William Fytche (1716 – 10 August 1753) was an administrator of the

English 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 Southe ...

. He served as President of Bengal in the mid-eighteenth century. He was one of the last administrators before the

Battle of Plassey The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June 1757, under the leadership of Robert Clive. The victory was made possible by the defection of Mir Jafar, ...

allowed the company to firmly establish its

rule Rule or ruling may refer to: Education * Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE), a university in Cambodia Human activity * The exercise of political or personal control by someone with authority or power * Business rule, a rule perta ...

in India.

Biography

Fytche was the youngest son of William Fytche, Member of Parliament for , and his wife Mary, daughter of Robert Corey of Danbury. He became a member of the Calcutta council of merchants in 1746. In 1749 he went to Murshidabad, to take charge of the factory at Cossimbazaar there. He became President (Governor) on 8 January 1752. According to the '' Gentleman's Magazine'' in 1794, he had been in India for 21 years.

Family

Fytche married Lucia Beard on 25 February 1744 at

Fort St George, Madras Fort St. George (or historically, White Town) is a fortress in the coastal city of Chennai, India. Founded in 1639, it was the first English (later British) fortress in India. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further s ...

, where he was before being sent to Bengal. Their daughter Elizabeth was heir also to Fytche's brother Thomas, of

Danbury Place Danbury Place was an English country house, first built by Walter Mildmay in the time of Elizabeth I, dated to 1589. It is situated on one of the highest points of the county of Essex. The house was demolished and rebuilt on an adjoining site aro ...

, Essex; she married in 1775 Lewis Disney, who then changed his name to Lewis Disney Fytche. Fytche died of dysentery at the age of 35. After Fytche's death Lucia married William McGuire, having a son and a daughter with him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fytche, William 1716 births 1753 deaths Presidents of Bengal English businesspeople Administrators in British India 18th-century British people