Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
John Ware Edgar
Sir John Ware Edgar KCIE CSI (16 September 1839 – 4 June 1902) was a British colonial administrator in British India. He was Cachar's deputy-commissioner and held significant relations with the sovereign Lushai chiefdoms. He led the failed Lushai Expedition (1869) and participated in the Lushai Expedition.
Edgar was born in 1839, the son of John Peard Edgar, Kensington and Jane Gibbings, daughter of B. Gibbings. John Edgar graduated at 20 in 1860 from a private school after taking an exam for the Indian Civil Service and amassing 1,617 points.
He joined the Bengal Civil Service in 1862 and served as an assistant magistrate and collector in Bengal and as deputy-commissioner in Assam until 1871. Edgar originally served under the Commissioner of Dacca, the 15th division of Bengal. Edgar's interest in studying the issues of the Bengal frontier prompted Alexander Mackenzie to appoint Edgar as deputy commissioner of Cachar. As deputy commissioner of Cachar, Edgar held the positions of district magistrate and collector, civil judge of the district and the highest local police officer. The responsibility also placed Edgar in proximity with the Lushai chiefdoms. On 14 November 1867, Edgar reached Dudpatil, the official residence of the deputy commissioner of Cachar, with an escort of advanced guards. Edgar met with Major R. Stewart and formally took over the role he was assigned from Stewart.
Silchar was founded by David Scott as a military encampment at Jhalupura as an Assam Rifles camp. This military post lead to the development of an urban settlement as a result. Administrative work before Silchar would occur in Dudhpatil, on the north bank of the Barak River. When Edgar became Deputy Commissioner of Cachar, Silchar was the only tow. It was smaller than Gauhati, Tezpur, and many others. Silchar had no municipal development or institutions with the exception of a police force. The lack of water infrastructure rapidly spread cholera.
The Silchar government school was established in 1863 under Reverend William Pryse of the Welsh Presbyterian Mission Church. In 1866 the schoolwas placed under the control and supervision of the Inspector of schools. This led to a positive relationship with the headmaster A.C. Bhattacharjee, Under Edgar, A public works department was established in Cachar in 1868. Road construction committee was formed with Edgar headed as president. In a comparative survey in 1865, Edgar saw the population of Dacca to be 152,000 compared to 5000 in Silchar. Edgar is further credited with the establishment of the Fatak Bazaar of Silchar which was once the biggest shopping centre in South Assam. Edgar became a patron to several traders and businesses including granting liberal settlement grants. This policy attracted many Bengalis from Sylhet and Dacca and even some Marwari merchants. The Silchar bazaar became known as John Edgar Ganj which was shorted to Jhaniganj. This was due to the traders and merchants appreciating Edgar's generous welfare policies.
Edgar frequently visited traders, merchants, the government school and met with Lushai delegates. The first building in Silchar town built by Edgar was the Chief Judicial magistrate's court which was built with modern construction instead of improvised housing. Edgar requested the magistrate of Sylhet to send more masons to continue the building of new establishments in Silchar. Muslim masons worked in Siclhar and laid bricks on the outskirt of the town in Khasi land which became Itkhola. To meet the demand of drinking water among a growing population, three public tanks and a well was dug by the administration. A hospital for tea-planters was also upgraded by Edgar. When Sukpilal was sick and dying, Edgar sent a doctor to the Lushai Hills, but the difficult unmapped terrain prevented an effective timely response ultimately leading to his death in 1881.
Edgar set up a ferry on the Barak river at Tarapur in 1868. This was due to the issues of individuals crossing between Dudpatil and Silchar. The ferry would be owned under the public works department. The grateful settlers named the ferry ghat as Edgar Ghat before it was later renamed to Annapurna. As a result, the Chief Commissioner's bungalow and Chief Judicial magistrates court became established in Silchar, as did other institutions. Edgar is credited with the development of Silchar as a frontier settlement against the Lushai Hills and headquarters of the Surma Valley Division of Assam.
Silchar grew in reputation as a tea estate town under Edgar. In the Indian 1971 census, Silchar became the largest tea exporter statistically as a result of Edgar's developments a hundred years later. However, the unchecked immigration led to an influx of Bengalis from Dacca and Sylhet. Edgar favoured commercial enterprise entrepeuners. The preference for foreign talent and entrepeuners is argued to have led the indigenous Cachar people to become educationally and culturally backwards and mistrusting of the merchants. As a result many Cachar people did not migrate to Silchar even after Edgar's leave. Chatterjee argues that Edgar contributed to the erasure and obfuscation of the ethnic and native identity of the Cachar people. In pursuit of economic growth and development, the policies of Edgar sacrificed the social fabric of Cachar before unchecked immigration. Edgar had also reversed Stewart's policy of helping and aiding displaced and distressed Burmese. He considered them indolent and lacked compassion for their predicaments. Edgar also pushed out tribals such as Kukis and Nagas to the borders of Cachar and occupied territory of forest and wastelands.
