Gerald Aungier

Gerald Aungier (1640 – 30 June 1677) was the third Governor of Bombay. He was made the president of the Surat factory and the governor of Bombay in 1669, which posts he held until his death in 1677. He was responsible for the initial growth of the city. He is said to have famously quoted Bombay to be "the city which by God's assistance is intended to be built".

It was during his tenure that the small town island of Bombay was converted into a promising hub for commerce. Great care was taken to bring the best traders, artisans and other professions to settle in Bombay. He is credited of adopting principles of religious toleration, empowered local self-governments and a strong focus on commerce ably supported by the creation of courts and enforcement through the formation of the local militia of Bhandari youth which evolved into Bombay Police.

Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 2 states that he was brother of Francis Aungier, 3rd Lord Aungier of Longford and 1st earl of Longford in Ireland. Though a lot of research on the life and work of Gerald Aungier is not readily available, his contribution in shaping Bombay is broadly recognised by early prominent historians Da Cunha, Douglas and Edwardes in their separate works. Historian Phirozshah Malabari dedicates a full chapter on Gerald Aungier in his book "Bombay in the Making".

Historian S M Edwardes states Aungier's great work as below: 'To weld into one homogeneous mass the discordant materials of Asiatic nationalities, to solve the problem which had never been solved before, as to how a great multitude of men of diverse religions and races should live together in peace and harmony, free from discord within and aggression without — this was the work he set himself to do, and he did it."

Little is known of the early years of Gerald Aungier in India, much less of his childhood and youth in England. He was born in 1640, the second son of Rev. Ambrose Aungier, Prebendary of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin and Grisel Bulkeley, daughter of the Archbishop of Dublin, Lancelot Bulkeley. He was the grandson of Francis Aungier, 1st Baron Aungier of Longford

His name enabled Historian Douglas to surmise that he came from the French town of Angers and his forefathers probably fled to England after the terrible massacre of Protestants on the eve of St. Batholomew in 1572.

Young Aungier in all likelihood trained in England and must have had a fairly good education, evidenced by the countless letters he wrote to his masters in England and his subordinates in Bombay which display an extensive and wholesome reading.

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