The Black Hole of Calcutta

As with the last couple of posts, my interest in the Black Hole of Calcutta story came when I stumbled on some contemporary(ish) reports when researching a completely unrelated subject. A reported 23 out 146 survived from the Black Hole of Calcutta incident – we know the names, can we find out what happened to them?

The night of June 20th 1756 has gone down in history and even become part of the English language - most will have heard it's 'like the black hole of Calcutta in here' to describe stygian darkness.

After the fall of Fort William to Bengali forces under the leadership of Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, surviving British soldiers, Indian sepoys and Indian civilians were imprisoned in a dungeon measuring 18 x 14 feet (5.5 x 4.3 metres) at 8pm and left until 6am next morning without food nor water.

And now the tale gets complicated. Most stories state there were 146 prisoners in that small space, of which 123 died overnight. But that is all based on the report from one survivor: East India Company employee John Zephaniah Holwell. However, later historians doubt that figure and speak of 64 imprisoned and 21 survivors, and another that only 18 died (although the latter does not give a total number of prisoners).

It is claimed the Nawab only learned of the suffering after their release, although this was disputed. The survivors were subsequently treated as prisoners of war.

The Nawab was punished for his part, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Clive retook Calcutta in January 1757 and Siraj was executed.

Named survivors, courtesy of Holwell, are - John Holwell himself, of course. A surgeon in the British East India Company, he studied at Guys Hospital but achieved much in his reports on such as the inoculation again smallpox in India, and went on to succeed Robert Clive as Governor of Bengal in 1760, then being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1767. Yet possibly he is best remembered for being the first British person to study and write on Hinduism.

A person named Court is cited, but we have no idea of this person’s first name and thus no clue as to their gender.

Secretary Cook’s subsequent life proved quite normal. Returning to England, he and his wife Mary had no less than eleven children while he worked as a clerk in London.

Henry Lushington came from Tamworth, after surviving the Calcutta ordeal he was later murdered by a German aged just 26. There is a memorial to him at St Mary’s, Eastbourne.

Burdett, like Court, has no other record of his life.

Ensign Edward Walcot’s family came from Walcot in Shropshire. Born in 1738 in Croagh, Ireland, he died soon after his release.

Bowes Walcot, younger brother of Edward, was a Captain in the 3rd Regiment.

Mrs Mary Carey continued to live in Calcutta until her death on March 28th 1801 at the age of 60. Buried in the Portuguese churchyard in Calcutta, her grave was marked by a plaque until the burial ground was cleared when the church was enlarged.

Captain Mills is given as a survivor, yet there is good evidence to show he was never actually in the dungeon. Records show he and a Mr Grey escaped and sent to Chandernagore, arriving on July 2nd.

Captain Dickson is another of which nothing further is known.

Mr Moran, likewise, is subsequently unrecorded.

Similarly John Meadows has nothing to show other than his survival.

Twelve military and militia (blacks and whites) are unnamed and thus, unsurprisingly, have nothing to say on them.