I got into researching the colonial D'Auvergne Barnards for which it seemed appropriate to swat up about the East India Company, for whose millitary, the Native Infantry, they served. India, basically, was conquered by a trading company. India, during the times of the East India Company, was a strange land indeed. The Moslems were the ones to at first be in control, from Moghuls to Persians to Afghani's, whose way of going into battle involved sending ahead a feared group of thieving plunderer's, who instilled fear and chaos, burning down villages and carrying out various atrocities. On account of not being paid it was accepted that they should proit from whatever they could loot. They were freebooting gangsters who specialised in terrorising the locals. In the light of this, its easier to understand why status women would rather kill themselves than find themselves at the mercy of the conquerors, as the brutality of the Pindari's, as the plunderers were known, would never have spared them anyway. The Pindari's likewise plundered before the advancing Mahratta's, and when no army was there to associate with they still went around terrorising, doing their own thing anyway. India was exotic, appealing, compelling even, but dangerous. It was adventure. There were Pindari's, thugs, and dacoits, and sati was enforced on widows who would immolate themselves on their husbands funeral pyres. And the Britishers were like, no way, to all such as this and decided to sort it all out. Brigadier General Philip Boetefeur D'Auvergne was one of the soldiers involved in putting an end to the rogue Pindari's. Life was one of keeping on the move for Brigadier D'Auvergne and his son in law Captaine Henry Clapton Banard, as they relocated with their families from one cantonment to another, to places such as Keitah, Bundelkund, Jubblepore, Futty Ghur, Monghy, and Kurnaul. Philip Boetefeur D'Auvergne was from a protestant Jersey family which had settled in London; born in 1763, he was only fifteen when in 1778 he joined the Bengal army as a cadet. By 1801 he was a Captain and fort adjutant of the 16th Native regiment at Monghyr in Bihar, where mention is made of him in the writings of George Annesley, Earl of Mountnorris, who on arriving at this settlement by palanquin recorded 'I arrived by seven at the house of Captain D'Auvergne where I experienced a very hospitable reception.' By 1809, Philip D'Auvergne was Lieutenant Colonel of the 26th Regiment at Adjey Ghur commanding a garrison of 600 men. On the fort there having been captured by the British, the father in law of the absent Zeimindar was sent to the womens quarters to prepare for their departure. After some time, on he not having returned, the house was entered by the roof and it was discovered that he had cut the throats of all the women and children there and ultimatly his own throat too. In 1813 and 1814 Philp was heading the 26th Native Infantry during the time they were based at the Moghul city of Lucknow. This was a vassal state of the East India Company, though still part of the Moghul Empire in name, and was very grand with its palaces, tombs, nomuments and mosques. The Nawabs there were ceremonial kings, busy with pomp and show and their vast harems. The Lucknow Resident, J Baillie, wrote to Philipe D'Auvergne in regard to his commanding of the troops at Lucknow, commending him on his leadership skills, and requesting that he withdraw his soldiers from the palace to the cantonments, 'leaving five companies of sepoys as a guard of honour' to the Nawab and to protect the 'public property of the state which is deposited in the apartments of the palace.' In 1817 Philip became Brigadier of the 1st Brigade, and set to preparing war against the aforementioned Pindari's, the plundering brutes of India. On marching from Keitah to Bandah with the command of the 4th company 2nd battalion of the 28th and the 1st battalion Native Infantry, many camels were lost as torrents of rain fell and the roads became impassable. But a year later, Philip had succumbed to bad health for which reason he went for a six month break to Calcutta, where at the age of 55 he died and was buried in the South Park Cemetery. According to his will, so I have heard from one of his descendants, he had included in his possessions an elephant even. Henry Clapton Barnard, who married Philip's daughter Mary, was also in the 26th regiment and then the 51st Bengal Native Infantry. Born in Great Dunmow, Essex in 1784 he joined the East India Company as a subaltern at the age of 21, departing for India in 1806 on the Lord Castlereagh. With Philip D'Auvergne being a Lieutenant Colonel of his regiment, this was how he would become connected with Mary who he married in Bareilly in 1811. By 1817, at Keitah, Henry was adjutant and interpretor, ie; he was acting as an administrative assistant to the senior officer and enabling communications with the locals, having gained a good knowledge of local languages. In 1821 he was promoted to the rank of Captain, and a year later was at Kamptee with the 51st regiment. Henry was present during the Barrackpore mutiny in 1824 in Bengal, putting down Sepoy rebels, who although working for the Company had due to various grievances refused to carry on and fight against the Burmese. In 1837 Henry was promoted to the status of a Major, and with Mary having passed away in Kurnaul in only her 40's, he remarried in 1840 to a much younger woman, there being 22 years difference in age, the widowed Jane Hammond, at the Mission Church in Calcutta. In 1844, at Benares, Henry was promoted to the status of Lieutenant Colonel. But a year later he retired and returned to England. I joined some online groups on Facebook and Instagram to immerse myself more in such historical phenomena. These were interesting times.
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AuthorSusie Harrison and her hobby of genealogy, always looking into her own and her friends family trees. Categories
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