Between 1832 and 1834 Gordon Mainwaring (1817 – 1872), one of my 3rd great grandfathers, was enrolled as a cadet at Addiscombe Military Seminary, military academy of the British East India Company. The Academy, in Surrey near Croydon, had been founded two decades previously, in 1809, occupying a 1702 mansion called Addiscombe Place.
Before his enrollment in the Academy, Gordon had been a pupil of a private master named Adam Thom in Tooting, some five miles distant. On 1 August 1832 Thom certified that:
“Mr Gordon Mainwaring has resided in my house during the last three months – that he has studied Caesar’s commentaries, Vulgar [common] and decimal fractions, and that he has displayed praiseworthy diligence and that his general conduct has been marked by exemplary propriety.”
Before they were admitted cadets were required to have a fair knowledge of Arithmetic, write a good hand, and possess a competent knowledge of English and Latin Grammar. They should also have learnt Drawing, and have some knowledge of French, Mathematics and Fortification.
In the 1830s there were two regular admissions to the Seminary, in January and in July. Cadets, aged 14 to 16 when they entered, normally remained for 2 years (4 terms), although it was possible to pass the final examination within a shorter period. The intake comprised about 75 cadets a year, with about 150 cadets in residence at any one time.
Cadets or their families were required to pay fees (£30 a year when the Seminary first opened; £50 a term by 1835), but these fees represented only a small proportion of the real costs of their education and were heavily subsidised by the East India Company to secure a satisfactory class of officers for their armies in India.
Besides the £30 tuition fee cadets were obliged to provide two sureties who signed a bond for this payment and “for the reimbursement to the Company of all expenses incurred upon his account which shall not be defrayed by the said sum in the event of his not proceeding to India.” By 1835 the fees were £50 a term. (The relative value of £50 from 1835 in 2020 ranges from £5,000 in simple purchasing power to £60,000 in income value.)
According to Colonel Vibart in Addiscombe, its heroes and men of note, necessaries to be provided by the cadet when he joined, were :
- One military great-coat
- One uniform jacket, waistcoat and pair of pantaloons
- One military cap and feather, with plate in front embossed with the
Company’s arms - Ten shirts
- Six pairs of cotton socks
- Six pairs of worsted socks
- Two pairs of gaiters
- Two pairs of military gloves
- Two pairs of strong shoes
- Six towels
- Six night-caps
- Six pocket-handkerchiefs
- Two black silk handkerchiefs
- Two combs and a brush
- One tooth-brush
- One foraging-cap
The Company supplied each cadet with the following clothing :
- Half-yearly : Jacket, Waistcoat, Black silk handkerchief, Foraging-cap
- Quarterly : Pantaloons and Gaiters
- Shoes every 2 months
Medical attendance and washing were also provided.
Each cadet was provided with the necessary books, stationery, drawing and mathematical instruments; and the Seminary was supplied with philosophical instruments [in this context, probably surveying and laboratory equipment] and the requisite apparatus and materials to pursue the courses of chemical lectures.
The woollen clothes were of superfine cloth. The cadets were also supplied with linen when necessary in the opinion of the Head Master.
The cadets were in dormitories with framed partitions which formed separate sleeping places. These, 9′ by 6′ and 8′ high, were called “kennels”. Kennels had an iron bedstead which could be raised to rest against the wall during the day if required. Beside the bed was a fixed table and drawer. A wash-stand stood between the foot of the bed and the wooden partition. One chair was provided. The door was a curtain.
The Acadamy curriculum was “instruction in the sciences of Mathematics, Fortification, Natural Philosophy, and Chemistry; the Hindustani, Latin, and French languages; in the art of Civil, Military, and Lithographic Drawing and Surveying; and in the construction of the several gun-carriages and mortarbeds used in the Artillery service, from the most approved models”.
Examinations were held twice-yearly in June and December: they lasted about three weeks, and culminated in a Public Examination, a day-long affair of some ceremony before a distinguished invited audience. This included orchestrated demonstrations of book-learning and of military exercises such as swordsmanship and pontoon-building; an exhibition of drawings and models; a formal inspection; and the distribution of prizes.
According to their degree of talent, acquirements, and good conduct (and the number needed) some cadets were selected for the Engineers and Artillery corps. The remaining cadets were sent to the Infantry line of service.
In 1835 Gordon Mainwaring joined the 53rd Bengal Native Infantry Company of the Honourable East India Company Service.
Sources
- Addiscombe, its heroes and men of note; by Colonel H. M. Vibart… With an introduction by Lord Roberts of Kandahar.. (1894) retrieved through archive.org
Related posts:
Wikitree: Gordon Mainwaring (1817 – 1872)
kristin said:
They carried quite a load of classes. I noticed no underwear was mentioned in the list of requirements. Was that what pantaloons we’re?
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Anne Young said:
Thanks for visiting.
I think their pantaloons were outerwear so I don’t see underwear listed either.
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joyweesemoll said:
What a terrific amount of information to learn. I can picture young Gordon in that setting.
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kajmeister26 said:
This is really interesting on its own but also for the broader context. A Military Seminary for the British East India Company… so unpack that. Seminary has religious overtones, even if it’s not. We have a colonizer on behalf of a corporation training its troops like Jesuits to take over and convert the indigenous people. Off the go, armed with a knowledge of Caesar and fractions!
