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{{short description|British colonial administrator}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix =
| name = William McCulloch
| honorific_suffix =
| image =
| image_size =
| image_upright =
| alt =
| caption =
| order =
| office = [[Political officer (British Empire)|Asst. Political Agent]], Manipur
| term_start = 1840
| term_end = 1844
| office2 = [[Political officer (British Empire)|Political Agent]], Manipur
| term_start2 = 1844
| term_end2 = 1863
| predecessor2 = George Gordon
| successor2 = Dillon
| office3 = [[Political officer (British Empire)|Political Agent]], Manipur
| term_start3 = 1864
| term_end3 = 1867
| predecessor3 = Dillon
| successor3 = Robert Brown
| governor_general =
| birth_date = 28 February 1916
| birth_place = [[Edinburgh]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1885|4|4|1816|2|28|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Shillong]], [[Assam province|Assam]]
| spouse =
| father = John Ramsay McCulloch
| education =
| alma_mater = [[Addiscombe College]]
| occupation =
| profession =
| known_for = 
| allegiance = {{flag|Great Britain}}
| branch = [[Bengal Native Infantry]]
| service_years =
| rank = [[Lieutenant Colonel]]
| footnotes = <ref name="odnb"/>
}}
'''William McCulloch'''  (1816–1885) was a British [[British Indian Army|army]] and [[Political officer (British Empire)|political]] officer in India. He served as the Political Agent for the [[Manipur Kingdom]], a ''de facto'' British [[protectorate]] on the border with [[Burma]], for a period of 27 years.{{sfnp|Hodson, The Meitheis|1908|p=xv}}<ref name="worldstatesmen.org">
{{cite web |url=http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_princes_K-W.html |title=Indian Princely States K-Z |website=worldstatesmen.org |access-date=1 April 2015}}</ref>
He acquired an intimate knowledge of the land and the people of Manipur, publishing a book, ''Account of the Valley of Munnipore and of the Hill Tribes'', which has been regarded as authoritative by later writers.{{sfnp|Hodson, The Meitheis|1908|p=xv}}

== Early life ==
William McCulloch was born in [[Edinburgh]] in 1816 to John Ramsay McCulloch, political economist and wife Isabella.{{sfnp|Hodson, The Meitheis|1908|p=xv}}
He was educated in Edinburgh high school. He joined [[East India Company Military Seminary]] (military academy) at [[Addiscombe]] in 1833 and was commissioned to the company army the following year.<ref name="odnb">
{{cite ODNB|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/17414 |title=McCulloch, William (1816–1885)}}
</ref>

== Career ==
[[File:AssamProvince1936 Map.png|thumb|280px|Manipur kingdom in green with respect to the Assam Province (1936 map)]]

McCulloch arrived at [[Fort William, Kolkata]] in 1835, and served in the [[Bengal Native Infantry]] at Dinapore ([[Danapur]]), Benares ([[Varanasi]]) and [[Bareilly]]. He commanded a detachment at Deolia and was promoted to [[lieutenant]] in 1839.<ref name="odnb"/>

In 1840, he was appointed as assistant to the [[political officer (British Empire)|Political Agent]] of the [[Kingdom of Manipur|Manipur]] (which had a newly established Political Agency from 1835). In 1844 he was made the Political Agent, to succeed George Gordon. He held that post till 1867, with a year's intermission in 1863–1864. According to T. C. Hodson, he acquired an intimate knowledge of Manipur and its inhabitants during this long tenure. He published a book titled ''Account of the Valley of Munnipore and of the Hill Tribes'' in 1859.{{sfnp|Hodson, The Meitheis|1908|p=xv}} Scholar Pum Khan Pau credits him with establishing "peace in the region", which was otherwise subject to raids by war-like tribes from the [[Chin Hills]] and [[Lushai Hills]].{{sfnp|Pau, Indo-Burma Frontier|2019|p=59}} In 1861, the Government of India considered abolishing the Political Agency in Manipur, regarding it as uneconomical. McCulloch argued for its retention in the interest of peace in the area, and the agency was retained.{{sfnp|Ibochou Singh, British administration in Manipur|1985|p=21}}

McCulloch married a [[Meitei people|Manipuri]] lady, from the family of Raja [[Nara Singh]]. After his retirement in 1867, he settled in [[Shillong]] (in the neighbouring Assam Province). He died in 1885.{{sfnp|Hodson, The Meitheis|1908|p=xv}}

