Monday 26 May 2014

Major Hastings Broughton Impey was born in 1819 . He was the third son and fifth child of Edward Impey  ,the Judge at Murshdabad  His  grandfather was Sir Elijah Impey , the first ever Judge of Calcutta Supreme Court .  Hastings entered into the Bengal Service in 1839 at Fort William . He became a part of 70th infantry at Benaras .He became Leutenant in 1840  and captain on 12th December 1853. He got married to Georgina Cordelia Corfield on 18th February of 1842 at Lucknow . He was with the Gwalior soldiers at the time of sepoy mutiny of 1857. He became  Major in 1861 and then entered into civil service .In April 1861 he was made the Deputy Commissioner of Sambalpur now in Odisha province of India . At that time the area was in deep  troubles . Surendra Sai , the relation to the princely family of Sambalpur Raj was the claimant to the throne . As he was denied and Sambalpur was annexed to the British-India empire Surendra started revolution . Though he was captured and was jailed at Hazaribagh since 17 years , the soldiers who joined the revolution broke the door of the jail and made all free . Surendra along with his brother Udant Sai came back to Sambalpur and with the support of many village head man he renewed the fight . The hill fort with escape routes and deep forest around vast areas of the region made him success . While all over India the mutiny came to end , here at Sambalpur it continued . Many British soldiers died , huge amount of money was used but Surendra was moving free creating havoc . H.B.Impey studied the situation and argued with higher authority to make a peace deal with Surendra and his men . In a calculated manner he continued with the plan and became success . Impey and Surendra shake hands on 15th May 1862 . Peace prevailed at Sambalpur after so many years .A great relief indeed . It could be done because of Major H.B.Impey . But unfortunately he and his wife both fell ill . On 11th December 1863 his wife Georgina an on 14th December 1863 H.B.Impey died at the age  of 44 . Both of them are lying near each other at the Government Cemetery, Sambalpur . H.B.Impey had a son Hastings Edward Machenji  Impey ,who was born on 7th March of 1845. He had a daughter too by name Julia who was married to Gothern Cooksen . After demise of Impey the next Deputy Commissioner of Sambalpur Alexjander Bulstrode Cumberledge was a man of different thought . He made a conspiracy and got arrested Surendra Sai and  all his men while they were asleep at their respective houses .
 


Impey and his wife at the Government Cemetry , Sambalpur

   

2 comments:

  1. we are in search of the photograph of H.B.Impey as he is a very important figure for Sambalpur history, we have not got yet

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  2. Some more history from Sambalpur can be found here http://sepoysgriffins.blogspot.com/2013/09/sumbhulpore-diamonds-dacoits-and.html

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