Arrivals & Departures: Memorial Plaques at Cathedral Church
Cinematographer: Avijit Mukul Kishore
Duration: 00:20:25; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 33.756; Saturation: 0.205; Lightness: 0.444; Volume: 0.071; Cuts per Minute: 1.812; Words per Minute: 50.984
Summary: St. Thomas Cathedral in the fort area is one of the oldest churches in the city. The foundation stone of the church was laid in 1672
and the inauguration happened on Christmas day in 1718. The church was named after St. Thomas, one of the 12 disciples of Christ who came to India and established the first Christian church in Kerala in first century AD. The Church was built to ‘improve the moral standard’ of the growing British settlement. A protestant establishment the church was built next to the European Fort where the white colonials were housed. The entrance of the church
was one of three gates to the fort. After that gate the area was named Churchgate – a name which is still in use as the current train terminus. The St. Thomas church of beautiful gothic structure was elevated to a cathedral in 1837. Popularly it is always called Cathedral church. Currently the cathedral stands in the middle of the commercial region in the Fort area. The immaculate grave stones and the memorial plaques silently display the history of 200 years of colonised India. The evolution of English language since mid 18th century can be read through the texts on the plaques.
Also can be traced the landmarks in colonial history as many British generals, soldiers and administrators who died in various battles against the revolts and struggles by the ‘natives’ were either buried or paid homage to at the cathedral. The elegant marble tombstones and plaques with intricate calligraphy and skillful sculpting bear the sub-texts of much violence of last two and a half centuries.
This cathedral was shot as part of a study of the cemeteries in the city. The study was undertaken as an exercise in reading the history of the city and the movement of various communities in and out of the city at various historical junctures.
Shot by Avijit Mukul Kishore.
Text on Plaque:
Sacred to the Memory of THOMAS MOSTYN ESQ. who died Janry 1st 1779 aged 48 years.
Skillful in thePolitics of HINDOSTAN
He resided several Years in a public CHARACTER
at the MAHRATTA COURT.
Of a cool, discerning Mind
He discharged his Duty
with Diligence, Firmness and Integrity
A Faithful Servant to the EAST INDIA COMPANY
IN PRIVATE LIFE
He was blessed with mildness and gentleness of Manners;
A chearful Companion,
A benevolent Master,
A steady, sincere Friend.
The camera pans from a long shot of the corridor next to the nave to a oval shaped memorial plaque on the side wall. Fans are whirling suspended from wrought iron trusses. A man walks up and passes from the front of the camera.
The church is St. Thomas' Cathedral, the first Anglican church to be set up in the city, built by the British East India Company close to the harbor based fort in which they lived as a protected group. The 300 years old cathedral is immaculately maintained. The camera moves past a sunlit window and then shows the large marble plaque. The cathedral walls are marked all over by these marble tablets commemorating some or the other British officer or an East India Company personnel who held a high post in the government of the "Residency".
This particular tablet is large, almost 5ft in height and oval and it projects from a granite base. The indirect sunlight on its face creates subtle depths and illuminates its textures. The calligraphy of the text is very decorative - the letter 's' resembles 'f' making words like sincere and master read as 'fincere' and 'mafter' respectively. Hindustan is spelled as Hindostan.
The concerned Thomas Mostyn Esq. must have been one of the early colonizers. The time around his demise was a volatile time for the region. In 1775 the British East India company founded its base in Bombay and launched the First Anglo-Maratha War. These acts of invasion must have benefited by the contribution of Thomas Mostyn Esq. who 'was skillful in the politics of Hindostan'.
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St. Thomas Cathedral
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Pan shot of a wall almost entirely covered with elaborate tablets, some with life sized figurines atop engraved pedestals and some simpler, with just a single plaque. The shot moves past a stained glass window to what is possibly the most elaborate marble dedication in the entire cathedral.
A large marble pillar is flanked on either side by women resplendent in flowing robes. The figures are neither sentinel like nor adoring or rapt, as statues that flank a memorial generally are but strangely enough are depicted in natural postures, looking nowhere in particular. The pillar and statues stand atop a marble pedestal with floral motifs as well as heads of lions adorning it. A few brass as well as marble plaques are on the wall behind it.
