1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Pigot, George, Baron

PIGOT, GEORGE, Baron (1719–1777), English governor of Madras, was born on the 4th of March 1719 and entered the service of the East India Company in 1736; alter nineteen years he became governor and commander-in-chief of Madras in 1755. Having defended this place against the French in 1758–59 and occupied Pondicherry on behalf of the company, he resigned his office in November 1763 and returned to England, being made a baronet in 1764. In the following year he obtained a seat in parliament, and this he retained until his death; in 1766 he was created an Irish peer as Baron Pigot. Returning to India in 1775 to occupy his former position at Madras, Pigot was at once involved in a fierce quarrel with the majority of his council, which arose out of the proposed restoration of the rajah of Tanjore. The governor was arrested by order of his opponents, and was still a prisoner when he died on the 11th of May 1777. Meanwhile the conduct of Pigot was censured by the court of directors in England and the order for his restoration was followed immediately by another for his recall. This happened about a month after his death, but before the news had reached England. In 1779 the matter was discussed in parliament, and four of those who were responsible for his arrest were tried and were fined £1000 each. Pigot, who left several illegitimate children, was never married, and his barony became extinct.

Two of the governor’s brothers were men of repute. Sir Robert Pigot (1720–1796), who succeeded to the baronetcy, commanded his regiment (the 38th) at the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill during the War of American Independence. He became a lieutenant-general in 1782 The other brother, Hugh Pigot (c. 1721–1792), was a sailor After some years of service he became an admiral and commander-in-chlef in the West Indies in 1782 One of his sons was General Sir Henry Pigot (1750–1840), and another was Hugh Pigot (1769–1797), a captain in the navy, who was murdered during a mutiny in September 1797 while in command of the “Hermione.”