Hub AI
John Ware Edgar AI simulator
(@John Ware Edgar_simulator)
John Ware Edgar
Sir John Ware Edgar KCIE CSI (16 September 1839 – 4 June 1902) was a British colonial administrator in British India. He was Cachar's deputy-commissioner and held significant relations with the sovereign Lushai chiefdoms. He led the failed Lushai Expedition (1869) and participated in the Lushai Expedition.
Edgar was born in 1839, the son of John Peard Edgar, Kensington and Jane Gibbings, daughter of B. Gibbings. John Edgar graduated at 20 in 1860 from a private school after taking an exam for the Indian Civil Service and amassing 1,617 points.
He joined the Bengal Civil Service in 1862 and served as an assistant magistrate and collector in Bengal and as deputy-commissioner in Assam until 1871. Edgar originally served under the Commissioner of Dacca, the 15th division of Bengal. Edgar's interest in studying the issues of the Bengal frontier prompted Alexander Mackenzie to appoint Edgar as deputy commissioner of Cachar. As deputy commissioner of Cachar, Edgar held the positions of district magistrate and collector, civil judge of the district and the highest local police officer. The responsibility also placed Edgar in proximity with the Lushai chiefdoms. On 14 November 1867, Edgar reached Dudpatil, the official residence of the deputy commissioner of Cachar, with an escort of advanced guards. Edgar met with Major R. Stewart and formally took over the role he was assigned from Stewart.
Silchar was founded by David Scott as a military encampment at Jhalupura as an Assam Rifles camp. This military post lead to the development of an urban settlement as a result. Administrative work before Silchar would occur in Dudhpatil, on the north bank of the Barak River. When Edgar became Deputy Commissioner of Cachar, Silchar was the only tow. It was smaller than Gauhati, Tezpur, and many others. Silchar had no municipal development or institutions with the exception of a police force. The lack of water infrastructure rapidly spread cholera.
The Silchar government school was established in 1863 under Reverend William Pryse of the Welsh Presbyterian Mission Church. In 1866 the schoolwas placed under the control and supervision of the Inspector of schools. This led to a positive relationship with the headmaster A.C. Bhattacharjee, Under Edgar, A public works department was established in Cachar in 1868. Road construction committee was formed with Edgar headed as president. In a comparative survey in 1865, Edgar saw the population of Dacca to be 152,000 compared to 5000 in Silchar. Edgar is further credited with the establishment of the Fatak Bazaar of Silchar which was once the biggest shopping centre in South Assam. Edgar became a patron to several traders and businesses including granting liberal settlement grants. This policy attracted many Bengalis from Sylhet and Dacca and even some Marwari merchants. The Silchar bazaar became known as John Edgar Ganj which was shorted to Jhaniganj. This was due to the traders and merchants appreciating Edgar's generous welfare policies.
Edgar frequently visited traders, merchants, the government school and met with Lushai delegates. The first building in Silchar town built by Edgar was the Chief Judicial magistrate's court which was built with modern construction instead of improvised housing. Edgar requested the magistrate of Sylhet to send more masons to continue the building of new establishments in Silchar. Muslim masons worked in Siclhar and laid bricks on the outskirt of the town in Khasi land which became Itkhola. To meet the demand of drinking water among a growing population, three public tanks and a well was dug by the administration. A hospital for tea-planters was also upgraded by Edgar. When Sukpilal was sick and dying, Edgar sent a doctor to the Lushai Hills, but the difficult unmapped terrain prevented an effective timely response ultimately leading to his death in 1881.
Edgar set up a ferry on the Barak river at Tarapur in 1868. This was due to the issues of individuals crossing between Dudpatil and Silchar. The ferry would be owned under the public works department. The grateful settlers named the ferry ghat as Edgar Ghat before it was later renamed to Annapurna. As a result, the Chief Commissioner's bungalow and Chief Judicial magistrates court became established in Silchar, as did other institutions. Edgar is credited with the development of Silchar as a frontier settlement against the Lushai Hills and headquarters of the Surma Valley Division of Assam.
Silchar grew in reputation as a tea estate town under Edgar. In the Indian 1971 census, Silchar became the largest tea exporter statistically as a result of Edgar's developments a hundred years later. However, the unchecked immigration led to an influx of Bengalis from Dacca and Sylhet. Edgar favoured commercial enterprise entrepeuners. The preference for foreign talent and entrepeuners is argued to have led the indigenous Cachar people to become educationally and culturally backwards and mistrusting of the merchants. As a result many Cachar people did not migrate to Silchar even after Edgar's leave. Chatterjee argues that Edgar contributed to the erasure and obfuscation of the ethnic and native identity of the Cachar people. In pursuit of economic growth and development, the policies of Edgar sacrificed the social fabric of Cachar before unchecked immigration. Edgar had also reversed Stewart's policy of helping and aiding displaced and distressed Burmese. He considered them indolent and lacked compassion for their predicaments. Edgar also pushed out tribals such as Kukis and Nagas to the borders of Cachar and occupied territory of forest and wastelands.