View source for Elihu Yale

{{Short description|British colonial administrator and namesake of Yale College}}
{{for|the American military officer|Elihu Yale (captain)}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name        = Elihu Yale
| image       = Enoch Seeman the younger - Portrait of Gov. Elihu Yale (1648-9–1721) - 1789.1 - Yale University Art Gallery.jpg
| order       =
| office      = [[Madras Presidency|President of Fort St. George]]
| term_start = 25 July 1687
| term_end  = 3 October 1692
| predecessor = [[William Gyfford]]
| successor   = [[Nathaniel Higginson]]
| term_start1  = 8 August 1684
| term_end1    = 26 January 1685
| predecessor1 = William Gyfford (Agent)
| successor1   = William Gyfford
| birth_date  = {{birth date|df=yes|1649|4|5}}
| birth_place = [[Boston]], [[Colony of Massachusetts]], [[British America]]
| death_date  = {{death date and age|df=yes|1721|7|8|1649|4|5}}
| death_place = [[London]], [[England]]
| party       =
| spouse      =
| profession  =
| religion    =
| signature   = Elihu Yale.JPG
}}

'''Elihu Yale''' (5 April 1649 – 8 July 1721) was a [[British Americans|British-American]] [[Colonialism|colonial]] administrator.

Born in [[Boston]], Massachusetts, Yale lived in America only as a child, and spent the rest of his life in [[England]], [[Wales]], and [[India]].

He became a clerk for the [[East India Company]] at [[Fort St. George]], later [[Chennai|Madras]], and eventually rose to the [[Madras Presidency|Presidency]] of the settlement. He was later removed from the post under charges of corruption for self-dealing, and required to pay a fine.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elihu-Yale |title=Elihu Yale, English merchant and philanthropist | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=4 July 2022 |date= 22 Apr 2019}}</ref>

In 1699, he returned to Britain with a considerable fortune, around £200,000 (equivalent to £{{formatprice|{{inflation|UK|200000|1699}}}} in {{inflation/year|UK}}),{{inflation/fn|UK}} mostly made by selling diamonds, and spent his time and wealth in philanthropy and art collecting.<ref name="academia1">{{Cite journal |last=Romita |first=Ray |date=2012 |title=Going Global, Staying Local: Elihu Yale the Art Collector |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23344756 |journal=Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin |pages=34–51 |jstor=23344756}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nhregister.com/colleges/article/Elihu-Yale-Today-s-diverse-university-would-11367570.php |title=Elihu Yale: Today's diverse university would please namesake, biographer says, Today's diverse Yale would please namesake, biographer says |work=[[New Haven Register]] |date=19 July 2014}}</ref>

He was the primary benefactor of [[Yale College]], now [[Yale University]], which was named in his honor, following a donation of books, portraits, and textiles at the request of Rev. [[Cotton Mather]], a [[Harvard University]] graduate. He had no male heir, and no descendants of his have survived past his grandchildren.<ref name="Bingham 1937 144">{{Cite journal |last=Bingham |first=Hiram |title=Elihu Yale : governor, collector and benefactor. |journal=Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society |date=1937 | page=144}}</ref>

