Madras Presidency. A 1914 Covenant from the Secretary of State in Council

The document is a bifolium [page size 15 x 10 ins ] printed on the first two sides and folding to a size of 10 x 4 ins. This example is made out to Christopher Hughes Maasterman. The first leaf, with all the printing and signatures is in reasonably good condition but the blank second leaf displays the typical insect damage to be seen on so many Indian paper items with a little damage along the folds. Covenanted civil servants needed to go though difficult hurdles to reach these posts which often carried very great responsibilities at a young age. This earned them the nickname of The Heaven Born. In 1914 there were just 7 Madras Covenants signed and Masterman entered the service as an Assistant Collector & Magistrate. The covenant system began under the East India Company and the arms at the right side of our home page was taken from a Company covenenant. jan19/1

Sir Christopher Hughes Masterman,C.S.I., C.I.E. [born 1889] -After Winchester & Trinity College Oxford he was on military duty from 1917 to 1919, served as a Secretary to the Government of Madras in the Education Deprtment but again on military service 1942-44. He sereved until the end of the Indian Empire and the 1948 list shows him as the fourth longest serving officer. He was appointed C.I.E. on 8 June 1939 and C.S.I. on 1 January 1944.