Clive Collection
Item
Country
GB
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB
Contact information: phone number
0044 (0)1937 546060 (Customer Services)
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
mss@bl.uk
Reference number
Mss Eur G37
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (official language of the state)
Clive Collection
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
Robert Clive
Date(s)
1728/1832
Language(s)
deu
dut
eng
fra
ita
lat
por
others
Extent
97 boxes
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The major part of the Clive collection comprises the incoming correspondence received by Robert Clive and members of his circle, and a significant number of petitions addressed to him. The collection also contains numerous originals and copies of documents of the East India Company, including military returns of men and stores, copies of and extracts from the General Letters sent between the Court of Directors and the Indian Presidencies, financial documents relating to the collection of revenue in Bengal and to the annual accounts of the Presidencies, reports and proposals submitted to the Company and papers relating to Clive's work on behalf of the Company, particularly during his terms as Governor of Fort William and in command of Company forces. The bulk of the records is dated from 1751 to 1774.
The collection includes numerous correspondence from Joseph Salvador, some published by Maurice Woolf (1962), and other Sephardic merchants, such as Hananel Mendes da Costa and Phineas Serra.
The collection includes numerous correspondence from Joseph Salvador, some published by Maurice Woolf (1962), and other Sephardic merchants, such as Hananel Mendes da Costa and Phineas Serra.
Archival history
The collection was deposited on permanent loan to the India Office Library and Records by the 5th Earl of Powis in 1956 and subsequently purchased.
Administrative / Biographical history
Robert Clive (1725-1774), first administrator of Bengal, was born in Styche, Shropshire, son of Richard Clive (c.1693–1771), lawyer and MP. When he was 18 years old, Clive was sent to Madras in the service of the British East India Company. Hostilities between the British and French companies drew Clive into military service.
In March 1753, Clive left Madras and returned to England. However, after unsuccessfully standing for Parliament, he was sent out again to India in 1755, this time as governor of Fort St David and with a lieutenant colonel's commission in the Royal Army. Reaching Madras in June 1756, Clive immediately became involved in the affairs of Bengal. On January 2, 1757, he retook Calcutta. The victory in the Battle of Plassey on June 23 led Clive to become the master of Bengal.
Clive’s first government lasted until February 1760, when he returned to England. He was given an Irish peerage as Baron Clive of Plassey in 1762 and was knighted in 1764. He became member of Parliament for Shrewsbury, purchased an estate, and tried to use his Indian wealth to carve out an English political career.
In 1764, Clive was appointed governor and commander-in-chief of Bengal and arrived in Calcutta for the second time on May 3, 1765. His work falls into three parts: external policy, the settlement of Bengal, and the reform of the company’s service. He left Calcutta in January 1767. His second government was his crowning achievement, but he had made many enemies. An active group, supported by Lord Chatham, feared the corrupting influence of Indian wealth on English public life. In 1772, when the company appealed to the government to save it from bankruptcy, two parliamentary committees uncovered corruption among the company’s servants, and Clive was accused of being the instigator of the whole process. He successfully defended himself in Parliament in 1773 and triumphed over his accusers. With his already shaken health, the strain on his melancholic temperament was too great. In November 1774, he died by his own hand at his house in London.
In March 1753, Clive left Madras and returned to England. However, after unsuccessfully standing for Parliament, he was sent out again to India in 1755, this time as governor of Fort St David and with a lieutenant colonel's commission in the Royal Army. Reaching Madras in June 1756, Clive immediately became involved in the affairs of Bengal. On January 2, 1757, he retook Calcutta. The victory in the Battle of Plassey on June 23 led Clive to become the master of Bengal.
Clive’s first government lasted until February 1760, when he returned to England. He was given an Irish peerage as Baron Clive of Plassey in 1762 and was knighted in 1764. He became member of Parliament for Shrewsbury, purchased an estate, and tried to use his Indian wealth to carve out an English political career.
In 1764, Clive was appointed governor and commander-in-chief of Bengal and arrived in Calcutta for the second time on May 3, 1765. His work falls into three parts: external policy, the settlement of Bengal, and the reform of the company’s service. He left Calcutta in January 1767. His second government was his crowning achievement, but he had made many enemies. An active group, supported by Lord Chatham, feared the corrupting influence of Indian wealth on English public life. In 1772, when the company appealed to the government to save it from bankruptcy, two parliamentary committees uncovered corruption among the company’s servants, and Clive was accused of being the instigator of the whole process. He successfully defended himself in Parliament in 1773 and triumphed over his accusers. With his already shaken health, the strain on his melancholic temperament was too great. In November 1774, he died by his own hand at his house in London.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The current arrangement follows the order imposed upon the collection before it was acquired by the India Office: Mss Eur G37/1-19 and Mss Eur G37/96 contain a variety of correspondence, papers and accounts; Mss Eur G37/20-74 contain mainly incoming correspondence and copies of official correspondence; Mss Eur G37/75-85/2 contain personal financial records of Clive and his family; Mss Eur G37/86-91 contain military returns of men and stores; Mss Eur G37/92-93 contain Company letters; Mss Eur G37/94-95 contain petitions and letters requesting assistance.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2022
Published primary sources
Linked resources
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