John Campbell was a Scottish soldier in British army. The war that is mentioned in the plaque as 'the general war in India defended Mangalore during a siege of eight months against the united arms of Mysore and France' was actually the war of Tipu Sultan against the British in 1783. It is interesting to see how Tipu Sultan is described as 'inexorable Sultan' and the act by Campbell and his British army as 'defended Mangalore'. While making the plaque the East India Company officials must have never thought that one day in independent India these texts will bear the signs of their violent colonizing method.
Text on Plaque:
THE HON'BLE EAST INDIA COMPANY
Dedicate this Memorial of
BRITISH JUSTICE,
to the Merits and Services of LIEUTENANT COLONEL JOHN CAMPBELL
Who in the Crisis of
THE GENERAL WAR IN INDIA,
MDCCLXXXIV,
Defended MANGALORE,
During a Siege of
EIGHT MONTHS,
Against the United Arms of MYSORE AND FRANCE,
And
After extorting from the
INEXORABLE SULTAUN
an involuntary Eulogy,
With
Honorable Terms for his
Small but Brave Garrison,
Sunk at the Age of THIRTY THREE,
Under the Hardships
Experienced,
In the Discharge of his Duty to
HIS KING and COUNTRY.
Bombay
Fort
France
Mangalore
Mysore
St. Thomas Cathedral
figures
flowing
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memorials
opulent
stained glass engraving
tablets
Camera tilts down an elaborate plaque made of white marble. Indirect sunlight gives the plaque a soften glow with filtered light from the stained glass windows striking it.
The plaque bears figures of a distinctly European looking woman writing on an urn while right beside her is the figure of a Brahmin man, complete with the small pigtail looking downward from beneath a leafy tree. This can possibly be attributed to the fact that John Duncan, "to the natives, in particular, he was a friend and a protector to whom they looked with unbounded confidence and never appealed in vain."
Towards the base of the pedestal are two infants that flank a scroll with the engraving: Infanticide abolished in Benares and Kattywar [Kathiawar]. This could possibly have been a reference to 'his purity and zeal for public good'. Jonathan Duncan is remembered even in independent India for his contribution in evolving public education system, even if it was mainly to train officials for the East India Company.
Text on Plaque:
IN MEMORY OF
THE HON'BLE JONATHAN DUNCAN, GOVERNOR OF BOMBAY FROM 1795 TO 1811, RECOMMENDED TO THAT HIGH OFFICE BY HIS TALENTS AND INTEGRITY,
IN THE DISCHARGE OF VARIOUS IMPORTANT DUTIES IN BENGAL AND BENARES.
HIS PURITY AND ZEAL FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD, WERE EQUALLY CONSPICUOUS DURING HIS LONG AND UPRIGHT ADMINISTRATION AT THIS PRESIDENCY,
WITH A GENEROUS DISREGARD OF PERSONAL INTEREST.
HIS PRIVATE LIFE WAS ADORNED BY THE MOST MUNIFICENT ACTS OF CHARITY AND FRIENDSHIP, TO ALL CLASSES OF THE COMMUNITY.
TO THE NATIVES, IN PARTICULAR, HE WAS A FRIEND AND A PROTECTOR, TO WHOM THEY LOOKED WITH UNBOUNDED CONFIDENCE AND NEVER APPEALED IN VAIN.
HE WAS BORN AT WARDHOUSE, IN THE COUNTY OF FORFAR, IN SCOTLAND, ON THE 15TH OF MAY, 1756;
CAME TO INDIA AT THE AGE OF 16; AND AFTER 30 YEARS OF UNINTERRUPTED SERVICE DIED AT THIS PLACE ON THE 11TH OF AUGUST, 1811.
Benaras
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St. Thomas Cathedral
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Text on Plaque:
IN MEMORY OF CHARLES JAMES MANSON,
OF THE BOMBAY CIVIL SERVICE,
ACTING POLITICAL AGENT SOUTHERN MAHRATTA COUNTRY,
AND SON OF COL. MANSON OF THE BOMBAY ARTILLERY, WHO WAS TREACHEROUSLY DEPRIVED OF LIFE AT SOORIBUND ON THE NIGHT OF THE 29TH OF MAY 1858, IN THE 34TH YEAR OF HIS AGE.
