William Tolly facts for kids

William Tolly (born 1715, died 1784) was an important officer. He worked for the British East India Company. This company was a big trading group from Britain. Later, William Tolly lived in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He is famous for building a canal called Tolly's Nullah.

William Tolly's Life and Work

William Tolly was an officer in the British East India Company. He retired as a colonel. After retiring, he settled near Calcutta. He decided to dig out an old river channel. This channel was part of the Adi Ganga, which is a branch of the Hooghly River. He paid for this project himself. His goal was to make the channel deep enough for ships to use.

Building Tolly's Nullah

This canal, also known as a nullah, was dug between 1775 and 1776. It started working in 1777. People soon began calling it Tolly's Nullah. Colonel Tolly cleaned out the mud and made the channel deeper. This created a new waterway. It connected the Port of Calcutta to rivers in eastern Bengal. These rivers included the Bidyadhari and the Matla.

The canal became an important part of the Calcutta and Eastern Canals system. This system was very long, stretching over 1,127 miles. Tolly's Nullah itself was about 47 miles long. It helped connect the areas around Bengal and Assam to the Port of Calcutta. This made it easier to transport goods.

The British East India Company gave Colonel Tolly a special agreement. He could use the canal and some land next to it. He also had the right to collect money from ships that used the canal. This money was called a toll.

Other Projects

Colonel Tolly also built a market. This market was called a Ganj. It later became known as Tollygunj. Today, Tollygunj is a well-known area in Kolkata. In 1780, he bought the Belvedere area of Calcutta. He bought it from Warren Hastings, who was the first Governor-General of Bengal. Colonel Tolly then built his large house there. Some people compare him to Ferdinand de Lesseps. De Lesseps was famous for building the Suez Canal.

William Tolly passed away in 1784.

Remembering William Tolly

Today, two places in Kolkata keep William Tolly's name alive. These are Tolly's Nullah and the Tollygunj area. They serve as a reminder of his important work in the city.