Battle Of Plassey And Anglicization Of The Word ‘Loot’ – OpEd

Why and how is the Anglicization of the word ‘loot’ related to the Battle of Plassey? ‘Loot’ is a Hindi word, although it is frequently used in Bengali, which’ is a neighboring language of ‘Hindi’. As such, it is normal for the Hindi word ‘loot’ to be used in Bengali. But how the word ‘loot’ was added to the English vocabulary of such a distant country (?) is a billion-dollar question!  Another interesting question in this regard is why does the Anglicization of the word ‘loot’ refer to the Battle of Plassey?

Basically, the true story of the Anglicization of the word loot is hidden in the story of the looting of the vast wealth of Bangladesh vis-à-vis Indian subcontinent by the English colonial rulers, the East India Company, and its director Robert Clive after the Battle of Plassey. I am trying to highlight the issue from two recently published and widely discussed research works and the website of Britain’s National Trust.

At the very beginning of the introduction to his research book “The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pledge of an Empire”, Scottish historian William Dalrymple (born March 20, 1965) delves into the historical inclusion of the word ‘loot’ in the English vocabulary. This book is written against the backdrop of the widespread looting and plundering carried out by the British colonial rulers in the Indian subcontinent in the wake of the East India Company’s victory in the Battle of Plassey and the resulting anarchy. Dalrymple, citing the Oxford English Dictionary, says that the word ‘loot’ was rarely heard outside the subcontinent. According to him, towards the end of the eighteenth century, the word ‘loot’ suddenly became a common word in Britain.  To understand how and why it took root and flourished in the landscape of such a distant land, William Dalrymple recommends visiting Powys Castle in the Welsh Marches, Britain. Powys Castle is a medieval castle located in Wales, a province of Great Britain. As a visitor, William Dalrymple was so captivated by the vast wealth of Indian treasures stored at Powys Castle that he almost forgot about the large framed canvas explaining ‘how all this loot’ got there. On the other hand, historian Emma Jolly describes Robert Clive’s cunning, corruption, greed and power, as well as setting up the Clive Museum with ‘looted’ Indian resources at ‘Powys Castle, Wales’ in Britain. 

The Battle of Plassey was the epitome of a major fateful conflict between the forces of the East India Company under the command of Robert Clive and Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula of Bengal. The widespread abuse of trade privileges by East India Company officials greatly angered Bengal’s Siraj-ud-Daula. This continued misbehavior by the East India Company eventually led to the battle of 23 June 1757, the fateful ‘Battle of Plassey’. Robert Clive (1725-1774) was a key figure in the East India Company, the powerful corporation that dominated trade between Europe, Asia and the Middle East between 1600 and 1857. According to Emma Jolly, “Clive is central to the history of British involvement in India for, without him, it is unlikely that the British East India Company would ever have gained the power that they did.” The Battle of Plassey in 1757 changed the economy of Great Britain by giving the British East India Company access to vast Indian resources. This led to a steady flow of wealth from India to Britain, helping to fuel the British Industrial Revolution.

After the Battle of Plassey, the East India Company, a British trading organization, assumed political power in the Indian subcontinent. It is said, ‘after the battle of Plassey, the traders’ standard of English became a scepter’. As a result, the British became addicted to unbridled looting in Bangladesh and entire Indian subcontinent. And this is the process by which the Hindi word ‘loot’ entered the English vocabulary. 

Emma Jolly in an article titled ‘The Clive Collection at Powys Castle, Wales’ states that the valuable Indian artefacts kept on display at ‘Powys Castle’ were collected during the British colonial period in India. These objects were shipped from India to Britain and brought to ‘Powys Castle’ in the 1800s and 1900s. The museum houses more than 1,000 items mostly from India, dating from around 1600 to 1830. These include ivory, textiles, idols of Hindu gods and goddesses, silver and gold jewellery, weapons and ceremonial armour.

Robert Clive led the English forces against Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula in the Battle of Plassey. Afterwards, two generations of Clive family amassed the Indian resources. Later on, they developed ‘the Clive Museum at Powys Castle’ with the looted resources from Indian subcontinent. These two generations are Robert Clive and his son Edward Clive. Edward Clive married Henrietta Herbert, daughter of the 1st Earl of Powys. The artefacts housed in the Clive Museum collection at ‘Powys Castle’ were acquired as ‘spoils/loot’ of the English war against the Indians led by Robert and Edward Clive.

Robert Clive first brought many of the Indian treasures he had looted to his home in Clermont, Britain. Historian and genealogist Emma Jolly said, ‘much of what is now displayed at Powys Castle was brought to Wales by Robert’s eldest son, Edward, 2nd Lord Clive (1754–1839).’ In 1784, Edward Clive married Lady Henrietta Antonia Herbert (1758–1830), daughter of the Earl of Powys. Later, in 1798, Edward became Governor of Madras and was thus well placed to collect/loot Indian resources and bring it to Britain. While in Madras, Lady Clive wrote a diary. Lady Clive’s diaries reveal what valuables Edward Clive looted or collected from Madras.