In the 21st century, Yale's connections to [[slavery in India]] began to be more closely explored, a process assisted by the digitalisation and online publication of the East India Company's records.<ref name="SLA">{{cite web|title=Elihu Yale Was a Slave Trader |url=http://histi3.commons.yale.edu/2014/11/01/elihu-yale-was-a-slave-trader/ |website=Digital Histories at Yale |access-date=8 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108031612/http://histi3.commons.yale.edu/2014/11/01/elihu-yale-was-a-slave-trader/ |archive-date=8 November 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref> In 2020, [[Peter Salovey]], president of Yale University, launched the Yale and Slavery Research Project to explore the university's historical links with slavery and colonialism, including Elihu Yale's role.<ref name="auto5">{{Cite book |last=Blight |first=David W. |author-link=David W. Blight |url=https://yaleandslavery.yale.edu/sites/default/files/2024-02/Yale%20and%20Slavery%20A%20History%20Feb2024%20David%20Blight%20with%20the%20Yale%20and%20Slavery%20Research%20Project.pdf |title=Yale and Slavery: a history |date=2024 |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |isbn=978-0-300-27384-7 |location=New Haven, CT |contribution=Foreword |contributor-first=Peter |contributor-last=Salovey}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Yale was born in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], to David Yale (1613–1690), a wealthy Boston merchant and attorney to [[Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick]], and Ursula Knight; he was the grandson of Ann Yale (born Lloyd), daughter of Bishop [[George Lloyd (bishop of Chester)|George Lloyd]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=7}} After the death of her first husband, Thomas Yale Sr. (1587–1619), son of Chancellor [[David Yale (chancellor)|David Yale]], Anne Yale married [[Theophilus Eaton]], ambassador to Denmark. Eaton was the co-founder of two of the [[Thirteen British Colonies]], which are represented on the [[Flag of the United States]], mainly through the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] and the [[New Haven Colony]], and was the brother of [[Nathaniel Eaton]], [[Harvard University|Harvard]]'s first [[President of Harvard University#Presidents of Harvard|Headmaster]] and [[Chairperson|President designate]], at the founding of Harvard in 1636.

His son, Samuel Eaton, the uncle of Elihu, was also involved in the foundation of Harvard, being one of the seven founder members of the [[Harvard Corporation]], the governing board and charter that [[Incorporation (business)|incorporated]] the college in 1650. It was they, along with Elihu's uncle and aunt, [[Thomas Yale (New Haven Colony)|Thomas Yale Jr.]], and Anne Yale Jr., who brought the reconstituted Eaton/[[Yale (surname)|Yale family]] to America, while other members of the family stayed in [[England]]. Their estates in Wales were Plas-yn-Yale and Plas Grono, and Elihu's brother was London merchant Thomas Yale, later ambassador to the [[King of Siam]] for the [[East India Company]].<ref name="Yale brother1">{{cite book |last=Lenman |first=Bruce P. |year=2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oNkFBAAAQBAJ&dq=%22francis+davenport%22+yale&pg=PA210 |title=England's Colonial Wars 1550–1688: Conflicts, Empire and National Identity |publisher=Routledge |page=210|isbn=978-1-317-89882-5 }}</ref>

Elihu's father, David Yale, would later come from London to [[New Haven Colony]] with his stepfather, [[Theophilus Eaton]], in 1639.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=3}} He moved to Boston in 1641{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=5}} and met and married Elihu Yale's mother, Ursula, in 1643.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=5}} In 1652, at the age of three, Elihu Yale left [[New England]], as David Yale took his family back to London.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=7}} While documentation of this period is sparse, a letter suggests that David Yale remained a successful merchant and settled his family in the [[Hanseatic]] merchant district "[[Steelyard]] Court".{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=8}} In 1662, at the age of thirteen, Elihu Yale entered the private school of [[William Dugard]], but Dugard died a few months after Elihu Yale enrolled.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=9-10}} Yale likely lived through the [[Great Plague of London]]  and the [[Great Fire of London]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=12-14}}

==East India Company==
[[File:Fort of St.George on the Coromandel Coast, Madras, belonging to the East India Company of England, a line engraving by Jan van Ryne (1712-1760).jpg|thumb|255px|Seaview of [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]], the [[East India Company]]'s headquarters in [[Madras]], 1700s]]

In 1670, Yale joined the [[British East India Company]], starting as a [[clerk]] at [[East India House]] in  [[City of London|London]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=9-14}} Among the board was the [[George Berkeley, 1st Earl of Berkeley|Earl of Berkeley]], [[Sir Samuel Barnardiston, 1st Baronet|Sir Samuel Barnardiston]], Vice-Admiral [[Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of London|John Robinson]], and Chairman [[Andrew Riccard|Sir Andrew Riccard]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=9-14}} Yale's uncle, Connecticut Gov. [[Edward Hopkins]], was also one of the shareholders.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=9-14}} It is possible that Yale had business training in his father's merchant [[counting house]] beforehand.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=9-14}} He then sailed to [[India]] in December 1671 on one of the [[East Indiaman|East Indiamen]], on a voyage that would take six months, with the eminent dangers of [[pirate]]s, storms and diseases.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=16-19}}

