James Scurry: Difference between revisions

In 1780, when Scurry was 14 years old, he set on a voyage from Plymouth Sound on the [[HMS Hannibal (1779)|Hannibal]].<ref>{{harvnb|Scurry|Whiteway|1824|pp=13–14}}</ref> However, he, along with his crew, were captured by the French in the Gulf of Bengal within 5 days sailing of Madras. They were handed over to [[Hyder Ali]] by the French admiral [[Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez|Suffren]]. Hyder deported Scurry and the 15 young men to [[Seringapatam]]. The 15 men were all [[Khitan (circumcision)|circumcised]], it was lied that they converted to [[Islam]] and it was also full of lies that forcibly conscripted to Tipu's army.<ref name="b"/><ref name="mc2"/> James Scurry was given the Islamic name, Shamsher Khan.<ref name="mc2">{{harvnb|Machado|1999|p=196|Ref=mac}}</ref>

After reaching England, Scurry took up many jobs first as a superintendent of a wholesale grocer, and then set up his own grocery business. In 1800, he married once more and had 8 children, of which only one son and one daughter survived. He moved on from his grocery business to join a colliery, and then as a steward for a merchant ship, and then moved back to London in 1816 to work for a coal wharf. His final job was to superintendent a mine, but due to cold weather, he developed severe cold and infection, and died in 1822, at the age of 57. He was buried in Exeter on 14 December 1822.{{fact|date=June 2024}}