One of the most dramatic events that occurred while Edward Clive was governor of Madras was the defeat and death of Tipu Sultan, known as Sher-e-Mysore in 1799. After this, looted goods from Tipu Sultan’s treasury were distributed among the British soldiers on the basis of rank. Colonel Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington) ordered his elder brother Governor-General Lord Mornington to ‘preserve the most important contents of Tipu’s palace’. Mornington then presented Lady Clive with a small piece of the Sultan’s throne — a bejeweled tiger’s head from the arm rest, encrusted with rubies, emeralds and diamonds. It and other items from the Sultan’s palace at Seringapatam were taken to Britain with Lady Clive. On her way home in 1801, Lady Clive was told of the death of her brother, the Earl of Powys, who was unmarried with no heirs. After this, Lady Clive moved to Powys Castle under the care of her husband Edward. He became Earl of Powys, on his return to Britain in 1804, and the castle became the seat of the Clive Collection.

Apart from paintings, this collection of ‘Indian gems, other valuables—materials, arms—weapons etc.’such as bronze gods; ‘objects that signal the life—substances and lifestyles of India’s aristocracy’ such as ‘aristocratic paraphernalia with which Clive interacted’ such as Mughal fly—whisks and Robert Clive’s bejeweled hookah; and ‘European style furniture’. It also includes Tipu Sultan’s sword and elephant iron shield and many items of weaponry. Remains of the massive elephant armor are kept at the Royal Armories in Leeds.

Here is a brief summary of the history of Powys Castle as written on the website of the National Trust of Great Britain. The website of the National Trust states that Powys Castle was built in the mid-13th century by a Welsh prince, Graff ap Gwenwynwyn. Graffúd ap Gwenwynwyn sought independence from his enemy, the aggressive princes of Gwynedd in North Wales. In the late 13th century, Llywelyn ap Gruffúd of Gwynedd established himself as Prince of Wales.  He then destroyed Powys Castle in 1274 and forced Graff ap Gwenwyn into exile. However, within three years Llywelyn’s reign collapsed and Graff of Powys was able to regain his lordship and rebuild the castle (Powys Castle).

Gruffudd of Powys, his son and grandson all died by 1309, and with no male heirs, the castle and lordship passed to a female heiress named Hawes. Hawes later married Sir John Charlton of Shropshire. In 1312, Hawis’s uncle, Gruffudd Faychan, unsuccessfully attacked the castle (Powys Castle) in an attempt to claim the lordship. Hawis’s husband, Sir John Charlton, repaired the damage to the castle and built two magnificent drum towers, which can still be seen on either side of the castle’s west entrance.

The descendants of Charlton continued as Lords of Powys for over 100 years. In 1421, the lack of a male heir led to the castle and estate being divided between two daughters, Joyce and Joan, who married Sir John Grey and Sir John Tiptopt. Under the Tiptopts and their successor Lord Dudley, the outer part of the castle was neglected. Fortunately, in the 1530s Edward Grey, Lord Powys, took possession of the entire castle and began a major renovation programme that made Powys one of the most influential noble residences in north and mid Wales.

In 1578, the lease was granted to Sir Edward Herbert (r. 1542–95), second son of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, and Anne Parr (sister of Catherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VIII).

As the second son, Edward was unlikely to inherit his family home so he had to make his own way in the world. In 1587, he purchased the castle and estate and it remained in the Herbert family until 1952 when George, 4th Earl of Powys, donated the castle and gardens to the National Trust.

George Herbert, great-grandson of Edward Clive (Clive of India), established the 4th Earl of Powys (3rd creation) with the castle and estate in 1891. Together he and his wife, Violet, concentrated on rebuilding the castle and gardens. The most spectacular treasures of Powys Castle date from much later, the period of English conquest and partition.

A highly comprehensive, fully illustrated guide to the history and evolution of castles under the local rulers of Wales (c.1066–1283). Spectacular aerial photography, plans and reconstruction drawings examine the various architectural designs and layouts that have created the distinctive form of Welsh castles.

 Room after room of imperial loot, exhumed by the East India Company (EIC) in the eighteenth century, Powys is simply awash with loot from India. This private home in the Welsh countryside has more Mughal artifacts on display than anywhere else in India — even the National Museum in Delhi The treasures include a gold hookah inlaid with purple ebony; exquisitely carved Badakhshan spinel and jeweled daggers; brilliant rubies the color of pigeon blood, and a scattering of lizard-green emeralds. There are tiger head sets with sapphires and yellow topaz; jade and ivory ornaments; silken pendants embroidered with poppies and lotuses; statues of Hindu gods and coats of elephant armor.

With pride of place stand two magnificent war trophies taken after their owners were defeated and killed: the palanquin left behind by Siraj-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Bengal, while fleeing the battlefield of Plassey, and the campaign tent of Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore. These are preserved in the Clive Museum at Powys Castle in Wales, a prime example of the looting of the Indian subcontinent by the British colonial rulers, and thus the word ‘loot’ entered the English vocabulary.