He landed in [[Madras]] on 23 June 1672, at [[Fort St. George, Madras|Fort St. George]], where Portuguese, English and [[Hindu]] lived.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=9-14}} He then learned the rules of Gov. [[Sir William Langhorne, 1st Baronet|William Langhorne]], some of which being the interdiction to start a [[duel]], to desert the fort, or to blaspheme, and met with Father [[Ephrem de Nevers]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=20, 21, 26, 27}} At the time, the [[East India Company]] was already exporting to Europe [[spices]], [[Black pepper|pepper]], [[precious stone]]s, Chinese [[porcelain]]s, Japanese screens, and cotton [[cloth]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=23-25}} In 1674, Yale was sent to negotiate the potential establishment of a new factory, and by February, was allowed to deal in private trade, which included [[pearls]], [[diamond]]s, [[rubie]]s, [[sapphire]]s, [[neckcloth]]s, [[clove]]s and [[nutmeg]]s.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=23, 25, 28}} By 1677, Gov. [[Sir William Langhorne, 1st Baronet|Langhorne]] was accused of corruption by competitors within the [[East India Company|Company]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=30}} The directors were always suspicious, and with huge fortune being made six months away from London, they easily mistrust their employees.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=30}}

He was then replaced by Gov. [[Sir Streynsham Master|Streynsham Master]], the son-in-law of Richard Legh of [[Lyme Hall]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=32-34}} In April 1678, Yale was promoted to the rank of [[Factor (agent)|Factor]], doubling his salary.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=32-34}} In June arrived the Welsh chaplain [[John Evans (bishop)|John Evans]], future [[Bishop of Meath]], who would become a lifelong friend.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=32-34}} In 1679, Yale's duties now involved receiving and invoicing textiles worth about 100,000 [[Pagoda (coin)|pagodas]], consisting of neckcloths, chintz, and [[longcloth]] of various grades.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=40-43}} With the death of Joseph Hynmers, second-in-command, Yale was made Assistant to the Warehouse Keeper, and started courting his widow.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=40-43}} They married at [[St. Mary's Church, Chennai|St. Mary's Church]], the oldest [[Anglican Church]] in [[India]], on 4 November 1680, with [[Sir Henry Oxenden, 3rd Baronet|Sir Henry Oxenden]], Governor of [[Bombay]], as brideman.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=40-43}} With his wife's capital, Yale learned the trade and became a specialist in [[diamond]]s and precious stones.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=40-43}}

===Madras Council===
[[File:Company rule government hse fort stgeorge2.jpg|thumb|The Government House at [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]],  seat of the [[Madras Presidency]], where Yale would spend 29 years of his career]]

In January 1681, he was promoted to the office of Provisional Customer.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=44-46}} In the same year, Gov. [[Sir Streynsham Master|Streynsham Master]] was replaced by [[William Gyfford]], and Yale was sent as a diplomat to meet the [[Dutch East India Company|VOC]] Governor of [[History of Pulicat|Pulicat]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=44-46}} Despite Master's loyalty, the directors once again believed the charges of bad management, fueled by enemies, who brought complaints after complaints to the [[East India House|board in London]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=44-46}} According to Madras historian Arthur Pringle, the official records are full of invented circumstantial charges of injustice and fraud.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=44-46}} Yale was then promoted to the office of [[Mintmaster]], and was given a seat on the council, occupying the fifth position on a board of six, as the directors were "pleased with Elihu's behavior and ability".{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=47-51}} In 1682, he was sent to [[Parangipettai|Porto Novo]] on the [[Coromandel Coast]] to find investment opportunities for the sale of [[longcloth]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=52-53}} During his mission, a great storm struck the coast, and 14,000 persons died.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=52-53}} He made assessments of [[harbor]] facilities and fortifications, and was welcomed with [[coconut]]s as gifts of diplomacy.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=58-60}}

