Indian Civil Service

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The Indian Civil Service may be abbreviated ICS. See also Writer.

The Writers Building in Calcutta

History

Initially, the Honourable East India Company Civil Servants handled the civil administration of India, they were covenanted to provide a lifetime of service.

Civil service control was transferred to the Indian Government under the Government of India Act of 1858 afterwards new members of the service were contracted for a 10 year term. The creation of the Imperial Civil Service of India was as a result of the 1886–87 Public Service Commission recommendation.

Covenanted service was given by the elite top ranks of the Civil Service who gave a pledge good behaviour. Lower ranks that took Uncovenanted Service were recuited in India, be they English, Indian, or Anglo Indian.

Positions

 
Madras High Court

In the Regulated Provinces, those that were the older provinces with a long period of settled administration e.g. Madras, Bombay, the positions (after 1858) were:

  • Assistant (to Magistrate and Collector)
  • Deputy Collector
  • Joint Magistrate,
  • Collector-Magistrate (before 1858 known as the District Officer)
  • Judge

After reaching the rank of Joint Magistrate, career progessions was to become a Collector-Magistrate, or Judge. Judges, ofter went on to sit on the High Court after 20 years service. A Collector-Magistrate may become a Commissioner of a Division, or gain a seat on the Board of Revenue. Moving sideways, he may become an Under-Secretary for the Lieutenant Governor.


In the Unregulated Provinces, Deputy-Commissioners replaced the role of Collector-Magistrate.

Entry

Arriving in India in 1830, after 2 years patronage supported training at Hertford (1806-1809) and Haileybury Hertfordshire, England (1809-1858) entrants seeking to gain “Writership” became a student writer at The East India Company's Calcutta College in Fort William. Students were lavishly rewarded with ₤400 a year, and encouraged to borrow heavily to acquire high status and comfortable lifestyle - often enabling them to stable 40 horses; not unexpectedly this was reformed. Reforms still allowed students sufficient finance to keep three horses and a buggy. Club memberships and mess parties continued to allow them to gain social influence in the capital.

In 1856 the system of appointment by patronage was replaced by an open competitive examination. Courses of instruction and language training were then carried out in England. Young men were deemed to be fit for immediate service so no longer socialised in the capital unlike their predecessors. They would rely on local tutors for regional dialects.

Records

Short records of service, providing the date of appointment, promotions and qualifications for individuals in the Indian Civil Service were published in the India Office List.

Uncovenanted service

This India List post advises that a number of LDS microfilms in respect of uncovenanted servants are listed in the LDS Library catalogue under the title A return of all offices, places and pensions, civil, political, military and commercial held under the East India Company within the United Kingdom and colonies. India Office. The reference IOR/ L/AG/30/1-22/1-60 is quoted, however an examination of page 2 of the film notes for the catalogue entry shows that many of the records for uncovenanted servants are from the series IOR/L/F/10/119-188, for the period to 1900 (broken range). India Office Records: Financial Department Records IOR/L/F c.1800-1948 states "For the principal subjects represented in L/F, see Martin Moir 'A General Guide to the India Office Records' (London 1988) pp.171-172". The series IOR/L/F/10 does not appear in the Access to Archives catalogue (The only catalogue entries in Access to Archives for IOR/L/F are Contracts and Agreements IOR/L/F/8 1853-1946). If you wish to view these records at the British Library you will need to consult a guide such as Baxter’s Guide for details.

Individuals

  • Henry Mortimer Durand (Wikipedia) was Foreign Secretary from 1884-1894. Further information in Simla Rifles.
  • Olaf Caroe (Wikipedia) joined the Indian Political Service in 1923; served as Foreign Secretary (1939-45) and as Governor of the North West Frontier Province(NWFP) from March 1946 to June 1947. "Caroe's lessons" by AG Noorani, a review, from Frontline May 2006, of the book The Future of The Great Game: Sir Olaf Caroe, India's Independence, and the Defense of Asia by Peter John Brobst. This book is available through Amazon.co.uk from the FIBIS Shop.
  • Philip Mason This India List post transcribes the January 1999 Daily Telegraph (London) obituary of Philip Mason, who joined the Civil Service in 1928. He was the author of the books about the Indian Civil Service, The Men Who Ruled India, published in two volumes, The Founders (1953) and The Guardians (1954). The books were originally published under the name Philip Woodruff. A one volume abridged edition was published in 1985. His many books include an autobiography A Shaft of Sunlight: Memories of a Varied Life (1978). These books are available at the British Library.
  • Richard Walmesley Blair, who joined the Service 1875, was in the Opium Department, and was the father of the author George Orwell. www.orwell.ru

See also


External Links

  The FIBIS Google Books Library
has books tagged:
Civil Service

Historical books online

Lists

General

Administrative

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