In 1838 the King of Oudh in north-west India passed through Charmouth, and caused such interest that he was interviewed by the local newspaper. The King was suffering badly from England’s cold climate (it was May). The reporter much admired the King’s clothes: ‘rich shawls of his clime, embroidery, jewels, even the boots he wore were replete with valuable ornament’ ( The Sherborne Mercury ).
The censuses from 1851 give place of birth, and there were several people in Lyme in 1851 who had been born in India. Most of these were probably European. Two monuments in St. Michael’s Church, Lyme Regis record earlier Indian connections.
Click for Larger Image
Donne family memorial in St. Michael’s Church, Lyme Regis including Captain Charles Donne of the ‘Honorable East India Company’.