Yale then negotiated with [[Sikandar Adil Shah|Sikandar Shah]], the [[Sultanate of Bijapur|Sultan of Bijapur]], and obtained permission for the [[gold trade]] in his territory.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=80-81, 90-92}} In 1683, as a member of Gov. [[William Gyfford|Gyfford]]'s council, he became a cofounder of the [[The Madras Bank (1683)|Madras Bank]], the oldest in [[India]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://madrasmusings.com/Vol%2020%20No%206/madras-oldest-bank.html |title=Madras's Oldest Bank |work=Madras Musings Newspaper |volume=20 |issue=6 |date=1–15 July 2010 |access-date=8 May 2024}}</ref> On 12 February, the second-in-command was dismissed for his "language that was too independent and not sufficiently subservient in his letters".{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=93-94}} The Councilmen rose in rank, with Yale becoming Warehouse Keeper.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=93-94}} When Gov. [[William Gyfford|Gyfford]] was sent to inspect factories in the [[Bay of Bengal]], Yale became acting governor for a few months, and procured three [[elephant]]s from King [[Narai|Narai of Siam]], to be sent to the [[Gingee Fort|Sultan of Gingee]] as [[war elephant]]s.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=93-94, 102-105}} In peace time, they were used with a [[Howdah]] as status symbols, while at war, they were the prototypes of the modern [[tank]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2_Ag33WrtzIC&dq=%22prototypes+of+the+modern+tank%22&pg=PA10483 |title=Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates |volume=75, Part 9 |publisher=Government Printing Office |location=Washington, DC |year=1932 |page=10483}}</ref>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=102, 105, 124}} Yale then obtained a house and garden at [[Parangimalai|St. Thomas Mount]] for the sickly and their convalesce.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=102-105}} Thereafter, he received 3 princes from [[Sumatra, Indonesia]], bringing a letter from Sultanah [[Inayat Zakiatuddin Syah|Inayat Syah]], Queen of [[Aceh Sultanate|Acheen]], resulting in a trade agreement.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=105-111}} About this time, King [[Charles II of England]] died, with [[James II of England|James II]] ascending to the throne.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=105-111}} The change was well welcomed by the company, as the chairman, [[Sir Josiah Child]], had spent a fortune on James's ascension.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=105-111}} Yale then organized the official ceremony at [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]], with Gov. [[William Gyfford|Gyfford]] resuming his office, and received the ambassadors of Persia and Siam.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=105-111}}

===Presidency of Madras===
{{see also |Madras Presidency}}
[[File:Joppen1907India1700a.jpg|thumb|Map of the [[Mughal Empire]] in 1700, covering most of [[India]], with [[Madras]] being surrounded at the bottom right in pink]]

In July 1687, Yale was appointed [[Madras Presidency|President of Madras]] and Governor of [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]], replacing [[William Gyfford]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Vestiges Of Old Madras 1 |first=Henry Davison |last=Love |publisher=Published for the Government of India |location=London |year=1913 |page=490}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Records of Fort St. George—Fort St. George Diary and Consultation Book |year=1687 |pages=100–101}}</ref> A difficulty of the office was to deal with the native rulers through [[firman]]s, as Madras was surrounded by the [[Mughal Empire]], with rulers always asking for bribes.<ref name="Madras11">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.02148/page/21/mode/2up?q=customs |title=Fort St. George, Madras : a short history of our first possession in India |publisher=Ministry of Culture |location=London |year=1900 |page=21}}</ref> When their demands were refused, they would seize the food supplies, half starving the company's servants with a [[blockade]].<ref name="Madras11"/> In terms of size, [[Madras]] consisted of about 300,000 people, or around 6% of [[England]]'s population at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://files.ehs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/29061004/Wrigley1a.pdf |title=Population Growth: England, 1680–1820 |magazine=Recent Findings of Research in Economic & Social History |date=Autumn 1985 |page=2}}</ref> Yale had previously been popular with both the Europeans and native Indians,<ref name="inlin11"/> and reverted to the former practice of living and dining in the Fort House with merchants, [[Clerk|writers]] and factors.<ref name="inlin11">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.57371/page/n155/mode/2up?q=popular |title=History Of The City Of Madras |first=C. S. |last=Srinivasachari |publisher=P. Varadachary & Co. |location=Madras |year=1939 |pages=97–98}}</ref>

