William Barwell (1709–1769) was an administrator of the English East India Company.[1]

William Barwell
Born1709
Died1769
OccupationColonial Administrator
Known forPresident of Bengal

Life edit

He was the son of William Barwell of Enfield, Middlesex, a London merchant. He was appointed a writer with the East India Company in 1721 and posted to Bengal. Promoted in 1743 to the chiefship of Patna, he then served as President of Bengal from 1748 to 1749, in post for 14 months.[2][3] He was dismissed in 1750 after being found guilty of misdemeanours at Patna, and returned to England.[4]

In 1751, Barwell bought the Abbey House at Chertsey, in Surrey.[1] He was elected as a director of the East India Company between 1753 and 1766, excepting 1757, 1760, and 1765.[4][5] He was appointed High Sheriff of Surrey for 1768.

Barwell died in 1769 and was buried at Chertsey church.[6]

Family edit

Barwell married three times; firstly to Elizabeth Eyre, secondly to Mary Anne Atkinson and thirdly to Elizabeth Pierce. His second son by his third wife was Richard Barwell, born in Calcutta, who became a rich nabob and Member of Parliament.[2] The Abbey House was left to his son Roger, and stayed in the family to 1809.[1] His daughter Mary Barwell (born 1733) was a financier.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Pforzheimer, Carl H. (1961). Shelley and His Circle, 1773–1822. Harvard University Press. p. 93. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b Dictionary of Indian Biography. Ardent Media. 1971. p. 29.
  3. ^ Barrett, Tim R. (2004). Calcutta: strange memoirs, foreign perceptions. Deep Prakashan. p. 87. ISBN 9788185800356.
  4. ^ a b Parker, James Gordon (1977). The Directors of the East India Company, 1754-1790 (PDF) (PhD). University of Edinburgh. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  5. ^ C. H. and D. Philips (October 1941). "Alphabetical List of Directors of the East India Company from 1758 to 1858". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (4): 327. JSTOR 25221797.
  6. ^ Bengal, Past & Present: Journal of the Calcutta Historical Society. Calcutta Historical Society. 1924. p. 43.
  7. ^ Froide, Amy M. (6 October 2016). Silent Partners: Women as Public Investors during Britain's Financial Revolution, 1690-1750. OUP Oxford. p. 134. ISBN 9780191080852. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
Political offices
Preceded by President of Bengal
18 April 1748 – 17 June 1749
Succeeded by


External links edit