Mrs. Frances Johnson (1725-1812) also known as "Begum Johnson," was a notable public figure in early British India, connected to significant historical colonial events in Bengal. She was the daughter of Gov. Edward Croke of Ft. David, near Cuddalore, TN.
Born in 1725, she first married William Watts, the British Resident in Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah’s court. Watts played a critical, but a dirty role in British efforts to destabilize the Nawab’s regime, working closely with Robert Clive to orchestrate the Nawab’s downfall through Mir Jaffer, a high-ranking dissident willing to betray the Nawab in return for British support to sit on the throne. This intrigue ultimately led to the Battle of Plassey in 1757, which marked the British East India Company’s control over Bengal and laid the foundation of the British Empire in India.
Frances Johnson's grave St. John's church, Kolkata en.wikepedia org |
Frances gained the title “Begum” due to her close association with Amina Begum, Siraj-ud-Daulah’s mother, giving her significant social standing. Married Watts when aged 23 or 24 and lived with him for a long time in India upon Watts's death in 1764, Frances returned to Kolkata to settle her vast estates there. Ten years latershe married William Johnson, a principal chaplain at Fort William, Kolkata. Though their marriage ended in 1787, she was well-provided for and remained in Kolkata, where she lived a respected life among the colonial elite.
Mrs. Frances Johnson.ciaofamiglia.com |
St Johns church, Kolkata en.wikipedia.org |
Above image: St. John’s Church, Kolkata, WB (served as the Cathedral till 1847. First Anglican church built through public subscription and lottery. image credit- Kinjal bose 78.one among the earliest public buildings in this part..........
Frances died in 1812 at aged 87,remembered as the "oldest British resident in Bengal with four marriages." Her tomb, located in the graveyard in Kolkata, remains an enduring part of colonial history. St. John’s Church, one of the oldest churches in Kolkata and a significant British structure in India, holds her memorial inscribed with the words, “universally beloved, respected and revered.”
https://www.getbengal.com/home/story_detail/the-british-woman-who-loved-kolkata-more-than-england
http://ciaofamiglia.com/ehfburton/burtonlinks.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Church,_Kolkata
https://www.navrangindia.in/2019/07/well-known-english-lady-and-socialite.html
https://www.navrangindia.in/2019/07/the-tomb-of-mrs-frances-johnson-former.html