: he is in an apartment in Writers’ Buildings.
This building has an interesting history, well summarised by Kathleen Blechynden
in Calcutta: Past and Present (London 1905).
Originally built for Richard Barwell, who made a vast fortune in India,
it was leased to the East India Company from 1780.
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The house contained nineteen
apartments, each furnished with a separate set of out-offices, and the rent
was Arcot Rs. 200 per month for each apartment. From Suresh
Chandra Ghosh, The British in Bengal (ISBN 81-215-0819-3). 200 Arcot
Rupees = 10 guineas approx |
In 1785 the
apartments are designated for the occupation of company employees earning less
than 300 rupees per month, and rapidly acquired a reputation, which does not
feature in the evidence presented to the 1802 inquiry.
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For nearly fifty years Writers’
Buildings continued in the use for which it was originally intended, and
maintained a reputation for fast living and extravagance of every kind. The costly champagne suppers of Writers’
Buildings were famous. From Kathleen
Blechynden: Calcutta: Past and Present |
It is
surprising to find John Harman Becher in such company. Is he really earning less than 300 rupees
per month after ten years’ service, including a spell as Collector of the 24 Pergunnahs?
Whatever the
background, it is not likely that he would engage in “fast living
and extravagance”. But the sound of
festivities in neighbouring apartments penetrates to his, and may well be a
factor upsetting his guest.
On 29th
March Becher entertains William Blackstone and John Stapleton to dinner. Blackstone later testifies that young Henry
is "in very low spirits", evidently having just heard about the death
of his sister Maria in England the previous June.
Stapleton
reckons Henry owes him money. Next
morning he sends a reminder.
Henry's
reaction is extreme.
He asks his
brother-in-law Thomas Dowell to come round immediately.
When Dowell
arrives, his first conversation is with Henry’s host. Becher is worried about his guest's state of mind.
Henry can hear
voices in the next apartment, accusing him of bestial acts. He identifies one voice as Stapleton's.
He wishes to
challenge Stapleton to a duel. Will
Dowell act as his second?
Neither Dowell
nor Becher can hear these voices. Later
witnesses will testify that Stapleton never visited the next-door apartment.
Dowell and
Becher call in a doctor from the local mental hospital, and ask to have Henry
confined there.
Two weeks
elapse before Henry can be admitted.
During this period he becomes increasingly violent and
unpredictable. Dowell arranges a roster
of soldiers to guard the apartment.
Henry remains
in hospital for nearly two years. Staff
will testify to further violent behaviour.
One visitor, however, says he found young Henry "spoke sensibly on
all subjects but one".
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I endeavoured to persuade him to lay aside this nonsense as
the only means of procuring his release and he immediately began to suspect
me of some concealed design against him. Evidence of Robert Downie at Calcutta hearing,
March 1802 |
Eventually the authorities
decide his best chance of a cure is a return to England. He leaves aboard the Rose on 1st
March 1800.
He is on the
high seas when his father dies in May.
Later he sues Captain Orrok of the Rose for keeping him confined
in his cabin, as though he were mad! The
Calcutta hearings of 1802 are held to establish the facts: their record, preserved
at the National Archives (KB101/4/15), is the main
source for the information given here.
Henry's
subsequent marriage and
voyage to Berbice (where he dies) suggest that his mental health
does improve on his return to England.
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Related pages Burges and
Attwick connections |
henrycort.net
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