With Yale's nomination, [[Sir Josiah Child]] hoped that Madras would be less critical of [[London]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=102-105}} As the [[East India House|East India Company's headquarters]] were thousands of miles away, the board implemented policies that were not well adapted to the conditions in Madras.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=137-210}} Letters took 6 months to be received, sometimes over a year, making communications difficult.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=102-105}} One of these policies was the creation of a new tax upon Madras inhabitants that Yale had now to carry out, which caused a local [[rebellion]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=102-105}} During this time, they accused him of not cutting expenses down, such as keeping a [[Indian tiger|Bengal tiger]] at the fort, among other things.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=139-140}} Those who were taxed the most were the owners of the 128 houses within the fort, which half belonged to the [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] merchants.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=173-174, 178-180}} The company's chairman sent a letter to Yale, writing that "your elaborate arguments to persuade us not to impose a moderate duty upon the Portuguese and other inhabitants of our city of Madras, whom we do protect and exceedingly encourage in their several vocations, have no weight at all with us".{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=173-174, 178-180}}

Yale had received similar letters during the Great Famine under Gov. [[William Gyfford|Gyfford]], where they had refused to collect taxes, with the directors replying that "you are still fencing against our creating revenue at the Fort, with slight, insignificant arguments, wherein the worst is that you should have so mean an opinion of us, as to think such sophistical reasons will make any impressions on our judgment".{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=173-174, 178-180}} The directors also gave the order to close the Garden House, which was used for those who were resting outside the city, having a place to eat.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=139-140}} Yale didn't follow this order and kept Gov. [[William Gyfford|Gyfford]] there as his health was fragile.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=139-140}} During August 1687, Yale is then recorded corresponding with the Ambassador of Shah [[Suleiman I of Persia|Suleiman of Persia]], regarding his arrival with a [[Koran]] to try to convert the Siamese king to [[Mohammedanism]], which the latter refused.<ref name="Persia11">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/englishintercou01andegoog/page/250/mode/2up?q=yale |title=English intercourse with Siam in the seventeenth century |first1=John |last1=Anderson |publisher=Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. |location=London |year=1890 |pages=251–252}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Matthee |first=Rudi |year=2015 |title=SOLAYMĀN I |editor-last=Yarshater |editor-first=Ehsan |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Iranica |edition=Online}}{{full citation needed|date=July 2024}}</ref> Being bankrupt after his failed mission, Yale loaned him money, which was never repaid.<ref>{{cite book |title=Records of Fort St. George. Diary and consultation book 1686–1689 |pages=132–201}}{{full citation needed|date=July 2024}}</ref><ref name="Persia11"/>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=138-140}}

===Anglo-Siamese War===
{{see also |Anglo-Siamese War}}
[[File:Fort St. George, Madras.jpg|thumb|225px|[[Warship]]s attacking [[Fort St. George, Madras]], along the [[Coromandel Coast]]. c. 1731 by Beorbe Lambert and [[Samuel Scott (painter)|Samuel Scott]]]]

For many years, merchants of Madras and [[Thailand|Siam]] were trading partners in the [[Andaman Sea]], trading in [[Rhinoceros#Horn use|rhinoceros horns]], [[Tusk|elephant tusks]], [[copper]] and other commodities.<ref name="relations siam1"/> Yale's brother, Thomas Yale, became ambassador to King [[Narai the Great|Narai of Siam]], and during this time, Elihu would entertain at his house the French ambassador and [[musketeer]], Count [[Claude de Forbin]], drinking to the health of the royal families of England and France.<ref>{{cite book |last=Anderson |first=John |year=1890 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2F4oAAAAYAAJ&q=yale+ambassador+siam&pg=PA489 |title=English Intercourse with Siam in the Seventeenth Century |publisher=Kegan Paul, Trench, Turbner & Co. |location=London |pages=367–368}}</ref><ref name="Yale brother1"/><ref name="Siam11"/> But around August 1687, disputes regarding Siam's strategic importance emerged among [[European powers]], and Gov. Yale was charged by King [[Narai the Great|Narai]]'s agents regarding the sale of jewels, which they estimated having overpaid by 25%.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=131-132}} The man behind the charges was a Greek named [[Constantine Phaulkon]], who wanted to lower English's influence over King Narai, and get him closer to [[Louis XIV]] of France through [[Chevalier de Chaumont]].<ref name="relations siam1">{{cite book |title=Records of the Relations Between Siam and Foreign Countries in the 17th Century, Great Britain |publisher=India Office |year=1916}}{{full citation needed|date=July 2024}}</ref>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=131-132}}

