Hugh Crawford, Commercial Agent in Travancore during the19th Century

Hugh and Mary Ann Crawford

Readers of my blog may have noted that, in February 2008, I wrote an article titled “Some Royal Correspondence.” It dealt with an original letter dated 4th January 1893 sent by Maharajah Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma of Travancore (AD 1885-1924) to Mr. John Rohde, of the erstwhile Travancore Civil Service while the latter had gone to England for his holidays. Therein I had discussed at length on the historical personalities named in the letter.

I received a few mails from friends and readers on this article about which I felt very happy because it had created quite a bit of enthusiasm about the 19th century Travancore and some of its colourful personalities. But, the email received from Mr. Robert Collingwood from England was very special and most heartening to me because he happened to be the great great grand nephew of Jack (John) Rohde, who was the Commercial Agent to the Maharajah.

“John Rohde, like most members of his family, was born in India, as the son of an East India Company official who had been through the Company's college at Haileybury, and finished up as Inspector-General of Jails. Usually nicknamed Jack, he was the Commercial Agent to the Maharaja Moolam Thirunal. He had taken over from his father-in-law, Hugh Crawford, who had seemingly left under a cloud, about which not much is known.

About AD 1900, Jack Rohde retired to England with his wife Isabella. They lived in a large house near Reigate, called Cranham Lodge. They had two children. The son, called John like his father and grandfather, was a career officer in the Royal Engineers. He was reported missing in France on 28 Oct 1914, a few weeks after the start of World War I. Nothing was known about his death, although his father put advertisements in the newspapers appealing for any information.

Jack and Isabella's daughter Eleanor Sinclair Rohde became a great expert on gardens and the history of gardening, notably the uses of plants and herbs. She wrote many books on the subject and used to give talks and broadcasts. She was one of the first regular speakers on the BBC, from AD 1925 onwards.

Mr. Hugh Crawford who handed over his responsibilities to his son in law, Jack Rohde, around AD 1890 was well over 70 and retired to Bedford in England, where he lived with his daughters and grandchildren and died on 14 June 1896.

He had served at least four Maharajahs of Travancore starting from Maharajah Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma II (AD 1846-1860) to Ayilyam Thirunal Bala Rama Varma II to Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma V and to Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma VI (AD 1885-1924).

Robert is the great great grandson of Hugh Crawford. I got from Robert quite some information about Hugh Crawford, who finds mention in various pages of the book “A History of Travancore “ by P.Shangoonny Menon, First edition: 1878.

Hugh Crawford was born in Port Glasgow, Scotland, on 24 Jun 1816. He was presumably a civil engineer by profession. On 25th October 1850 he married Mary Anne Campbell, another Scot, at Point de Galle, Sri Lanka. They had 4 daughters, maybe more, born between 1851 and 1858, all in India.

The second of the children was the great grandmother of Robert and she was born at Alleppey. The younger siblings also were born somewhere in Travancore but the place is not specified.

Joanna and May at Alleppey circa AD 1892 (Crawford's daughter and grand daughter)

Alleppey, in Travancore was known as the Venice of the east with its various canals and the beautiful landscape. It is found reported that a 1000 feet long pier was built at the Alleppey beach by “Captain” Hugh Crawford in AD1862, which is still to be seen. Some records do exist to show that he was a “Captain”, which was indeed news to Robert.

Lighthouse at Alleppey circa AD 1892

Lighthouse at Alleppey now

Robert informs me that his father used to tell him about the lighthouse that Crawford built, though he used to speak of it as being at Cochin, where his own mother was born, rather than at Alleppey. This was confusion indeed as various documents do indicate that Crawford used to be mainly stationed at Alleppey and that he built the lighthouse at Alleppey around AD 1860 assisted by Mr. Collins, the civil engineer to the Maharajahs of Travancore and Cochin.

Robert, very kindly sent me an old photo, about the year AD1892 of Crawford’s daughter Joanna and his granddaughter May (grandmother of Robert) posing in front of a lighthouse, that looks very much like the one still standing at Alleppey today.

Mr. Crawford was the Commercial agent for the state of Travancore, and had joined the service of the Maharajah Uthram Thirunal prior to AD 1849. The role, as I could gather, was to advise the Maharajah on all commercial activities and to take needed steps for the benefit of the country and its people. Procuring all cereals, pulses, spices and even gold seemed to have been under his authority. Indeed, Mr. Crawford was a most energetic man who has done some stellar service to Travancore and its people. As the footnotes will explain, in the 1850s, when there was shortage of food grains in Travancore, he took some preemptive action under orders of HH Maharajah Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma, thus preventing many casualties.

Following are the excerpts from the book:

Page 475 of the History of Travancore from the earliest Times

Crops had failed in Travancore in AD 1853 (ME 1029).