== Manipur ==
[[File:Manipur-prior-to-1894.png|thumb|right|280px|Manipur kingdom as it might have been during McCulloch's time; the southeastern part was nominally included in Manipur by Pemberton, but it was under the control of Kamhau-Suktes; the southwestern part was unknown and unexplored]]
Manipur, a small kingdom on the eastern frontier of India, was under [[Seven years devastation|Burmese occupation]] for seven years, 1819–1826. In 1824, the British declared war on Burma, and funded prince [[Gambhir Singh]], then in exile, to raise a native force termed 'Manipur Levy'. Major F. J. Grant and Captain [[Boileau Pemberton|Bolieau Pemberton]], who commanded the Manipur Levy, handled the British affairs in Manipur till 1834. In that year the [[Kabaw Valley]] was ceded to Burma and Gambhir Singh died. Gambhir Singh's infant son [[Chandrakirti Singh]] was appointed the king, and brother [[Nara Singh]] was appointed as the Regent. The following year, the British appointed Captain George Gordon, the commander of the Manipur Levy, as a full-time Political Agent in Manipur.{{sfnp|Ibochou Singh, British administration in Manipur|1985|p=21}} In 1844, Chandrakirti went into exile with Nara Singh being made king. Nara Singh's rule lasted till 1850, when Chandrakirti returned and assumed the throne. The Political Agency ensured stability during this period of internal turmoil in Manipur.{{sfnp|Tarapot, Bleeding Manipur|2003|pp=127}}

=== Administration of hill tribes ===
Before his death, Gambhir Singh set about to subdue the hill tribes using the firearms provided to him by the British. The [[Kabui]]s, [[Tangkhul Naga people|Tangkhuls]], and [[Angami Naga|Angamis]] (all [[Naga people|Naga]] tribes) were apparently reduced and "severe measures" adopted.{{sfnp|Dun, Gazetteer of Manipur|1886|p=49}} The [[Kuki people|Kuki tribes]] (called "Khongjais" by the Manipuris) were apparently not included in this action by Gambhir Singh. They inhabited the hills to the south and southwest of the Manipur valley, which were not subject to the Manipur kingdom at that time. Soon afterwards, the [[Kamhau-Suktes]] in the [[Chin Hills]] and the Lushai tribes in the [[Lushai Hills]] rose to prominence and exerted pressure on the Kukis, who started moving north as a result.{{sfnp|Dun, Gazetteer of Manipur|1886|loc=p. 49: "Until some 32 years ago, the tribes to the south in contact with the Manipuris were the Khongjai and Kom Kukis. On these being driven out by the Lushais, a series of raids and annoyances by the latter commenced, and continued until 1870-71."}}

Scholar Pum Kan Pau states that it was only after the appointment of McCulloch in 1844 that an effort was made to establish peace in the region. With the agreement of Nara Singh, he undertook the settlement of Kukis, allocating them lands for cultivation. He also recruited them as irregular forces and asked them to man the villages on the exposed frontier of the kingdom to guard against raids from the southern tribes. These villages came to be called "sepoy villages".{{sfnp|Pau, Tedim Road|2012|p=778}}

[[James Johnstone (political officer)|James Johnstone]], a later Political Agent (1877–1886), portrays a dramatic picture of the developments during McCulloch's time:
{{blockquote|The Kukis are a wandering race consisting of several tribes who have long been working up from the South. They were first heard of as Kukis, in Manipur, between 1830 and 1840; though tribes of the same race had long been subject to the Rajah of Manipur. The new immigrants began to cause anxiety about the year 1845, and soon poured into the hill tracts of Manipur in such numbers, as to drive away many of the older inhabitants. Fortunately, the political agent (at this time Lieutenant afterwards Colonel McCulloch) was a man well able to cope with the situation. Cool and resolute, he at once realised and faced the difficulty. Manipur in those days, owing to intestine quarrels, could have done nothing, and the Rajah Nur Singh [Nara Singh] gladly handed over the management of the new arrivals to him.{{sfnp|Johnstone, Manipur and the Naga Hills|1896|pp=25–26}}}}

McCulloch's own writing does not paint such an exaggerated picture. He writes that the Kukis "until lately occupied the hills to the south of the [Kabuis]" (i.e. in the present day [[Churachandpur district|Churachandpur]] and [[Pherzawl district|Pherzawl]] districts). They were being driven north by the war-like tribes from the south, and are "now scattered around the Valley of Munnipore, and thence through the hills to North and South Cachar".{{sfnp|McCulloch, Account of the Valley of Munnipore|1859|p=55}} McCulloch also records the curious tradition that the Kukis believed that they had come to the south from the north, which was also corroborated by the Kabui tradition that they were then living in sites previously occupied by Kukis.{{sfnp|McCulloch, Account of the Valley of Munnipore|1859|pp=56–57}} Robert Brown, Political Agent during 1866–1875, stated that the present day Churachandpur and Pherzawl districts were virtually uninhabited due to pressure from the Lushais.{{sfnp|Brown, Statistical Account of Manipur|1874|loc=pp. 15–16: "... in that part of the hill country lying north of that occupied by the Lushai tribe of Kukis [present-day Mizoram], there are no inhabitants whatever for about six days' journey; and this uninhabited tract is extending as the Lushai gather strength and attack the weak tribes to the north of them, the Lushais not occupying the country they thus depopulate."}}

