Bombay Presidency - Early History

Early History

The first English settlement in the Presidency known as Western Presidency was in 1618 at Surat in present-day Gujarat, when the East India Company established a factory, protected by a charter obtained from the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. In 1626 the Dutch and English made an unsuccessful attempt to gain possession of the island of Bombay in the coastal Konkan region from Portugal, and in 1653 proposals were suggested for its purchase from the Portuguese. In 1661 Bombay was ceded to the Kingdom of England as part of the dowry of the infanta Catherine of Braganza on her marriage to King Charles II. So lightly was the acquisition esteemed in England, and so unsuccessful was the administration of the crown officers, that in 1668 Bombay was transferred to the East India Company for an annual payment of £10, and the Company established a factory there. At the time of the transfer, powers for the island's defence and for the administration of justice were also conferred on the Company; a European regiment1 was enrolled; and the fortifications erected proved sufficient to deter the Dutch from their intended attack in 1673. As British trade in Bombay increased, Surat (which had been sacked by Shivaji in 1670) began its relative decline. In 1687 Bombay was placed at the head of all the Company's possessions in India. However, in 1753 the governor of Bombay became subordinate to that of Calcutta.