HE WAS SACRIFICED WHILE IN THE ZEALOUS DISCHARGE OF HIS DUTY,
AND IN THE BENEVOLENT DESIRE TO SUPPRESS AN INTENDED INSURRECTION BY THE MAHRATTA CHIEFS.
THIS TABLET IS ERECTED BY HIS MOTHER, IN AFFECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE OF ONE OF THE BEST OF SONS.
Text on Plaque:
IN LOVING MEMORY OF JOHN GIBBINGS WESTROPP, LIEUTENANT INDIAN STAFF CORPS
AND ASST: POLITICAL AGENT KATHIAWAR
WHOSE LIFE WAS SUDDENLY CUT SHORT
BY CHOLERA AT DHROL IN KATHIAWAR
ON 13TH JUNE 1892, AGED 24.
AND OF
SIMPSON HACKETT WESTROPP,
LIEUTENANT INDIAN STAFF CORPS
AND DEPUTY ASST. COMMISSARY GENERAL
WHO DIED AT YERCAUD
ON 24TH MARCH 1893 AGED 25.
TWIN SONS OF
MAJOR GENERAL G.R.C. WESTROPP
INDIAN STAFF CORPS
ERECTED BY THEIR SORROWING PARENTS AND BROTHERS.
"THEY ARE IN PEACE".
We see a small marble tablet mounted on the wall. It is one of the more modest memorials in the cathedral, dedicated to a Charles James Manson of the Bombay Civil Service. There is a crack running through the width of the tablet, most probably a result of the Bombay humidity on the marble. Such cracks are present on several of the plaques in the church. In the middle of 19th century Maratha was still spelled as Maharatta.
In 1818 British won the third Anglo-Maratha war and founded the Bombay Presidency. Yet the incorrigible and fiercely independent Maratha chiefs continued to challenge the authority of the British administration in various ways till 1858. Charles James Manson died while trying to smash one such fight for independence.
We move past another sunlit window to a black granite memorial framed by a marble arch. There is an emblem of an eagle head surmounting a crown. This is a memorial erected by the grieving family of twin brothers who died within a year of each other. It said at the end 'They are in peace'. We too are in peace to find a memorial which does not eulogise British soldiers achievements against the independence of Indians.
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St. Thomas Cathedral
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Another modest marble plaque on the wall dedicated to two brothers by their friends. The overwhelming number of plaques in this cathedral is of British army personnel died in wars. The earliest plaque is of 1774 and the latest of 1978. Obviously the earlier ones were placed in the prime place at the cathedral. In the late 18th century and early 19th century only the high level army personnel could afford the resources and status to put in a plaque in the coveted space of the Cathedral church.
Text on Plaque:
"THOU HAST GIVEN HIM HIS HEART'S DESIRE"
IN MEMORY OF MAJOR SIDNEY WAUDBY H.M. KILLED AT DUBHAI 16TH APRIL 1880
AND OF HIS BROTHER OFFICER
MAJOR RICHARD J. LE. POER TRENCH
KILLED IN THE SORTIE FROM KANDAHAR 16TH AUGUST 18[ILLEGIBLE]
THIS TABLET IS ERECTED BY THEIR FRIENDS AS A TRIBUTE OF THEIR SINCERE ESTEEM AND AFFECTION.
"HIS HONOR IS GREAT IN THY SALVATION"
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Fort
Kandahar
St. Thomas Cathedral
arch
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Text on Plaque:
To the memory of
JOHN WATSON Esq. Superintendent of the Marine
at this Presidency and Commander in Chief
of the Naval Force employed in the Reduction
of SALSET in the Year 1774.
An Officer who manifested an unremitted Zeal
for the Interest of the East India Company
and the Honor of his Country.
At the siege of TANNA he was mortally wounded
the 21st of December 1774
and died in this Town the 27th, following
in the 52nd Year of his Age.
As a Testimony of his distinguished Merit
and Eminent Services
the United East India Company erected this monument
A.D. 1777.
