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Sir Thomas Metcalfe, 4th Baronet

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Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe, 4th Baronet, (1795–1853) was an East India Company servant and agent to Governor General of India.[1][2] He was invested with the Order of the Bath.[3]

Sir Thomas Metcalfe arrived in Delhi in 1813 and lived there for forty years.[4] His brother, Charles Metcalfe, was Resident to the Mughal Emperor's court. In 1830, Metcalfe began to build the "Metcalfe House" on the outskirts of Delhi, taking land belonging to Gujjar villagers. He filled it with his collections of art, books and relics of Napoleon.[5] The Metcalfe House was called Matka Kothi by the bearers and khansamahs serving Sir Thomas, as they found it difficult to pronounce the name Metcalfe.[6]

In 1835, Metcalfe became the agent at Delhi after the murder of William Fraser and ran the "Delhi Territory", the area around the old capital under British control since 1803.[6] He succeeded his brother as Baronet in 1844, and became an important figure in the cultural climate of Delhi.[4]

While working in India as the Governor-General's Agent at the Imperial court of the Mughal Emperor, Metcalfe compiled an album containing 120 paintings by Indian artists.[7] The album, termed as Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi (also Dehlie Book or Delhi Album) was compiled by Metcalfe in 1844 for his daughters in England. It includes descriptive text and touching words for his daughters.

Metcalfe was allegedly poisoned by one of Bahadur Shah's queens in 1853.[4] His son and successor, Sir Theophilus John Metcalfe, 5th Baronet, was also in the Indian Civil Service.[8] During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Metcalfe House was sacked by the Gujjar villagers from whom the land was taken to erect the building.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Metcalfe, Sir Thomas Theophilus (1795-1853)". National Register of Archives. The National Archives. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  2. ^ "Oxford Biography Index: Thomas Metcalfe". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  3. ^ Kenneth G Metcalf. "Metcalf Family History and Genealogy". Metcalf History. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  4. ^ a b c "Images Of A Lost Empire". Redhotcurry Limited. 2003-08-18. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  5. ^ "Reminiscences of Imperial Dehlie". the-south-asian.com. 2003. Retrieved 2007-05-31. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  6. ^ a b "This time, that age". Metro Plus Delhi. The Hindu. 2003-12-29. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  7. ^ "'The Delhi Book' of Thomas Metcalfe". Prints, Drawings and Photographs Section. The British Library. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  8. ^ "Family Archives & History Index: The Metcalfe Connection". Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  9. ^ Sen, Geeti (2001). The Human Landscape. Orient Longman. p. 236. ISBN 8125020454. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
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