Tudu Hommie at 02:43, 25 April 2026

2026-04-25T02:43:07Z

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{{Short description|Bengal Police Superintendent (1858-1903)}}
{{use Indian English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Charles Stewart Murray
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = 
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CIE}}
| image_upright =
| alt =
| caption =
| order =
| office = [[List of superintendents of Mizoram|Superintendent of the Lushai Hills (South)]]
| status = 
| term_start = 1 April 1891
| term_end = 16 April 1891
| subterm =
| suboffice =
| alongside = 
| monarch = [[Queen Victoria]]
| governor_general = [[Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne|Lord Lansdowne]]
| predecessor = ''Position created''
| successor = [[John Shakespear (British Army officer)|John Shakespear]]
| other_name =
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1858|12|4}}
| birth_place = [[Woolwich|Woolwich, Kent]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1903|5|4|1858|12|4}}
| death_place = [[Darjeeling|Darjeeling, West Bengal]], [[British Raj]]
| placeofburial =
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| allegiance = [[United Kingdom]]
| branch =
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| rank = Superintendent
| rank_label =
| servicenumber =
| unit = Bengal Police
| commands =
| known_for = Political Officer of the [[British rule in the Lushai Hills|South Lushai Hills]]
| battles = [[Chin-Lushai Expedition]] [[Lushai Rising]]
| battles_label =
| awards = [[Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
| memorials =
| alma_mater =
| spouse = {{marriage|Laura Susan Prestage|4 January 1892}}
| children = Commander Archie Alastair Stewart Murray Alastair Donald Stewart Murray Charles Stewart Murray (jr) [[Challiana]] (Reverend - Illegitimate){{sfn|Jackson|2023}}
| relations = Brigadier General Alexander Henry Murray (Father) Martha Frances Vincent Murray (b. Davenport, Mother)
| laterwork =
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}}

'''Charles Stewart Murray''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CIE}} (4 December 1858- 4 May 1903) was a superintendent of police in the [[British Raj]]. Murray participated in the [[Chin-Lushai Expedition]]. Murray assisted [[John Shakespear (British Army officer)|John Shakespear]], the field officer of the southern column in the expedition. After the annexation of the Lushai Hills, Murray was assigned as the first superintendent of the South Lushai Hills. However, his mishandling of authority with the Lushai tribes, such as [[Zakapa]], and his demands for sexual corvée would see him transferred to an assistant commissioner of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

==Early life==
Charles Stewart Murray was born on 4 December 1858 in [[Woolwich]], Kent in England. He was the second son of Briagder-General Alexander Henry Murray and Martha Frances Vincent Murray. He was a sibling to three more brothers: Alexander Charles Henry Gerald Murray, Cyril Francis Tyrrel Murray and Malcome Donald Donald Murray.{{sfn|MyHeritage}}

==Career==
Charles Stewart Murray joined the Bengal Police in India, where he was appointed Superintendent of Police for the Chittagong Hill Tracts.{{sfn|London Medals}} Murray's successes in fighting the [[Bhutia people|Bhutias]] and [[Lepcha people|Lepchas]] gained him a reputation as a competent frontier officer.{{sfn|Chatterjee|1990|p=620}} Murray held the position until 1888 where he was assigned as political officer to the [[Chin-Lushai Expedition]] under Colonel [[Vincent William Tregear|Tregear]].{{sfn|London Medals}}{{sfn|Reid|1942|p=15}} Murray would hold a durbar with the chiefs in the Lushai language at Fort Lungleh. He would also make allies with chiefs such as Mompunga and [[Seipuia]].{{sfn|Chatterjee|1990|p=620}} On 1 April 1891 Murray was assigned political officer to the South Lushai Hills.{{sfn|Reid|1942|p=43}} He would have a salary of {{currency|700|INR}}-{{currency|1000|INR}} with a fixed travel allowance of {{currency|150|INR}}.{{sfn|Reid|1942|p=40}}

Murray's administration over the south Lushai Hills would last for 16 days before he would be transferred.{{sfn|Chatterjee|1990|p=621}} Murray's duty as a political officer consisted of introducing house taxes and obligating chiefs to supply labour to construct roads and infrastructure. When tensions between [[Zakapa]] and Murray escalated into a South Lushai rising, the British originally considered the issue as a resistance to supplying the labour quota. However, the true cause was uncovered in judicial proceedings against Murray, who was accused of trying to procure women for sex and after Zakapa was unable to supply his demand, he threatened to take his wife.{{sfn|Chatterjee|1990|p=621}} Zakapa reasonably believed Murray to carry out the threat. As a result, the following day, Murray interrupted Zakapa in his [[Zawlbuk]] as he was in a conference with Lalthuama. Murray dispersed Lalthuama to talk with Zakapa alone. After the conversation, Murray left the zawlbuk to burn down the rice stock of the village. The Lushais armed themselves and began to shoot at Murray and his envoy from all directions. Murray's guards were killed, and his assistant, Mr Taylor, was severely wounded as a result. Murray escaped through a hillstream and abandoned his men, ammunition, money and luggage.{{sfn|Chatterjee|1985|p=115}} The absence of Murray for a few days and the unrest of Zakapa and the southern chiefs led to Captain Hutchinson to pacify the settlement.{{sfn|Shakespeare|1929|p=96}}