The camera shows us an oval tablet, encircled by a wreath of flowers and mounted on a granite pedestal. Atop the pedestal is an elaborate urn from which spills forth a flowing cloth partially hiding what can only be described as a drum among other unrecognizable objects. The current district of Thane is spelled as Tanna.
In 1774, the year John Watson Esq. died while 'employed in the reduction of Solset', begun the first Anglo-Maratha war at the end of which the Solset Island (the area from Bandra to Borivali) was ceded to the British East India Company. Obviously John Watson was engaged in that 'honourable' job of 'reduction of Solset'.
Bandra
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Borivali
Fort
Solset
St. Thomas Cathedral
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In what is another strange memorial in the church, we see a tablet on a pedestal bearing an urn besides an elaborate drape. The drapery falls to the base of the pedestal where it forms folds on which stands a figure of a man, with his head resting on his arm, his eyes cast downward, and with a pensive look on his face. Of his attire, his coat appears to be that of an English soldier, his cap is very Moroccan and he seems to be wearing [pants] of a light material that follow the contour of his legs and end several inches above his knee. His cap has an engraving of a sphinx along with the words 'EGYPT VII'. The Roman numerals VII [seven] also appear on his belt and his coat. No parallels can be drawn immediately between the statue and the writing on the tablet, as was so easily done with the memorial of Jonathan Duncan. The battle of 1817 mentioned in the plaque is that of third Anglo-Maratha war. After winning this battle the British East India Company consolidated its power over the western region of the subcontinent by bringing the vast land of contemporary Maharashtra and Gujarat under the Bombay presidency.
Text on Plaque:
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF LIEUT. COL. CHARLES BARTON BURR. C.B.
OF THE 1ST BATTALION, 7TH REGIMENT
BOMBAY NATIVE INFANTRY.
LIEUT. COLONEL BURR WAS DISTINGUISHED
THROUGH A LONG COURSE OF SERVICE
FOR ENTHUSIASTIC PROFESSIONAL ZEAL ;
AND CROWNED HIS HONORABLE CAREER
BY A SIGNAL VICTORY. GAINED OVER THE PAISHWAS'S ARMY AT KIRKEE,
ON THE 5TH OF NOVEMBER 1817.
OB. 20TH MAY 1821, AGED 47.
Bombay
Egypt
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St. Thomas Cathedral
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One of the few copper plaques in the church, this one is dedicated to an entire battalion who served in World War I. It evokes uncanny connections between our city and the European first world war.
The Battle of Plassey between the Nawab of Bengal and the English under Clive, which marked the beginning of British dominance in India was fought in 1757, a full 40 years after the church was erected. In fact, while the church was being completed, the political maps of India and several parts of the world were being redrawn. In India, the Mughal empire was disintegrating, Marathas were growing into prominence and there was increasing tension and turbulence between princely states. It was in such an atmosphere that the British East India Company, having established a stronghold in Bombay, erected this Presbyterian church solely for their community.
The camera now pans across a lit window, by the side of which are the copper plaques and moves to another one, slightly grayish in color, dedicated to Humphrey Francis Lodge, by the men of his battalion.
Text on Plaque:
TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND
SACRED TO THE MEMORY
OF
ALL RANKS OF THE "OLD TOUGHS"
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918, AND IN THE MANY CAMPAIGNS THROUGH WHICH THE BATTALION SERVED SINCE
ITS FORMATION 1668 TILL ITS DISBANDMENT JULY 31ST 1922.
THIS TABLET IS ERECTED IN THE CITY OF THEIR ORIGIN AND
THEIR HOME FOR OVER 200 YEARS
BY THEIR COMRADES ON DISBANDMENT
IN PROUD AND GRATEFUL MEMORY OF THE SACRIFICE THEY MADE FOR KING – COUNTRY.
Text on Plaque:
TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND IN MEMORY OF HUMPHREY FRANCIS LODGE, M.C.
WHO DIED IN BOMBAY
ON 9TH JULY, 1924.
THIS TABLET IS ERECTED IN AFFECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE BY
THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE
5TH BOMBAY BRIGADE, R.A.A.F.I.
OF WHOM MAJOR LODGE WAS
IN COMMAND AT THE
TIME OF HIS DEATH.
