East India Company collection
Overview
This collection consists of a variety of records and documents associated with individuals who worked for the East India Company of Great Britain, as well as records of legal and military matters associated with the Company or with India.
Dates
- Creation: 1699 - 1858
Conditions Governing Access
No access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.
History of the East India Company
The East India Company was initially chartered as the Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies, receiving a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1600. During the first century of its existence the company focused mostly on trade.
The Company became involved in mid-18th century struggles for territorial control in India, competing wtih the French East India Company. The Company took control of Bengal during the Carnatic Wars and became a major military and political power, expanding its power in the following decades with its private army.
In 1858 the British Crown took direct control of India, creating a British Raj, after the 1857 Indian Rebellion against the Company. The East India Company was dissolved in 1874.
Extent
1.75 Linear Feet (5 document cases + 1 roll, 1 oversize folder)
Language of Materials
English
Scope and Contents
This collection contains a wide variety of miscellaneous materials associated with individuals who worked for the East India Company, correspondence regarding the Company, and legal and military records associated with the Company. It includes estate records of the 18th century mariner Robert Walpole, indentures of Robert Taylor, commissions issued by the East India Company, Court of Chancery records, correspondence, bonds, lists, indentures and estate-related records, and other materials that show the breadth and expanse of the East India Company particularly after it became involved in India's political affairs starting in the 18th century.
Materials in the collection have been broken out by call number due to size of the material (such as those items located at MS R3) and due to the nature of the material (e.g., Walpole's papers are grouped together at MS 94, commissions at MS 95, and miscellaneous items at MS 96 through MS 98).
Physical Location
MS 94 - MS 98
Physical Location
MS R3
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Most of the collection was purchased from Hofmann-Freeman on June 9, 1969 (invoice T.556); one item purchased from E. Ward list, 1979.
Processing Information
Thomas Babington Macaulay correspondence formerly located at MS P455, transferred to MS 98 by alh in December 1982.
Subject
- East India Company (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the East India Company Collection
- Subtitle
- East India Company collection
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by alh, 1969, 1971, 1979,1993, 1995. Finding aid encoded by amc, 2005; skt, 2005. Finding aid revised by mrk, 2010; mwh, 2019.
- Date
- 2019
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Finding aid written in English.
- Finding aid permalink
- http://hdl.handle.net/10407/1535836188
- Preferred citation
-
East India Company collection, MS 94, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository