William Hamilton

William Hamilton (died 4 December 1717) was a Scottish surgeon, associated with British East India Company (EIC), who travelled to India in the first half of the eighteenth century. He was a part of the delegation that went from Calcutta, the base of the company, to meet Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar in his court in Delhi in 1715. Early life William Hamilton was born in Lanarkshire in the latter part of the seventeenth century, and possibly studied at Glasgow University. He travelled with the East India Company on the Sherborne in 1709, but deserted it at Cuddalore. After finding his way to Madras, he was summoned back to the ship before again absconding to Calcutta. Treatment of Farrukhsiyar In Delhi, Hamilton first had to treat Taqarab Khan (the khansama, or lord steward). In August 1715, the surgeon was called to treat a swelling in the groin of the Emperor Farrukhsiyar, which he treated successfully. In October of the same year, the emperor again suffered from violent pain and feared it would be a fistula. Hamilton’s treatment was again successful. As a result, in December 1715 Farrukhsiyar finally arranged his marriage to Indira Kanwar, the daughter of Raja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur, which had been delayed by his recurrent illness. Royal gift to Hamilton Hamilton was generously rewarded on the occasion of the wedding. He received "an elephant, a horse, five thousand rupees in money, two diamond rings, a jewelled aigrette, a set of gold buttons, and models of all his instruments in gold."