In Service of John Company: Life in the English East India Company in Asia (c1800s)

First aired on 13 February 2020 as part of our HistoriaSG lecture series
Dr Donna Brunero
Senior Lecturer, Department of History, National University of Singapore

By 1800, the English East India Company (EIC) was already a formidable presence in India, with factories stretching throughout Southeast Asia. Trade routes were relatively well known, and so too, were the profits that some private trade could yield.

What, then, was it like to work for the EIC? What could one expect on a voyage out to Asia? How did factory life operate, and why were some postings more desired than others? How were factory gossip and reports on the lives of EIC servants important in shaping careers and fortunes?

By asking such questions and examining sources from the EIC, including artefacts from the National Museum of Singapore’s An Old New World Bicentennial exhibition, Dr Donna Brunero explores a deeper understanding of the EIC and the lure (and sometimes trials and tribulations) of a career in Asia.