----The land revenue, the source of the prosperity of the people and of commerce suffered severely. Paddy and provisions were sold at famine prices and even at those high rates, the necessaries of life, were not procurable in the country. It was in this year for the first time that Bengal paddy and rice were imported into Travancore, through the Sircar's Commercial Agent Mr. Crawford who displayed his usual energy in procuring large quantities of grain to save the lives of the famine-stricken.

Page 467

In the course of four months, a large quantity of pepper was received from the ryots and despatched to the Commercial Depot at Alleppey, where that energetic and painstaking Sircar Agent, Mr.H.Crawford effected a speedy and profitable sale of the stock, and with the proceeds of the sale, the ryots were paid and with the surplus, the costly ceremony Thulapurushadanam was performed in the year 1025(ME) (1849 AD).

Page 63

--- Several months before the ceremony, the Travancore Government through its energetic Commercial Agent, Mr. Hugh Crawford, purchased from Messers Apcar and Co., Calcutta, 7808.5 tolahs( about 200 lbs avoir. Or 244 pounds troy) of pure gold, at the rate of 15 Rupees, 3 Annas per Tolah or 118586 Rupees for the whole. Including the cost of freight insurance and duty amounting to 3011 Rupees, the total outlay was 121597 Rupees for the whole quantity. --------

It is another interesting aspect to read about Thulapurushadanam, a religious ceremony conducted by the Maharajahs of Travancore after their coronation.

Page 359 informs us the following:

In AD 1855, the Commander-in-Chief of the Madras presidency, General Anson paid a visit to Travancore. When he along with his party reached Alleppey, Mr. Crawford, the Commercial Agent gave them a hearty reception and they were entertained with a grant dinner.

Mr. Crawford was the contemporary of General William Cullen, the British Resident of Travancore for the period from AD 1840 to 1860.


The Madras literary society, journal of literature and science of the Madras Literary Society and the Auxiliary Royal Asiatic Society published in AD 1859, –Original from Oxford University – which can be downloaded from the website http://books.google.co.in/books?id=DfkEAAAAQAAJ has some interesting references to Mr. Hugh Crawford.

Page 170 of the above journal has reference to a managing committee meeting of the Society on 9th June 2008, chaired by The Hon Walter Elliot, Esq., in which there is mention about a “Series of Meteorological Observations taken at Alleppey by Captain Crawford from 23rd April to 6th May of 1858” .

In a letter dated 26th June 1860, Francis N Maltby, Resident of Travancore and Cochin, writes to T .Pycroft, Chief Secretary to the Madras Government at Fort St George that Mr. Crawford, the Commercial Agent was behind the idea of a lighthouse, the construction of which was sanctioned by the Maharajah. Mention is also made about the energy of Mr. Crawford who as superintendent was assigned to carry out the work of the lighthouse at Alleppey Port, guided by the professional skill of Mr. Collins. (Pages 128 to 153)

The above conclusively proves that versatile as he was, Crawford was responsible for building the lighthouse at Alleppey and was appropriately called Captain. Mr. Collins mentioned above was the civil engineer to the Maharajahs of Travancore and Cochin appointed in AD 1859.

Mr. Crawford was also very studious about many aspects of life around him. He observed and studied the unique “mud wall phenomenon” in the sea off the Alleppey coast during the monsoons. His letter dated 20th June 1860 to Mr. Francis N Maltby, the Resident at Trivandrum detailing the above is of much interest. (Pages 133 to 136).

I must conclude this blog, lest this posting is bound to take the shape of a voluminous essay.

Mr. Hugh Crawford was indeed a great friend, nay, son of Travancore. He spent more than four decades of his fruitful years in the service of this country playing a stellar role. The different roles he played varied from that of a commercial agent, a philanthropist, a dutiful civil servant, a scientist, an engineer and a wonderful human being. He was one of those great Englishmen who loved this country and who worked sincerely for the progress of the state and its people.

I thank Robert for all the personal information given and also for those wonderful photographs.

Dubai,
25th June 2008.

PS: This post shall not be complete without the following information. Robert had advised me about the visit of his sister and her friend from UK to Kerala during April 2008. Since I was on holidays in Kerala, I was privileged to meet Mrs. Anna Dymond, Robert’s sister and Crawford’s great great grand daughter and her friend Mrs. Margaret Newberry.

Margarette Newberry and Anna Dymond sharing a joke with Sindhu

Accompanied by my wife Sindhu, I called on them at the hotel in Kumarakom where they stayed. Both of them are retired teachers, wonderfully well-read, extremely well behaved and most graceful ladies. I told Anna that it was indeed our pleasant privilege that we could meet the great great grand daughter of Crawford, a most remarkable Scot who loved Travancore and did some yeoman service to its people during his long stay in this part of the globe.