George Frederick Cherry
George Frederick Cherry (1761–1799) was a British-born political officer of the
Biography
George Frederick Cherry was born in 1761 in Gillingham, Kent, the first-born of Susan Cherry (née Curtis) and George Cherry (who in 1785 became chairman of the Victualling Board) in a family of ten children. He married Martha Maria Paul (1765-1819).[2] Their only son, George Henry Cherry (1793-1848) was Member of Parliament for the rotten borough of Dunwich from 1820-1826.[3]
He was the British
Massacre of Benares
He had made sufficient enemies in Lucknow by 1796 that he was relocated to
Ali appears to have been informed of his fate in the early part of January 1799, and his remonstrances fell on deaf ears. Appearing to acquiesce to the situation, he gave it out that he would relocate on the 15 or 16 January. On 13 January Cherry was informed that Ali would visit him the following morning, and on the 14th Ali appeared at breakfast time, leading a more-or-less normal 200-strong entourage. Cherry escorted Khan and four supporters into his house. Ali took the opportunity to complain loudly about his lot, to assert promises broken by the British, and to blame Cherry for failing to look after his interests. Then, in what looked like a choreographed movement, an associate, Waris Ali, restrained the sitting Cherry from behind his seat, Wazir Ali Khan struck Cherry with his sword, and Cherry was further struck by others of Ali's party. Cherry managed to struggle out of the house, but was quickly killed. Two of Cherry's colleagues were also killed: his secretary, Mr. Evans, was stabbed, escaped outside, and was shot whilst seeking to flee; and a Captain Conway, residing with Cherry, was also killed. Two other British residents of Benares were also killed, in what came to be known as the Massacre of Benares.[5]
Ali fled, evading capture for some months, but was eventually turned over to the British authorities by Pratap Singh of Jaipur, Rajah of Jaipur, on the condition Ali was not executed nor fettered. Ali was imprisoned for the remainder of his life.[5]
References
- ^ Davis, Samuel; Aris, Michael (1982). Views of Medieval Bhutan - The Diary And Drawings Of Samuel Davis 1783. London, Washington DC: Sirinda Publications, Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 34.
- ^ Burke, Sir Bernard (1865). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Harrison, Pall Mall. p. 236.
- ^ "CHERRY, George Henry (1793-1848), of 9 Gloucester Place, Portman Square, Mdx". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ a b Willasey-Wilsey, Tim. "Of Intelligence, an Assassination, East Indiamen and the Great Hurricane of 1808". Victoria Web. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ a b c Davis, Sir John Francis (1871). Vizier Ali Khan; or, The massacre of Benares: a chapter in British Indian history. London: Spottiswoode and Company. pp. 28–31, 40.