James Prinsep: Unifying currency and unlocking ancient India

With the publication of East India Company, module VII we investigate the Board’s Collections, James Prinsep’s role in standardising Indian currency, and subsequent decipherment of the Brahmi script.

Some of the most popular documents for students and scholars are The East India Company Board of Commissioners' Records (often called the Board collections or Indian Office Records IOR/F2). Featured in AM’s East India Company, module VII: India Office Records, F: The Board of Commissioners: Expansion, Control and Education, these crucial documents include correspondence, minutes, financial accounts and trade reports between British Officials in London and India. They give us remarkable insight into the real decisions of government and what makes an administration tick, whilst also revealing fascinating individual stories within. Many documents include runs of rich detailed reports on matters such as revolts, social suppression, the passing of Government Acts and many other areas of interest. IOR/F/4/1761 and IOR/F/4/1762, for example, include full volumes of papers regarding coinage and the mint in Madras, covering financial handling to chemistry and manufacturing. 

James Prinsep (1799-1840), an Englishman and son of an East India Company merchant and Government Official, holds a fascinating place in Indian history due to his work within the Mint in India. Due to his father’s ties, he trained in chemistry and acquired the position of Assay Master at the Calcutta mint and the Benares mint for the Company, therefore having great influence on currency control throughout British India. 

Before British rule, India had a diverse coinage system dominated by regional currencies. The East India Company originally used the Mughal-style rupee, minting coins with Persian inscriptions and the name of the Mughal Emperor which were minted in several locations including Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras. It was highly inconsistent. A lack of standardisation led to variations in purity and weight and often included a variety of ancient inscriptions and designs.

Prinsep advocated for a uniform silver rupee across all British-controlled territories. Not long afterwards, the 1835 Coinage Act officially made the silver rupee the standard currency in India. Prinsep was involved in its design, which featured King William IV’s portrait instead of Mughal symbols, whilst he also ensured the weight and purity of silver remained consistent.

At Benares, Prinsep became interested in the study of Indian history and culture. He surveyed the area, detailing maps, illustrations and noting down other cultural findings. The map of Benares produced by Prinsep was later lithographed, to the delight of The King of Oudh [Nasir-ud-din Haidar], who made a present of shawls as a return for his copy of the map. However, as it was against the East India Company’s protocol to accept gifts from Indian rulers, Captain Wredenhall Anthony Pogson of the Bengal Government forbade Prinsep to accept them.

Over the next few years Prinsep became greatly interested in philology and numismatics (the study of coins and currency). His position as editor of the Asiatic Society’s Journal led to him being sent inscriptions and coins from all over, and his work quickly became famous in the circles of European scholarship. Prinsep made groundbreaking strides on deciphering ancient Brahmi script, and his work also played a key role in deciphering Kharosthi inscriptions, helping illuminate India’s ancient past for which he is fondly thought of still to this day. 

The IOR/F2 Records give us valuable insight into how currency in India changed under British rule and show how the British reshaped India’s currency to fit their own economic and administrative needs. This is just one example of the many ways in which the Board’s Collections material can be used to explore the influence of the East India Company over India during this era.

For more information about East India Company, module VII: India Office Records, F: The Board of Commissioners: Expansion, Control and Education, including free trial access and price enquiries, please email us at info@amdigital.co.uk.