Robert Mitford (colonial official)

Robert Mitford, Esq was a British colonial official in Bengal whose endowment created the Mitford Hospital.[1][2]

Early life

Mitford was born in about 1782 in England to the Mitford family of Northumberland.[3]

Career

Mitford joined the East India Company when he was 16 years old as a writer.[3] He was placed in the Bengal Civil administration and served in Murshidabad, Kolkata, and Bihar.[3]

On 9 September 1816, Mitford was appointed the tax collector of Dhaka District.[3] He served for four years as the tax collector before applying for the position in the East India Company Judicial service.[3] He was appointed second judge to the Dhaka Provincial Court of Appeal and Circuit in 1822.[3] He served in the court till his retirement on 20 May 1828.[3]

Mitford returned to England in 1828.[3] He bagan an affair with Marry Appoline, a French woman, while his marriage to Elizabeth deteriorated.[3]

Personal life

Mitford married Elizabeth Anne Pattle, daughter of Thomas Pattle and Sarah Pattle, in Murshidabad on 30 May 1804.[3][4][5] Elizabeth died on 9 May 1859.[5]

Death and legacy

On 21 September 1836, Mitford died in Paris while on holiday.[3][6] In his will he stated that after all obligations had been fulfilled the remainder of his estate was to be donated to the government of Bengal to benefit the native people.[3][7] His wife, Elizabeth Anne Pattle, and his mistress, Marry Appoline, both challenged the will in court.[3] The Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice upheld the will after some legal battle.[3][8][9]

The endowment created the Mitford Bequest Fund with almost 18 thousand pounds.[3] The Governor General of India, James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie, decided to use the fund to establish a hospital in Dhaka modeled after Western hospitals.[3] This led to the creation of Mitford Hospital, opening in 1858.[3][10] It became the most important medical institution in East Bengal and Assam during colonial rule.[7]

References

1. Crawford, Dirom Grey (1914). A History of the Indian Medical Service: 1600-1913. W. Thacker. p. 430.
2. Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British and Foreign India, China and Australasia. Wm. H. Allen & Company. 1836. p. 59.
3. Ahmed, Sharif uddin (18 June 2021). "Mitford, Robert". Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
4. Campbell, Lawrence Dundas; Samuel, E. (1807). The Asiatic Annual Register, Or, A View of the History of Hindustan, and of the Politics, Commerce and Literature of Asia. J. Debrett. p. 151.
5. "Elizabeth Anne Pattle". geni_family_tree. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
6. Calcutta Review. University of Calcutta. 1914. p. 443.
7. Bengal (India) (1912). Bengal District Gazetteers. Bengal Secretariat Book Depot. p. 75.
8. Anonymous (2022-05-06). Skeleton Map of the Dacca Division. BoD – Books on Demand. p. 39. ISBN 978-3-375-01384-4.
9. Chancery, Great Britain Court of; Simons, Nicholas; Stuart, John (1848). Reports of Cases Decided in the High Court of Chancery: By the Right Hon. Sir John Leach, Vice-chancellor of England. Gould, Banks. p. 190.
10. Ahmed, Sharif Uddin (2018-01-12). Dacca: A Study in Urban History and Development. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-18673-5.