Robert Palk was ordained as a deacon in 1739 at Exeter Cathedral by Bishop Weston. He began his clerical career with curacies in Egloskerry and Launcells, Cornwall, before moving to London in 1741. There, he gained the attention of Sir Robert Walpole—widely considered Britain’s first Prime Minister—who facilitated Palk’s journey to India.
In 1747, Palk was appointed naval chaplain to Admiral Edward Boscawen aboard the Namura, bound for India. He arrived at Fort St David in 1748, during a period of intense Anglo-French rivalry over trade in the region. Initially a commercial conflict, the competition escalated into military engagement, culminating in Britain formally declaring war on France over control of India. General Stringer Lawrence was tasked with forming a British army in India, earning him the title “Father of the Indian Army.” By 1773, Parliament had passed legislation transferring control of Indian affairs from the East India Company to the Crown.
In early 1749, following a public insult to Robert Clive by chaplain Francis Fordyce, Palk was appointed his replacement at Fort St David. This promotion sparked disputes over clerical seniority. In October 1750, Palk sailed to Bombay intending to resign and seek formal employment with the East India Company. However, the situation was resolved, and he returned to Fort St David in March 1751. It was then that he met Stringer Lawrence, beginning a lifelong friendship.
Robert Clive, who arrived in India nearly penniless, rose through the ranks of the East India Company with Lawrence’s mentorship. He eventually became Governor of Bengal and the 1st Baron Clive of Plassey, amassing a fortune that eclipsed even Palk’s.
In 1752, Palk was appointed “Paymaster and Commissary in the Field” for Lawrence’s army. Two years later, he and Henry Vansittart were tasked with negotiating peace terms with the French. A settlement was reached in 1755. Around this time, Robert Orme, a colleague in Madras, observed that Palk had abandoned theological studies in favor of active involvement in British affairs.
Thanks to Lawrence’s patronage, Palk began accumulating wealth. However, the East India Company directors soon ordered him to focus solely on religious duties. Unhappy with this restriction, Palk returned to England, renounced his clerical vows, and married Anne Vansittart on 7 February 1761. Anne was the sister of Henry Vansittart, a respected and affluent colleague whose family estate was Shottesbrooke Park in Berkshire.
Back in England, the East India Company faced challenges in India. During a meeting at the Company’s London headquarters, one member remarked, “Gentlemen, you forget, we have Palk at home.” The response was unanimous: “The very man!” Palk returned to India in October 1761 and joined the Company’s Council. He served on the Treasury Committee and as Export Warehouse Keeper.
Following George Pigot’s resignation in November 1763, Palk was appointed Governor of Madras. In this role, he expanded his involvement in trade and significantly increased his personal fortune.
Palk left India in January 1767 at age 50 and was warmly received by King George III and the Court of Directors. Though back in England, he remained influential in Indian affairs, mentoring others who sought fortune in the East.
He served as Member of Parliament for Ashburton in 1767, for Wareham from 1768 to 1774 (thanks to Secretary for War John Calcraft’s influence), and again for Ashburton from 1774 to 1787. His brother Walter Palk also represented Ashburton. Despite residing in Torquay and later at Haldon House near Exeter, Palk maintained ties with Ashburton, where he owned land and donated a new organ to the parish church.
Politically, Palk was a Tory who generally supported the government but opposed Lord North’s Regulating Act of 1773, which sought to reform the East India Company.
The British Museum’s Warren Hastings Correspondence includes numerous letters between Palk and Hastings, the first Governor General of India. In one letter dated March 1770, Hastings instructed Palk on the sale of diamonds:
“Dear Sir, I must trouble you again to desire that you will not sell the diamonds by an advance on the invoice price... You will be pleased therefore to open the bulses, and rate them by their quality when you dispose of them.”
On 14 November 1760, Palk was granted a coat of arms featuring a silver eagle on a black field, with the motto Deo Ducente (“With God Guiding”). He was made a baronet on 19 June 1782 by King George III in recognition of his contributions to securing British interests in India.
Sir Robert Palk died at Haldon House on 29 April 1798.
Portrait of Palk by Joshua Reynolds
