Lord William Bentinck

For ships of the same name, see Lord William Bentinck (ship).

Lieutenant General The Right Honourable
Lord William Bentinck
GCB GCH
Lord William Bentinck, painting by Thomas Lawrence
Governor-General of India
In office
22 April 1834 – 20 March 1835
MonarchWilliam IV
Prime Minister
Succeeded bySir Charles Metcalfe
(As Acting Governor-General)
Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William
In office
4 July 1828 – 22 April 1833
Monarchs
Prime Minister
Preceded byWilliam Butterworth Bayley
(Acting Governor-General)
Governor of Madras
In office
30 August 1803 – 11 September 1807
MonarchGeorge III
Prime Minister
Preceded byThe 2nd Baron Clive
Succeeded byWilliam Petrie
(Acting Governor)
Personal details
Born14 September 1774 (1774-09-14)
Buckinghamshire, England
Died17 June 1839(1839-06-17) (aged 64)
Paris, France
Political partyWhig
Spouse
Lady Mary Acheson
​
(m. 1803)​
Parents
EducationWestminster School
Awards
Military service
Branch/serviceBritish Army
Years of service1791–1839
RankLieutenant-General
Commands
Battles/warsNapoleonic Wars

Lieutenant General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck GCB GCH PC (14 September 1774 – 17 June 1839), known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British military commander and politician who served as the governor of Fort William (Bengal) from 1828 to 1834 and the first governor-general of India from 1834 to 1835.

He has been credited for significant social and educational reforms in India, including abolishing sati, forbidding women to witness the cremations on the ghats of Varanasi,[1] suppressing female infanticide and human sacrifice.[2] Bentinck said, "the dreadful responsibility hanging over his head in this world and the next, if… he was to consent to the continuance of this practice (sati) one moment longer." Bentinck after consultation with the army and officials passed the Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829.[3] The challenge came from the Dharma Sabha which appealed in the Privy Council, however the ban on Sati was upheld.[4] He reduced lawlessness by eliminating thuggee – which had existed for over 450 years – with the aid of his chief captain, William Henry Sleeman. Along with Thomas Babington Macaulay he introduced English as the language of instruction in India.[5][6][7][8] Mysore was annexed under his presidency.[9][10]

  1. ^ Padmashri Dr Meenakshi Jain; interview with Debdas Mukhopadhyay, 29 febr 2020
  2. ^ Showick Thorpe Edgar Thorpe (2009). The Pearson General Studies Manual 2009, 1/e. Pearson Education India. pp. 103–. ISBN 978-81-317-2133-9. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  3. ^ John Clark Marshman (18 November 2010). History of India from the Earliest Period to the Close of the East India Company's Government. Cambridge University Press. pp. 357–. ISBN 978-1-108-02104-3. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  4. ^ S. Muthiah (2008). Madras, Chennai: A 400-year Record of the First City of Modern India. Palaniappa Brothers. pp. 484–. ISBN 978-81-8379-468-8. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  5. ^ Radhey Shyam Chaurasia (2002). History of Modern India, 1707 A. D. to 2000 A. D. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. pp. 113–127. ISBN 978-81-269-0085-5. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  6. ^ Jörg Fisch (2000). "Humanitarian Achievement or Administrative Necessity? Lord William Bentinck and the Abolition of Sati in 1829". Journal of Asian History. 34 (2): 109–134. JSTOR 41933234.
  7. ^ Arvind Sharma; Ajit Ray (1988). Sati: Historical and Phenomenological Essays. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 7–9. ISBN 978-81-208-0464-7. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  8. ^ Spear, Percival (1938). "Bentinck and Education". Cambridge Historical Journal. 6 (1): 78–101. doi:10.1017/S1474691300003814. ISSN 1474-6913. JSTOR 3020849.
  9. ^ Rice, B.L. (1897). Mysore. A Gazetteer Compiled for Government. Revised Edition. Volume 1. London: Archiband Constable and Company.
  10. ^ "Lord William Bentinck | British government official". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 30 May 2019.