After the [[Lushai Rising]] and fallout with [[Zakapa]], a court case into his conduct demoted Murray for destabilizing the Lushai Hills.{{sfn|Chatterjee|}} The proceedings against him ended on 10 February 1892, when his conduct was responsible for the deaths of two sepoys, a naik, two army signallers and a private servant.{{sfn|Reid|1942|p=43}} As a result, the court deemed him unfit to hold the position of political officer of the South Lushai Hills.{{sfn|Reid|1942|p=44}} Murray was sent to work as assistant commissioner in Chittagong under the discretion of [[John Ware Edgar|John Edgar]].{{sfn|Chatterjee|1990|p=621}}{{sfn|Chatterjee|1990|p=441}} Murray was later sent to work as district superintendent of police as [[Darjeeling]], where he would work until his sudden death.{{sfn|The Times|1903}}

==Family and later life==
Charles Stewart Murray married Laura Susan Prestage, daughter of [[Franklin Prestage]] on 4 January 1892.{{sfn|London Medals}}{{sfn|MyHeritage}} He had three sons, Alastair Donald Stewart Murray, Charles Stewart Murray and Archie Alastair Stewart Murray.{{sfn|MyHeritage}}

Due to Murray's sexual corvée and assaults on women, a Mizo woman, Thangtei, conceived and gave birth to a half Mizo boy known as Challiana. The rumours would reach the missionaries [[James Herbert Lorrain]] and [[Frederick William Savidge]] who would take Challiana into their care believing a Mizo woman could not raise a half white child. He grew up into a translator, pastor and medical assistant. His clan in the registry was listed as Sâp (British).{{sfn|Jackson|2023}}{{sfn|Jackson|2015}}

Charles Stewart Murray died on 4 May 1903 at age 44. Murray fell down dead during a dance at the Darjeeling amusements club, where he was secretary.{{sfn|The Times|1903}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book |last=Chatterjee |first=Suhas |date=1985 |title=British rule in Mizoram |location=New Delhi |publisher=Mittal Publications}}
*{{cite book |last=Chatterjee |first=Suhas |date=1990 |title=Mizo Encyclopaedia|location=Aizawl|publisher=Jaico Publishing House}}
*{{cite web |last=London Medals |title=The important January 1891 Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire and Chin-Lushai 1889-90 Expedition pair awarded to Mr. Charles Stewart Murray, Bengal Police, the Superintendent of Police for the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and Assistant Political Offic |url=https://london-medals.co.uk/the-important-january-1891-companion-of-the-order-of-the-indian-empire-and-chin-lushai-1889-90-expedition-pair-awarded-to-mr-charles-stewart-murray-bengal-police-the-superintendent-of-police-for-the-chittagong-hill-tracts-and-assistant-political-offic-1 |website=London Medals |location=London |publisher= |access-date=19 January 2025}}
*{{cite book |last=Reid |first=Robert Neil |date=1942 |title=The lushai hills: culled from History of the frontier areas bordering on Assam from 1883-1941 |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.16551/mode/2up?q=C.S.+Murray |location=Aizawl |publisher=Tribal Research Institute |page= |isbn= |access-date=19 January 2025}}
*{{cite news |last=The Times |date=28 May 1903 |title=Obituary |work=The Times |location=London |publisher=|page=8|issue=37092}}
*{{cite web |last=MyHeritage |title=Charles Stewart Murray |url=https://records.myheritagelibraryedition.com/research/record-1-348255011-1-500156/charles-stewart-murray-in-myheritage-family-trees|url-access=registration |website=MyHeritage |location= |publisher= |access-date=19 January 2025}}
*{{cite book |last1=Jackson |first1=Kyle |title=The Mizo Discovery of the British Raj |date=2023 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Vancouver |url=https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009267359 |access-date=14 March 2025}}
*{{cite book |editor-last=Kominko|editor-first=Maja|last1=Jackson |first1=Kyle |title=From Dust to Digital: Ten Years of the Endangered Archives Programme |chapter=14. Hearing images, tasting pictures: making sense of Christian mission photography in the Lushai Hills district, Northeast India|date=2015 |publisher=Open Book Publishers |location=United Kingdom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ImO3BgAAQBAJ |access-date=14 March 2025}}

{{Lushai frontier}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Charles Stewart}}
[[Category:1858 births]]
[[Category:1903 deaths]]
[[Category:British Indian Army officers of punitive expeditions in the Lushai Hills]]
[[Category:British military personnel in colonial India]]
[[Category:Chittagong Hill Tracts]]
[[Category:Clan Murray|Charles Stewart]]
[[Category:Superintendents of Lushai Hills district]]

Charles Stewart Murray - Revision history

Tudu Hommie at 02:43, 25 April 2026