William Hedges (colonial administrator)
Sir William Hedges (21 October 1632 – 6 August 1701) was an English merchant and the first
Life and career
He was born in Coole in County Cork, Ireland, the eldest son of Robert and Catharine Hedges. The Hedges had their roots in Wiltshire, and had originally gone by the surname of Lacy.[1]
Details of Hedges' early career are unclear, but it is known that he went to Turkey as a trader for the
In London, Hedges involved himself in a variety of ventures. He joined the
Through his first marriage, Hedges had also aligned himself with London's dissenting
India
Nearly a decade later, Hedges got his
The Court of Directors therefore decided that the Bengal station needed more autonomy to cope with its various challenges, and created a separate Agency for the province. Hedges had already been elected as one of the Company's 24 directors in April 1681.[3] On 3 September of that year, he was appointed the first chief agent and governor of the new Bengal Agency. He was instructed to put a stop to the growing exactions of the native rulers and their subordinates, to check the recently organised efforts of the 'interlopers' to break through the EIC's monopoly, and to punish the dishonesty of many of the company's own servants. In particular he was to arrest his predecessor, Matthias Vincent.
Hedges sailed from
When he attempted to capture Matthias Vincent, the latter, aware that he was about to be taken prisoner, appeared with a party of well-armed soldiers and forced Hedges to retreat to the Dutch settlement of
Return to England
On 21 December 1683 the EIC court issued a formal revocation of Hedges' commission, which reached him on 17 July 1684. He accordingly left Hoogly, embarked on 30 December, visited Persia on his way, and landed at Dover on 4 April 1687. On 6 March 1688, he was knighted by
On 26 May 1690, he, together with Thomas Cook, was put forward by the church party as a candidate for the shrievalty of the
In 1698, the old company formed a 'grand committee' of twenty-six gentlemen associated with the twenty-six of their court to deal with certain resolutions hostile to their interests which had been passed by the Commons on 24 May. A similar committee was again formed in January 1699, and of this last Hedges and Sir John Letheuillier were members. The two were deputed on 17 January in that year to open negotiations for coalition with the new company. In 1700 Hedges was a candidate for the mayoralty, but was not successful.
He died in London on 5 August 1701, and was buried, as directed in his will, with his first wife at Stratton St Margaret, Wiltshire, on the 15th. Their tomb can be seen in St Margaret's churchyard.[6]
Personal life
He was twice married. His first wife, Susanna, eldest daughter of Nicholas Vanacker of Erith, Kent, died in childbirth at Hoogly on 6 July 1683, leaving two sons, William and Robert, and a daughter, Susanna. He married as his second wife, on 21 July 1687, Anne, widow of Colonel John Searle of Finchley, and by her had two sons, John and Charles.
In 1693, Hedges bought land to the value of £200 in Stratton St Margaret in Wiltshire, and settled it for an augmentation of the vicarage and better maintenance of the vicar and vicars' widows for ever. He also directed that a sermon on charity should be preached annually by the vicar 'the next Sunday to the sixth of July,' the day of his first wife's death. The sermon is suspended, though the endowment continues.
References
- ^ Yule 1888, p. vii.
- ^ "Col George Jackson Hay, An Epitomized History of the Militia (The Constitutional Force), London: United Service Gazette, 1905, p. 258". Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ Yule 1888, p. ix.
- ISBN 978-1-317-19197-1.
- ^ Noorthouck, John (1773). Addenda: The Mayors and Sheriffs of London, in A New History of London. London: R Baldwin. pp. 889–893 – via British History Online.
- ^ Historic England. "Churchyard Tomb of Susanah Nicholas Van Acker of Erith (1023415)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Hedges, William". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
Sources
- Yule, Henry, ed. (1887). The diary of William Hedges, esq. (afterwards Sir William Hedges), during his agency in Bengal : as well as on his voyage out and return overland (1681–1697) (Volume 1). London: Hakuyt Society.
- Yule, Henry, ed. (1888). The diary of William Hedges, esq. (afterwards Sir William Hedges), during his agency in Bengal : as well as on his voyage out and return overland (1681–1697) (Volume 2). London: Hakuyt Society.
- Yule, Henry, ed. (1889). The diary of William Hedges, esq. (afterwards Sir William Hedges), during his agency in Bengal : as well as on his voyage out and return overland (1681–1697) (Volume 3). London: Hakuyt Society.
