Economic Department Records

This complex group comprises the records of the principal departments of the East India Company, the Board of Control and the India Office which were successively, or in some instances jointly, responsible for a wide range of revenue, economic, social and technical questions. In particular the group includes records of the following departments: Revenue (Company), 1804-58, (REV); Revenue (Board), 1807-58, (REV); Revenue, 1858-81; Geographical, 1868-78, (G); Statistics and Commerce, 1874-81, (S&C); Revenue, Statistics and Commerce, 1882-87, (R,S&C); Revenue and Statistics, 1887-1921, (R&S); Commerce and Revenue, 1921-24, (C&R); Industries and Overseas, 1921-24, (I&O); Economic and Overseas, 1924-46, (E&O); Communications and Overseas, 1946-47, (C&O); Economic, 1946-47, (E). The following subjects are documented in the various L/E departmental series, 1800-81. Agriculture: REV (c 1800-81). Archaeology: G (1871-78); S&C (1878-81). Bengal Pilot Service: S&C (1877-81). Botany: REV (c 1872-81). Census: S&C (1874-81). Commerce and trade: REV (c 1800-81); S&C (1874-81). Customs: REV (c 1800-81). See mostly Separate Revenue series. Education: REV (c 1800-30). Excise: REV (c 1800-81). See mostly Separate Revenue series. Exhibitions and fairs: S&C (1874-81). Exploration: G (1868-78). Famine: REV (c 1868-81). Fisheries: REV (c 1871-81). Forestry: REV (c 1800-61, 1863-81). See especially Forest series. Geology: G (1868-78); S&C (1878-81). Industry: S&C 1874-81). Inventions and designs: S&C (1874-81). Land Revenue: REV (c 1800-81). Maps: G (1868-78); S&C (1878-81). Marine surveys: G (1871-78)' S&C (1878-81) Merchant shipping: S&C (1874-81). Meteorology: G (1871-78); S&C (1878-81). Moral and Material Progress reports: S&C (1874-81). Municipalities: S&C (1874-81). Museums: S&C (1874-81). Oil: S&C (1874-81). Opium: REV (c 1800-81). See mostly Separate Revenue series. Pilgrims. Muslim: S&C (1874-81). Ports, lighting etc: S&C (1874-81). Post Office: REV (1867-79). See mostly Separate Revenue series. Public health and sanitation: S&C (1874-81). Public Works: REV (c 1800-58). Records: S&C (1874-81). Revenue: See Land Revenue. Salt: REV (c 1800-81). See mostly Separate Revenue series. Science: S&C (1874-81). Separate Revenue: REV (c 1800-81). See mostly Separate Revenue series. Statistics: S&C (1874-81). Trigonometrical and Topographical Surveys: G (1868-78); S&C (1878-81). Weights and measures: S&C (1874-81). Zoology: S&C (1874-81). The following subjects are documented in the various L/E departmental series, 1882-1947. Agricultural Service: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24). Agriculture: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Aliens: l&O (1921-24); E&O (1924-27). Archaeology: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24). Aviation, civil: E&O (1926-46); C&O (1946-47). Basle Trading Company: I&O (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Bengal Pilot Service: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24). Botany and Botanical Survey: See Agricultural Service and Agriculture. Census: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46): C&O (1946-47). Cereals: E (1946-47). For earlier material see Agriculture. Commerce and trade: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921- 24), E&O (1924-46); E (1946-47). Commonwealth (including Imperial Conferences): I&O (1921-24); E&O (1924-34). Cooperative Societies: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921): C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Cotton: E (1946-47). For earlier material see Agriculture. Customs: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-1924); E&O (1924-46); E (1946-47). Customs Service: R&S (1905-21); C&R (1921-24). Emigration and Indians overseas: l&O (1921-24); E&O (1924-34). European Gardeners' Service: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24). Excise and salt: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46): C&O (1946-47). Exhibitions and fairs: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); l&O (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Famine: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Fisheries: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921;); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Floods: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921): C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46): C&O (1946-47). Forest Service: R,S&C (1882-87): R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24). Forestry: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24): E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Geology and Geological Survey (including service questions to 1924): R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); I&O (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). High Commissions, British: C&O (1946-47). India Office Library and Records: R,S&C (1882-84). Indo-European Telegraph Department: E&O (1926 -c 1939). Industry: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921) l&O (1921-24); E&O (1921-46); E (1946-47). Insurance: R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); E (1946-47). Inventions, designs and patents: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921); E&O (1926-46); E (1946-47). Irrigation: E&O (196-46); C&O (1946-47). Labour: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); I&O (,921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Land Revenue: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24);. E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). League of Nations: I&O (1921-24); E&O (1924-46). Local Self-Government (including Municipalities): R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24). Marine surveys: R,S&C (1882-83). Merchant Shipping: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Meteorology (including service questions to 1924): R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Mines and Minerals (including service questions to 1924): R,S&C (1882- 87); R&S (1887-1921); I&O (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); E (1946-47). Moral and Material Progress reports: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924). Nationality: I&O (1921-24); E&O (1924-34). Nurses, civil: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Oil: R,S&C (1882-97); R&S (1887-1921); I&O(1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Opium and drugs: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); I&O (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Passports: I&O (1921-24); E&O (1924-27). Pilgrims. Muslim: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-34). Ports. harbours and lighthouses: R,S&C (1882-87) R&S (1887-1921); E&O (1926-46); C&O (1946-47). Posts and telegraphs: E&O (1926-46); C&O (1946-47). Public buildings: E&O (1926-46); C&O (1946-47). Public health and sanitation: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Revenue: See Land Revenue. Roads: See Public buildings. Sanitation: See Public health and sanitation. Scientific research: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Sugar: E (1946-47). For earlier material see Agriculture. Survey of India: (including service questions to 1924) R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46). Territorial waters: R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-1921); I&O (1921-24); E&O (1924-34). United Nations: C&O (1946-47). Veterinary and livestock questions: R,S&C (1882-87): R&S (1887-1921); C&R (1921-24); E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Wireless Telegraphy: E&O (1924-46); C&O (1946-47). Zoology (including service questions): R,S&C (1882-87); R&S (1887-21); C&R (1921-24). The series IOR/L/E/1 (Committee records) was not used; see IOR/L/PJ/1: Revenue, Judicial and Legislative Committee.