"ONE WHO NEVER TURNED HIS BACK,
BUT MARCHED BREAST FORWARD"
Bombay
Fort
St. Thomas Cathedral
copper
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A small oval marble tablet. Mention of a rocket in 1779 and a generic term as in 'expedition' makes this one enigmatic. The contemporary Pune was Poonah.
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Fort
Pune
St. Thomas Cathedral
Text on Plaque:
IN MEMORY OF LIEUT. COL. ROBT. CAY,
who was wounded by a Rocket
the 4th January 1779
on the expedition to Poonah,
of which he died in Bombay the 14th following.
This Monument is erected by a few of his friends, in testimony of the esteem they retain for his Character.
marble
memory
modest
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small
The camera tracks through the nave exposing the grand scale and elegance of the church. The interiors of the cathedral are now plastered and painted but beneath it lies the original material, a buff colored basalt, now visible only in the altar. On either side of the nave are its wooden pews, marked by Coptic symbols.
Throughout the years, the church has seen a number of luminaries including King George V, the grandson of Queen Victoria, with Queen Mary worshipped in the cathedral in 1911, while on their way to Delhi to attend the coronation durbar as the Emperor of India. The church, besides being a monument to commemorate the dead, is also a cemetery of sorts. Along the nave, beneath the stone are buried several knights as well as other important personnel, their gravestones lying flat along the sweep of the nave. Even in the grounds of the church one sees several of the dark grey tombstones, most of them weathered to such an extent that the engraving on them is now illegible, the eulogies though "set in stone" are lost.
Besides the semicircular arches along the length of the church, the gothic style is unmistakable, with the long nave, the radiating chapels, the tower with the rose window, the lancet windows and the stained glass as well as the flying buttresses, visible only from the outside, supporting the chapel.
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There is a small marble plaque, in the form of a scroll commemorating the deaths of Lieut. Gregor Grant along with his family who died during a siege in Lucknow. 1857is the year of first Indian war of independence, considering other previous battles as resistance to invasions. Lucknow residency was the headquarters of the British in the state of Oudh which was seized by the East Indian company from Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. As the general resentment against the actions and behaviour of the East India Company grew, on May 10th 1857 a large number of Indian soldiers declared rebellion. In anticipation civilian British people and their families took shelter in the Lucknow residency. The rebel soldiers and many Indian civilians laid siege on the residency for almost six months. After the rebellion was crushed in 1958 Queen Victoria took over the rule of India from the East India Company. During this unsuccessful war of independence many loyal Indian soldiers in British army, British army officials and British civilians died. Lieut. Gregor Grant and his family obviously were obviously part of those causalities. But an out of context reference, as in this plaque, makes it a simple story of gallantry and family tragedy.
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St. Thomas Cathedral
Text on Plaque:
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF LIEUT: GREGOR GRANT, 9TH BOMBAY N.I. WHO DIED AT LUCKNOW 28TH JULY 1857, FROM WOUNDS RECEIVED IN DEFENSE OF THE RESIDENCY.
ALSO OF HIS WIFE
ELIZA
AND INFANT DAUGHTER ELLEN
WHO DIED THERE DURING THE SIEGE.
THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED BY THE OFFICERS OF THE REGIMENT,
TO MARK THEIR ESTEEM
FOR THEIR GALLANT COMRADE AND HIS HAPLESS FAMILY.
daughter
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seige
wife
We see a part of the exterior of the church, with a shot of the entrance gate with the small driveway leading to the doors. The street appears busy; a banana vendor has set up his stall just outside the gate, next to a parked car. People pass by oblivious to the heritage building and its history. The camera tilts up to show the tower, with its rose window [a round window of stained glass in a floral pattern] and its spires rising up into the Mumbai sky.
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St. Thomas Cathedral
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Bombay
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Once an important monument in the skyline of Mumbai, it no longer figures there, dwarfed by the skyscrapers that have cropped up. Still, it holds its place in the area surrounding Hutatma Chowk [previously known as Horniman Circle]. The camera shows us the neighboring area. The church stands at a crossroads. The street is a typical busy street in Mumbai with traffic of vehicles and people. Street food vendors sell their ware under colorful umbrellas by the side of the road.
St. Thomas Cathedral
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