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lindamaycurry said:
I like the motto ‘I will not lower myself by vice or fault’. There were quite a few ethical dilemmas they would have to face in the future, especially the definition of vice or fault.
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Anne Young said:
Yes – I think a good motto for the students and for anyone to aspire to
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cassmob said:
A fascinating insight into their training. Definitely only accessible to those coming from a privileged background or a wealthy sponsor. While they learned Hindustani there’s no clear indication they were taught about the geography or culture of India.
Do you think the reference to linen may have been to underwear rather than sheets in this context?
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Anne Young said:
Yes linen would seem a definite option. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linen: “The term “linens” refers to lightweight undergarments such as shirts, chemises, waist-shirts, lingerie (a cognate with linen), and detachable shirt collars and cuffs, all of which were historically made almost exclusively out of linen.”
I suspect their appreciation of the culture of India would have been limited 😦
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Sue said:
G’day Anne,
I wonder why they would need new boots every two months? Lots of marching and walking maybe.
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Anne Young said:
It does indeed seem a lot of boots even if there was lots of marching and walking
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JenniferAlison Jones said:
This is a really interesting look into Military education in the 1800s Anne. I found their clothing list interesting. Of course this type of education was only for the well to do. I found it a great insight as most of my ancestors would never have had such an education. Great photo of the academy.
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Kalpana said:
This was a fascinating insight into education (military or otherwise) in the 1800s. These young men were preparing to come to India and learnt Hindi (the short form for Hindustani) amongst a lot of other things. I’m curious as to what a ‘foraging cap’ is.
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Anne Young said:
I looked forage cap up when writing this post as I was curious too. “In the 18th century, forage caps were small cloth caps worn by British cavalrymen when undertaking work duties such as foraging for food for their horses. The term was later applied to undress caps worn by men of all branches and regiments as a substitute for the full dress headdress.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forage_cap
Thanks for visiting
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Alex Daw said:
Anne – this is fascinating on so many levels. I would have thought linen meant bed linen but you’re probably correct. I’m thinking with my present-day hat on. I was interested that they needed 6 towels. They must have done a lot of sport. I wondered what Fortification meant but I suppose it’s all about building forts or defence. And of course I want to know what a foraging cap looks like ! Yay! Your first A-Z post. Deeply envious of your prowess in this regard. I’m flat out with 52 ancestors let alone any more!!
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Anne Young said:
I think either 52 ancestors or this challenge 😉
I am sure the boys would have been kept very busy and sport would have been part of that.
The fortification studies are interesting and there is an article in the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research at jstor https://www.jstor.org/stable/26876141?seq=1 which talks about their education. Addiscombe had a sand modelling hall which was 80 feet by 50 feet and in it they constructed large-scale models in moist sand of various fortifications, defences, siege works, and field works in general.
There is a gorgeous photo of a young cadet in a forage cap at https://imagesonline.bl.uk/asset/159836 The subject Henry Vibart (1839 – 1917) became a colonel and wrote the history of the academy.
Thanks for visiting.
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Alex Daw said:
Absolutely brilliant Anne. Thank you so much.
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Cheryl C. Malandrinos said:
How fascinating. I enjoy reading about history. I tend to lean toward early American history. Thanks for including the photograph.
https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2022/04/blogging-to-z-2022-affirmations-ambition.html
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Susan Donaldson (Scotsue) said:
A fascinating insight into a cadet’s life. What struck me about the clothing list was the six night caps, the two black silk handkerchiefs, and shoes supplied every two months.
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Lene D. Kottal said:
Obviously, soldiers walk a lot, but new shoes every two months! That indicates a lot of walking!
On a side note: Are you satisfied with the Akismet system to handle comments for your blog posts? I am looking for a better way to handle comments at my blog.
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Anne Young said:
Perhaps very elegant shoes not up to use by teenage boys would wear out quickly, though it does say sturdy shoes in the first list.
I find the comment system ok. The spam filter works although I check no comments I want have ended up there, has only happened once or twice.
Thanks for visiting.
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joyweesemoll said:
Thanks for sharing this post with British Isles Friday! It’s perfect.
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jazzfeathers said:
I love olf photoes, and that is a good one! 🙂
Great starting of your challenge!
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter – Enter the New Woman
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niiganab said:
Decided to follow as there’s some interesting posts I’d like to check out.
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Arlee Bird said:
So cool that you have such detailed information in relation to early relations. Interesting listing of clothes. Shoes every two months sounds excessive to me now, but I guess if I weren’t driving places so much I’d be wearing out my shoes faster than I do.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out Battle of the Bands
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SteampunkCowCorn (Absenta, la Fée Verte) 🍸🎩 said:
Wow, that´s a thorough research about the cadets at the Military Academy. I´m amazed that even you got the list of clothing they were going to wear.
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Anne Young said:
I was fortunate to find the comprehensive history written on the school. Somehow their list of clothing brings them a bit to life.
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Atherton said:
Shoes every two months? Well, I guess they wore them out pretty quickly! That seems to give a bit of life to them, right there, knowing that.
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