William Lowe (civil servant)
William Henry Lowe (30 August 1831 – 30 July 1862), was a British district magistrate and collector of the district of Bulandshahr, during British rule of India.
William Lowe | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Henry Lowe 30 August 1831 Calcutta, India |
| Died | 30 July 1862 (aged 30) Bulandshahr, India |
| Occupation | District magistrate and collector for Indian Civil Service |
| Known for |
|
He led the funding of the construction of the All Saints Church in Bulandshahr. In 1867 Lowe sent hunters to fetch a feral child from a cave in Bulandshahr. The child, named Dina Sanichar, was subsequently sent to the Secundra orphanage at Agra, and may have been the inspiration for the character Mowgli.
The Lowe memorial building by the district magistrate's court in Bulandshahr was named for him.
Early life and family
William Lowe was born on 30 August 1831 in Calcutta, to John Lowe.[1]
He married a daughter of Sir William Muir.[2] They had a son, William Henry Muir Lowe.[3] Elizabeth Huntley was his only daughter.[4]
Career
Lowe succeeded George Hamilton Freeling as district magistrate and collector for Bulandshahr.[5] In that role he led the funding of the construction of a church on the far west side of Bulandshahr.[2] It was completed in 1864 and later described by the subsequent collector F. S. Growse as a "pretty little building" with the caretakers accommodation as a "practical joke".[2]
Dina Sanichar
In 1867, the feral child Dina Sanichar, who may have been the inspiration for the character Mowgli in The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling,[6] was brought to the attention of Lowe after hunters discovered the child in a cave in the district of Bulandshahr.[7][8][9] Lowe subsequently sent the hunters to fetch the child and then sent him to the Secundra Orphanage at Agra.[7][8][10]
Death and legacy
Lowe died on 30 July 1862, a day before a planned move to England.[2][11] He is buried in the chancel of Bulandshahr's All Saints Church, which had been commissioned by his widow.[2] The Lowe memorial building by the district magistrate's court, acting as a shelter for those attending the courts, was named for him.[2][12] The inscription read;[12]
This building has been erected by the Europeans and native-official and non-official residents of the station and district as a token of their respect and esteem, and as a memorial of the late William Henry Lowe, Esquire, who died while collector of this district on the 30th of July 1862, AD.
All Saints Church, Bulandshahr
Memorial plaque inside All saints church_grave.jpg.webp)
Lowe's grave in the chancel of the church
References
- Aroles, Serge (2008). L'énigme des enfants-loups: une certitude biologique mais un déni des archives, 1304-1954 (in French). Editions Publibook. ISBN 978-2-7483-8502-1.
- Growse, F. S. (1884). Bulandshahr: Or, Sketches of an Indian District: Social, Historical and Architectural. Benares: Medical Hall Press. p. 78.
- Westminster, London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1935
- "Domestic occurrences". Bangalore Spectator. 16 August 1886. p. 3.
- Bulandshahr A Gazetteer Vol-v (1922). 1922. p. 118.
- Sorabji, Caroline (1904). The Wide World Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly of True Narrative, Travel, Customs, and Sport. George Newnes. p. 38.
- Ferros, George C. (1902). Sanichar the wolf boy of India . New Year City: [n.p.] pp. 22–28.
- Notes and Queries. Oxford University Press. 1886. p. 178.
- Ha, James C.; Campion, Tracy L. (2018). Dog Behavior: Modern Science and Our Canine Companions. Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-816746-5.
- "Wolf boys". North British Advertiser & Ladies' Journal. 5 September 1885. p. 3.
- "Died". Southern Reporter and Cork Commercial Courier. 19 September 1862.
- Atkinson, Edwin Thomas (1876). Statistical, Descriptive and Historical Account of the North-Western Provinces of India: 3.:Meerut division part 2. North-Western Provinces Government.