Sir Matthias Vincent (c. 1645–1687) was a British administrator for the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
(EIC) before becoming MP for
Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel (; kw, Lostwydhyel) is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739, increasing to 2,899 at the 2011 c ...
.
Family
He was the younger son of John Vincent (d.1646) of Battens,
North Hill, Cornwall by his wife Sarah and educated at
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
. In 1620 John Vincent was disclaimed at the
heralds’ visitation of 1620, and prosecuted in the court of chivalry for usurping the arms of the Surrey family. He then took
holy orders but was unable to obtain a
benefice
A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
before the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
and moved frequently. Matthias Vincent’s eldest brother became a fellow of
All Souls in 1654.
India
Vincent joined the EIC as a factor in 1622 at a salary of £20 per annum. In 1667 he was appointed to the company's governing council in
Hooghly, becoming third in seniority at the Bay of Bengal
factories
A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. T ...
in 1669. Following the death of John Marsh, he became Chief at
Cassimbazar
Cossimbazar is a sub-urban area of Berhampore City in the Berhampore CD block in the Berhampore subdivision in Murshidabad district in the Indian state of West Bengal."Cossimbazar" in ''Imperial Gazetteer of India'', Oxford, Clarendon Press, ...
, arousing the wrath of Joseph Hall who said that Vincents "Actions will not admit of the Light, being works of Darkness's and therefore all he doth in the Companys Affairs must be in hugger muggur." Nevertheless, on the death of
Walter Clavell
Walter Clavell (16394August 1677) was an English administrator employed by the East India Company as Chief of the factories in the Bay of Bengal.
Career
In 1667, at the age of 28, he was sent out by the Court of Directors of the East India Comp ...
Vincent became "Chief of the factories in the Bay of Bengal".
During his time at Hooghly, Vincent was accused by the Company of appropriating commissions due to it and of trading in goods, including pepper and copper, on his own account.
Furthermore,
a member of the Council at Hooghly claimed that Vincent had "practised Diabolicall arts with the Braminees (
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
s)" and had bewitched him so that Vincent could "better fulfil his lustful desires with his Wife." His accuser, to the horror of Vincent's superiors in back in London, also claimed he had used charms and poisons against people with the assistance of "Witches or other natives".
After the notorious interloper
Thomas Pitt
Thomas Pitt (5 July 1653 – 28 April 1726) of Blandford St Mary in Dorset, later of Stratford in Wiltshire and of Boconnoc in Cornwall, known during life commonly as ''Governor Pitt'', as ''Captain Pitt'', or posthumously, as ''"Diamond" ...
married Vincents's niece, the EIC lost confidence in Vincent.
In 1682
William Hedges, the EIC's new Bengal Agent, arrived in Hooghly with instructions to remove Vincent from his post. However, aware that he was about to be taken prisoner, Vincent appeared with a party of well armed soldiers and forced Hedges to retreat to the Dutch settlement of
Chinsurah
Hugli-Chuchura or Hooghly-Chinsurah is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the bank of Hooghly River, 35 km north of Kolkata. It is located in the ...
further inland. Vincent's position was further strengthened by the arrival of his protege Thomas Pitt with more men. After two futile years, Hedges gave up in his attempt and fled India for Persia.
Rugo the Podar affair
In 1673 a charge was brought against Vincent that he had been responsible for the death of the Hooghly Factory's cashier or ''podar''.
Streynsham Master
Sir Streynsham Master (28 October 1640 – 28 April 1724) was an English colonial administrator who was one of the 17th-century pioneers of the English East India Company. He served as the Agent of Madras from 27 January 1678 to 3 July 1681, a ...
, the Company's erstwhile Madras Agent was ordered to investigate the matter. It transpired that Rugo had been placed in the custody of Anant Ram, the Factory's broker on Vincent's orders to recover a sum of money he owed to the Company. Rugo died the first night he was in custody, with Ram claiming in a later deposition that he had only caused the Podar and his son "to be beaten with a few blows with a small stick, as little as the pen that is written withall." The matter was closed (or hushed up) following a payment of 13,000 Rupees, which was charged to the Company's account. Although Vincent was cleared on the charge, the Company still sought his return to England and further legal action. At the same time he was ordered to repay the 13,000 Rupees.
Subsequent career
In 1683 Vincent returned to England aboard one of Thomas Pitt's ships to live in a princely style as a rich
nabob
A nabob is a conspicuously wealthy man deriving his fortune in the east, especially in India during the 18th century with the privately held East India Company.
Etymology
''Nabob'' is an Anglo-Indian term that came to English from Urdu, poss ...
. He was knighted by
James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
*James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
*James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
*James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
on 20March 1685, became treasurer of the
Sons of the Clergy
Clergy Support Trust is a charity which was formerly (between 2012 and 2019) known as Sons & Friends of the Clergy. The full official name of the charity is Governors of the Charity for Relief of the Poor Widows and Children of Clergymen. The pres ...
and was elected as MP for Lostwithiel, although he did not attend parliament. He was nominated as an
alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
of the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
in 1686 but died the following summer.
Personal life
In around 1670 he married Mary, the illegitimate daughter of Henry Greenhill, merchant, of Madras (now
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
), India, by his
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
nese mistress who was the widow of John Gurney a Madras merchant. The couple had two sons and one other child.
Notes
References
;Bibliography
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vincent, Matthias
1645 births
1687 deaths
British East India Company people
People educated at Westminster School, London
British governors of Bengal