Abstract
Punjab was the last province annexed by the British East India Company in colonial India. The East India Company officials had almost a century of ruling experience in Indian subcontinent by that time and various models of ‘land settlement’ and ‘revenue collection’ had been implemented by them in different regions before the annexation of Punjab in 1849. Punjab not only held a unique position regarding the time of its annexation, it comprised vast tracts of virgin arable land, continuously flowing rivers for availability of water, strategic location bordering with Afghanistan and Russia and a turbulent population who had fiercely fought many battles with the British before the final victory and announcement of the Punjab’s annexation to the British Indian Empire. Resultantly, the then Governor General of East India Company Lord Dalhousie—Governor General of India (1848-1856)—devised a mechanism of administration which was despotic and personal. A three members Board of Administration was established: Henry Lawrence (b. 1806-d. 1857) as its President, John Lawrence (b. 1811-d. 1879) as junior member responsible for financial administration and Charles Mansell as senior member responsible for criminal justice system. As to the treatment with landlords of the Punjab and their future role in the Punjab and India, the Lawrence brothers developed severe difference of opinion between themselves. While Sir Henry Lawrence envisioned an embedded role for the landed aristocracy in administration and governance of the Punjab, John Lawrence wanted landlords to be dispossessed of their Sikh rule privileges and no active socio-political role in future. Lord Dalhousie, the Governor General, already not happy with Henry Lawrence for his favorable attitude to local notables and landlords, sided with the younger brother John Lawrence and wanted him to prevail in this controversy regarding the way Punjab was to be governed. The vision of John Lawrence was yet to be completely implemented when War of Independence broke out in 1857. It was due to the massive uprising of 1857 that landlords of the Punjab succeeded in maintaining their privileges and role in administration because the British government—directly controlling affairs of India after India Act of 1858—revised its policy and decided to co-opt landlords in administration. This paper investigates into this controversy between the Lawrence brothers and its impact on the administration of the colonial Punjab.