The Period of Agency
History of the city of Madras
Chapter – 5

- Thomas Ivie served as Agent from August 1644 to September 1648, during which time Madras faced conflicts with the Dutch at Pulicat, Portuguese at San Thome, and the Mussulmans in Sriranga Raya‘s territory.
- During Ivie’s tenure, famine ravaged the region, and the difficulty of acquiring rice led to the import of grain from Surat, with 4,000 people dying in five months.
- Ivie urged the Directors of the Company to strengthen fortifications due to the threat from the Dutch.
- By the end of 1647, Mir Jumla had firmly established his authority, and the English secured confirmation of their rights and privileges.
- Ivie was succeeded by Henry Greenhill, who served as Agent twice, from 1648 to 1652 and from 1655 to 1659.
- Greenhill’s first letter to the Company mentions Mir Jumla’s confirmation of English privileges and describes the Mussulmans of Bijapur causing devastation along the coast with 8,000 free-booters.