In a memorandum of McCulloch from 1861, we notice him being exercised about the welfare of the [[Kabuis]],{{Efn|[[Kabuis]] are a Naga tribe that inhabit the [[Tamenglong district|Tamanglong]] and [[Noney district|Noney]] districts, to the northwest of Imphal Valley.}} who lived along the Old Cachar Road and the area to the north of it.{{efn|The Old Cachar Road, or simply "Cachar Road" or "Manipur Road", was a rugged mountain track between [[Silchar]] and [[Bishnupur, Manipur|Bishnupur]]. The British were unable to negotiate it during the Anglo-Burmese War and the Manipur Levy was utilised instead. After the war, the British set upon to improve it into a regular bridle path as it was a strategic border road.}} McCulloch states that they were leaving their villages due to "oppression". Apparently, the British made a treaty with Manipur when they transferred Jiribam to the latter, placing the condition that the tribes along the road would not be oppressed or prevented from taking their products to Cachar. McCulloch was responsible for enforcing the treaty.{{sfnp|Mackenzie, Relations with the Hill Tribes|1884|p=156}} McCulloch also states that he had the job of "superintendence" of the Kuki tribes, who were "all round the valley, and to the west", as they had been driven from their homes by their enemies.{{sfnp|Mackenzie, Relations with the Hill Tribes|1884|pp=156–157}}

By combining these two responsibilities, he states that he had established a line of Kuki villages to the south of the Kabui territory as a buffer to the Kabuis. He had also established such villages to the south of the valley to guard the territory of Manipur. The Kukis of such "sepoy villages" were given unrestricted lands for cultivation and arms, and had the job of sending around scouts to the south to bring advance warning of war-like tribes that might conduct raids.{{sfnp|Mackenzie, Relations with the Hill Tribes|1884|pp=156–157}}{{sfnp|Pau, Indo-Burma Frontier|2019|loc=p. 59: "McCulloch's solution was to plant a line of Kuki colonies as a buffer to the Kabui villages."}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Biography==
* {{citation |first=R. |last=Brown |title=Statistical Account of the Native State of Manipur and the Hill Territory under Its Rule |year=1874 |publisher=Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing |location=Calcutta |url=https://archive.org/details/statistical-account-of-manipur |ref={{sfnref|Brown, Statistical Account of Manipur|1874}}}}
* {{citation |first1=Bertram S. |last1=Carey |first2=H. N. |last2=Tuck |title=The Chin Hills, Volume I |publisher=Government Printing, Burma |year=1896 |url=https://archive.org/details/chinhillsahisto01tuckgoog |ref={{sfnref|Carey & Tuck, The Chin Hills|1896}}}}
* {{citation |last=Dun |first=E. W. |title=Gazetteer of Manipur |publisher=Manas Publications |year=1992 |orig-year=1886 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32037 |via=archive.org |ref={{sfnref|Dun, Gazetteer of Manipur|1886}}}}
* {{citation |last=Hodson |first=T. C. |title=The Meitheis |publisher=David Nutt |location=London |year=1908 |url=https://archive.org/details/meitheis01hods |via=archive.org |ref={{sfnref|Hodson, The Meitheis|1908}}}}
* {{cite thesis |last=Ibochou Singh |first=Khwairakpam |title=British administration in Manipur 1891–1947 |publisher=Gauhati University |via=Shodhganga |degree=PhD |year=1985 |hdl=10603/66697 |url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/66697 |ref={{sfnref|Ibochou Singh, British administration in Manipur|1985}}}}
* {{citation |title=My Experiences in Manipur and the Naga Hills |first=Sir James |last=Johnstone |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston and Company |location=London |year=1896 |url=https://archive.org/details/myexperiencesinm00johniala |via=archive.org |ref={{sfnref|Johnstone, Manipur and the Naga Hills|1896}}}}
* {{citation |last=Mackenzie |first=Alexander |title=History of the Relations of the Government with the Hill Tribes of the North-East Frontier of Bengal |publisher=Home Department Press |location=Calcutta |year=1884 |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.pahar.1049 |via=archive.org |ref={{sfnref|Mackenzie, Relations with the Hill Tribes|1884}}}}
* {{cite book |last=McCulloch |first=W. |title=Account of the Valley of Munnipore and of the Hill Tribes |series=Selections from the Records of the Government of India (Foreign Department) |location=Calcutta |publisher=Bengal Printing Company |year=1859 |oclc=249105916 |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.06262 |via=archive.org |ref={{sfnref|McCulloch, Account of the Valley of Munnipore|1859}}}}
* {{citation |first=Pum Khan |last=Pau |year=2012 |title=Tedim Road—The Strategic Road on a Frontier: A Historical Analysis |journal=Strategic Analysis |volume=36 |number=5 |pages=776–786 |doi=10.1080/09700161.2012.712387 |ref={{sfnref|Pau, Tedim Road|2012}}}}
* {{citation |last=Pau |first=Pum Khan |title=Indo-Burma Frontier and the Making of the Chin Hills: Empire and Resistance |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2019 |isbn=9781000507454 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dVmnDwAAQBAJ |ref={{sfnref|Pau, Indo-Burma Frontier|2019}}}}
* {{citation |last=Tarapot |first=Phanjoubam |title=Bleeding Manipur |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FsUJ0E3BXkMC |year=2003 |publisher=Har-Anand Publications |isbn=978-81-241-0902-1 |ref={{sfnref|Tarapot, Bleeding Manipur|2003}}}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCulloch, William}}
[[Category:1816 births]]
[[Category:1885 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Political Service officers]]

William McCulloch (political officer) - Revision history

Kartikshina85855: creating a pg