Cunningham Road by Siddharth Viswanath – SKCH

Cunningham Road

Road Name: Cunningham road named after Francis Cunningham (1820 - 3^rd December 1875) 

Summary:

Francis Cunningham was an Indian Army officer. He was the son of a famous poet named Allan Cunningham and had two brothers named Joseph Davey and Alexander Cunningham who spent most of their lives working in India. He entered the Madras army in 1838 and retired in 1862. He served in Afghanistan and took part in the defence of Jellelabad. After his retirement he devoted himself to Literature. He edited Ben Jonson’s works and the plays of Massinger and Marlow.

Detailed Description:
 

In his army service Francis Cunningham distinguished himself as a Field Engineer, with Robert Sale at Jalalabad, during the 1st Afghan War. In 1850, he was posted to the Mysore Commission, headquartered at Bangalore as Secretary to the Commission and was acting as a deputy to Sir Mark Cubbon, the Chief Commissioner at Bangalore. Here, apart from playing an active role in developing the Horticultural Gardens at Lalbagh, he undertook many constructions including the one he built for Sir Mark Cubbon in the nearby Nandi Hills and possibly, a large bungalow in Bangalore, known as the Balabrooie. Unfortunately, documentation on this period of Bangalore's history is sparse. When Cubbon retired and left Bangalore in 1861, Cunningham stayed on in a private capacity, lobbying on behalf of the deposed Maharaja Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar III, arguing that he should be allowed to adopt an heir and that the kingdom should be restored to him. As Cunningham was an extremely effective writer, this caused endless headaches for the next Chief Commissioner, Lewin Bentham Bowring.

Bowring writes: 'During many years, the secretary of the Commission was Captain F. Cunningham, a son of the poet Allan Cunningham, and a brother of the well-known archaeologist General A. Cunningham, and of Major J.D. Cunningham who wrote the 'History of the Sikhs.' He wielded a ready and incisive pen, his official letters showing great command of language, in which was often a vein of irony and humour that was unpalatable to the recipients. He had left the Commission before I joined, but had taken service with the Raja at Mysore, his principal duty being to compose the despatches which His Highness sent to the Government about his claims, a task which his literary qualifications enabled him to perform exceedingly well, although his presence at the capital and the encouragement given by him to intriguing parties were a source of some embarrassment to me...' Bowring did not know how to reply to the letters that Francis posted to him. The language of the letters was forceful and robust and the arguments logical. Bowring spent sleepless nights, thinking of a suitable reply. When Cunningham did go back, he pursued his literary activity, editing the works of Kit Marlowe in 1870 and Philip Massinger and Ben Jonson in 1872. Toward the end of his life he was working on a new edition of his brother Peter Cunningham's Handbook to London. He died on 3 December 1875.

Cunningham Road in Bangalore is named after him. Given the significant roles that the Cunningham siblings have played in Indian history, this road might well be considered a tribute to the entire family. Cunningham Road is, however, not named after Alexander Cunningham (one of the founders of the Archaeological Society of India) or Joseph Cunningham (whose criticism of British administration in his History of Sikhs led to his dismissal from military service).


Contributed by: Siddharth Viswanath, 9-B, Sri Kumaran Children’s Home CBSE

 

Bibliography

·        https://en.wikipedia.org/.../Francis_Cunningham_(Indian_Army_officer)
·        www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/article1366759.ece
·        https://books.google.co.in/books?id=ncxAAAAAMAAJ