• East India Company
• Board of Commisioners for the Affairs of India
• India Office

Available for research unless otherwise stated

For brief details of the departments covered by L/E and the business conducted by them, please see the section relating to scope and content. Further research is required to explain satisfactorily the early administrative history of this complex group of records. According to Martin Moir's General Guide to the India Office Records, very few of the pre-1858 records in IOR/L/E originated in the East India Company's Revenue Department (i.e. the Revenue Branch of the Examiner's Office at East India House). The majority emanated from the Board of Control where the division of labour on the correspondence originally seems to have been based on geography rather than subject. This began to change in September 1804 when Lord Castlereagh, President of the Board of Control, approved a plan for arranging and binding the volumes of letters to and from each Presidency according to the departments in which the Indian correspondence was actually conducted, namely Public, Political, Revenue, Judicial and Military. In September 1807, the Board decided to replace the three Presidency departments with four subject departments: Secret and Political; Revenue and Judicial (including Salt, Opium and Customs); Military; Public and Commercial. This basic structure essentially persisted until 1858 with a few modifications, the most significant for IOR/L/E being the separation in April 1826 of the Revenue Department from the Judicial Department. In 1858, when the India Office was set up, the structure included a Revenue Department. In January 1872, this was amalgamated with the Judicial and Public Department under one Secretary, forming the Judicial, Public and Revenue Department. The Statistics and Commerce Department was established in April 1874, under the charge of a Secretary, to deal with trade, industry and public health. This department also absorbed the functions of the former Records and Statistical Department. Following the retirement of Clements Markham, geographical business was passed to the Statistics and Commerce Department in February 1878. Between June and July 1879, the Judicial, Public and Revenue Department was split up, with Revenue being combined with the Statistics and Commerce Department under one Secretary. This Revenue, Statistics and Commerce Department lost its responsibilities for the old Registry Department and the Superintendent of Records when a new Registry and Record Department was formed in January 1884. Geographical business and the care of the Map Room transferred from the Revenue, Statistics and Commerce Department to the Registry and Record Department in September 1885. From May1887, the name was shortened to Revenue and Statistics Department. In November 1901, the Judicial and Public Department took over recruitment and training for the forests services, but these responsibilities were returned to the Revenue Department between October 1911 and April 1912. More far-reaching changes were effected during the extensive reorganisation of May 1921. The Revenue and Statistics Department was replaced by two new departments, viz. Industries and Overseas, and Commerce and Revenue. In addition, a block of work was also moved from the Judicial and Public Department to the Industries and Overseas Department, including work concerning the League of Nations, emigration, Imperial conferences, nationality questions etc. In October 1921, work relating to shipping and lighthouses, inventions and designs passed from the Commerce and Revenue to the Public works Department. April 1924 saw another major reorganisation of some of the principal administrative departments. The Services and General Department was created to control and co-ordinate personnel and establishment matters affecting most (but not all) of the public services in India, together with responsibility for the work of the India Office Establishment Officer, for supervising minor India Office Departments, and for certain general policy functions such as education and archaeology, local self-government etc. The Industries and Overseas and the Commerce and Revenue Departments were both abolished and virtually replaced by the new Economic and Overseas Department. In May 1924, it was agreed that forest organisation, policy and education work would be managed mainly by the Economic and Overseas Department, with the Services and General Department handling the service aspects. The abolition of the Public works Department led in October 1826 to the Economic and Overseas Department gaining responsibility for general policy questions about irrigation, posts and telegraphs, ports and harbours, patents etc. In March 1931, it took over the residual functions of the Indo-European Telegraph Department. The Economic and Overseas Department lost responsibility for passports to the Public and Judicial Department in December 1927, followed much later, in December 1934, by responsibility for Indians overseas, nationality questions, territorial waters, Imperial conferences etc. The last major change came in April 1946 when the Economic and Overseas Department split into two to form the Economic, and the Communications and Overseas Departments.