| Authorised form of name | Barker; Sir; Robert (? 1729 - 1789); army officer in the East India Company and Commander in Chief in Bengal |
| Dates | ? 1729 - 1789 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | St Anne's, Soho, London, England |
| Date of birth | c. 1729 |
| Place of death | Busbridge House |
| Date of death | 14 September 1789 |
| Dates and places | Burial: Hammersmith, Middlesex, England (28 September 1789) |
| Occupation | army officer in the East India Company and Commander in Chief in Bengal |
| Activity | Education:
Career: First went to India (1749); went to India as a captain, with the rappointment of engineer, he accompanied Clive to Calcutta in command of a contingent of royal and company artillery (1756-7); went on an expedition to Manila, Philippines (1762); returned to India to protect the Nawab wazir of Oudh Shuja-ud-Daula (1766); became Commander-in-Chief, India (1769); became provincial commander-in-chief in Bengal (1769); exceeded his authority by committing the East India Company to guaranteeing a treaty and by confronting a possible Maratha Empire invasion, leading to him resigning (1773); returned to England and became MP for Wallingford (1774); the baronetcy became extinct upon his death.
Honours:
Kt 1763; Bt 1781 |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 16/03/1775 |
| Proposer | George Lewis Scott; Henry Cavendish; John Ross; William Heberden; Israel Mauduit; John Ellis; Richard Brocklesby; John Walsh; Dan Solander; John Carnac |
| Relationships | Parents: Robert Barker MD (d. 1745), of Hammersmith, Middlesex, and Hannah Whitehead, born c.1732, in the parish of St Anne's, Soho, London.
Spouse: Anne Hallows, only child of Brabazon Hallowes of Galpwell, Bolsover, Derbyshire (1780) |
| General context | Became the first distinguished artillery officer of the East India Company's army. |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB
Notes:
GEC gives year of birth as 1732.
References:
R W Home, 'The Royal Society and the Empire: the colonial and Commonwealth Fellowship. Part 1. 1731-1847' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp 307-332 |
| Royal Society code | NA7207 |
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| L&P/6/92 | Letter, 'Of making ice in the East Indies' from Robert Barker to Richard Brocklesby | 2 March 1775 |
| EC/1774/32 | Barker, Sir Robert: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| MA/134/2 | Temperature observations at sea, on a voyage from Madras [Chennai], India to Alderney, Channel Islands, by Robert Barker | 13 February-16 August 1774 |
| L&P/6/248/3 | Plate, unnamed [Perspective of figure A from preceding plate], by Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell | 1777 |
| MA/134 | Meteorological observations, at Allahabad [Prayagraj], India, and elsewhere, by Robert Barker | 1767-1774 |
| MA/134/1 | Temperature observations at Allahabad [Prayagraj], India, by Robert Barker | January-December 1767 |
| MA/134/3 | Temperature observations at the Soldiers' Barracks at Allahabad [Prayagraj], India, , by Robert Barker | 8 June 1769 |
| MA/134/4 | Extract of a letter from Alexander Champion to Robert Barker [?] | n.d. |
| L&P/8/146 | Letter, 'Of a stag's head and horns found in turf at Alport, Derbyshire' from Robert Barker to John Jebb | 23 January 1785 |
| L&P/6/107 | Paper, 'Thermometrical observations at Allahabad [Prayagraj] and of the weather in Bengal; with note from Henry Cavendish' by Robert Barker | 1775 |
| L&P/6/248/4 | Plate, unnamed [Cross sections of figure A from Plate 1], by Lieutenant colonel Archibald Campbell | 1777 |
| L&P/6/248/1 | Letter, 'Of the Brahmin observatory at Benares [Jantar Mantar, Varanasi]' from Robert Barker to John Pringle | 1777 |
| L&P/6/248 | Letter, 'Of the Brahmin observatory at Benares [Jantar Mantar, Varanasi]' from Robert Barker to John Pringle | 1777 |
| L&P/6/248/2 | Plate, unnamed [View of Jantar Mantar], by Lieutenant colonel Archibald Campbell | 1777 |