Up for Grabs: The Story of the Banda and Kirwee Booty

In 1857 India was ruled by the East India Company, a private company with most of the attributes of a sovereign state, including its own army. Its main focus was on profit and unscrupulous actions to this end bred resentment. This boiled over in 1857 when much of the company's army in Bengal mutinied.

British rule largely collapsed in a welter of bloodshed. The Company's weak leadership was initially stunned and slow to respond to events. Some Indian leaders saw it as the end of British rule and the mutiny transformed into a rebellion. Stronger leadership installed, the British began decisive action to regain control.
Many Indian troops in the west and south remained loyal, allowing columns of British-led troops to be formed. They were to march through the country and suppress the rebellion. One column, under Major General George Whitlock, was ordered to capture the towns of Banda and Kirwee. In so doing his soldiers seized booty valued at 700,000 in 1858 ( 66,300,000 in 2024 values). It had been promised to the troops as Prize Money, but the size of the booty led to a display of covetousness by many others, including the Indian government.
This book explains the background to the events of 1857-8 and how the booty came to be seized. It then examines the subsequent undignified scramble for a share of that booty, a story that reflects little credit on most of those involved. After years of delay, the matter ended up as a complex legal case in the High Court of Admiralty. The book reveals how the judge resolved the issues, explains who eventually received some of the money, and how the real winners were the lawyers.