Madras States Agency

The Madras States Agency was a colonial agency for the indirect rule of princely states associated with British India. Founded in 1923, it consisted of these five princely states (by precedence) :

Madras States Agency
Agency of British India
1923–1948

1913 map of the Madras Presidency including the Princely States.
History 
 Establishment of the agency
1923
1948
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Agencies of British India
India

History

Prior to 1923, the five states have been subject to the government of the Madras Presidency which was represented in each state by a resident usually the District Collector[1] of a neighbouring Madras district.[2] When in 1923, all the states were brought under the direct control of the Government of India, the individual residencies were abolished and replaced with a single unitary agency responsible to the Governor-General of India.

The agent was based in Trivandrum, the capital of Travancore. He supervised the foreign relations of the princely states and their relationship with the Central government in New Delhi.

The agency was abolished when India became independent in 1947. Between 1947 and 1950, the Madras states with the exception of Travancore and Cochin were merged with the neighbouring districts of Madras Province.

Chief officers

Agents

# Name Took Office Left Office Term
1 C. W. E. Cotton 26 June 1923 4 May 1926 1
2 H. A. B. Vernon (acting) 4 May 1926 11 November 1926 1
3 C. W. E. Cotton 9 November 1926 18 April 1928 2
4 C. G. Croswaithe 19 April 1928 4 December 1929 1
5 A. N. L. Cater 4 December 1929 20 October 1930 1
6 H. R. N. Pritchard 20 October 1930 21 November 1932 1
7 Donald Muyle Field 21 November 1932 22 February 1935 1
8 W. A. M. Garstin 22 February 1935 19 November 1936 1
9 Clairmont Percival Skrine 19 November 1936 1 April 1937 1

Residents

On 1 April 1937, the Madras States Agency was converted into a residency and on 1 January 1939, the princely states of Banganapalle and Sandur were transferred to the Mysore Residency.

References

  1. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Madras (presidency)" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 288–291.
  2. Great Britain India Office. The Imperial Gazetteer of India, Oxford, Clarendon Press 1908


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