SCRAFTON, Luke. 1732 (?) — at sea near Cape of Good Hope 1770. Britishman in E.I.C.’s service. In 1756 in Dacca prisoner of the Nawab of Bengal. Then assisted Clive. After the Battle of Plassey Resident at Durbar of Murshidabad, then in Calcutta Council. Back in the U.K. one of the director’s of E.I.C. In 1769 nominated with —> Vansittart and Forde to the three-man committee to investigate E.I.C.’s practices in India, but their ship disappeared en route to India.
Publications: Memoirs of the revolution in Bengal, anno. Dom. 1757; by which Meer Jaffeir was raised to the government of that province, together with those of Bahar and Orixa, including the motives to this enterprize, the method in which it was accomplished, and the benefits that have accrued from thence to that country, our united company trading to the East Indies, and to the British nation. 9+133 p. L. 1760.
– Reflections on the government, &c. of Indostan; and a short sketch of the History of Bengal, from the year 1739 to 1756. Edinburgh 1761, new ed. 121 p. L. 1770.
– Observations on Mr. Vansittart’s A Narrative of the Transactions in Bengal. 50 p. L. 1766 (on Vansittart’s 1764 book).
Sources: Buckland, Dictionary; worldcat.org; stray notes in Internet. N.B. worldcat and wikidata give 1732 as the birth year, but famineanddearth.exeter.ac.uk claims he joined the E.I.C. Dacca factory in 1733.
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