This trading dispute started the [[Anglo-Siamese War]], with Yale acting on behalf of King [[James II of England]], which resulted in number of casualties for the company, as cities were now being robbed by Siameses.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=131-132}} Some English merchants at Siam sided with the enemy, and became involved in acts of [[piracy]], which had Yale send [[warship]]s in retaliation against Englishmen who changed sides.<ref name="relations siam1"/> No peace treaty was ever signed, but the war against the [[East India Company|Company]] will eventually stop around 1688.<ref>{{cite book |first=D. G. E. |last=Hall |title=A History of South-East Asia |edition=4th |publisher=Macmillan |year=1981 |pages=392–397}}</ref> In London, the directors investigated the accusations of the Siameses on Yale and cleared his name, declaring that "you can not be ignorant that Phaulkon himself in the King of Siam's name, began the war... upon a pretense that Mr. Yale injured the King of Siam in a bargain".{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=131-132}} [[Constantine Phaulkon|Phaulkon]]'s alliance with France would later cost him his life, being assassinated by the Siameses nobles during the [[Siamese revolution of 1688]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=131-132}} On 11 August 1687, Yale approved the recall of several Englishmen to Madras detained by Prussian [[Wolf Henrik von Kalnein]], governor of [[List of governors of Tranquebar|Tranquebar]] under the [[Danish East India Company|Danish East India Co.]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Records of Fort St. George. Diary and consultation book 1686–1689 |pages=123–127}}{{full citation needed|date=July 2024}}</ref>

===Siege of Golconda===
{{see also |Siege of Golconda}}
[[File:Aurangzeb during the siege of Golconda, 1687 (Hyderabad, India).jpg|thumb|210px|Mughal Emperor [[Aurangzeb]] on his [[war elephant]] during the [[Siege of Golconda]]. Unknown artist, 1750–1790]]

About a month later, on 22 September 1687, Mughal Emperor [[Aurangzeb]] conquered the nearby [[Golconda|Kingdom of Golconda]], defeating Sultan [[Abul Hasan Qutb Shah|Abul Shah]] at the [[Siege of Golconda]], ending the [[Qutb Shahi dynasty]].<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.academia.edu/en/49053786/Military_strategy_under_Aurangzeb |title=Military Strategy Under Aurangzeb |first=Farhan |last=Khan |publisher=Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution |page=4}}{{better source needed|reason=This is a school assignment.|date=July 2024}}</ref>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=141, 149, 158, 163, 184}} Aurangzeb was a member of [[Timurid dynasty|Tamerlane's dynasty]], and his [[Mumtaz Mahal|parents]], founders of the [[Taj Mahal]], were [[Mughal-Mongol genealogy|direct descendants]] of [[Genghis Khan]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Spear |first=T.G. Percival |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aurangzeb |title=Aurangzeb |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |date=7 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/summary/Key-People-of-the-Mughal-Dynasty |title=Key People of the Mughal Dynasty |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |date=23 Sep 2020 |access-date=16 May 2024}} See [[Babur]], his ancestor, and [[Mughal-Mongol genealogy]]</ref> As Yale expected the Mughal's revenge for the [[Anglo-Mughal war (1686–1690)|Anglo-Mughal War]] started by the directors in [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]], he prepared for war and raised a Portuguese militia, but as the [[List of emperors of the Mughal Empire|Mughal]] had thousands of [[war elephant]]s, he and the council had no choice but to pay him 50,000 [[Pagoda (coin)|pagoda]]s to keep the [[East India Company|Company]]'s activities in Madras.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=141, 149, 158, 163, 184}} Gov. Yale was now under the overlordship of the Islamic [[Mughal Empire]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Golconda-historical-city-India |title=Golconda |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |date=22 Jan 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Qutb-Shahi-dynasty |title=Quṭb Shāhī dynasty |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |date=12 Nov 2023 |access-date=16 May 2024}}</ref> He sent diplomats to pay Emperor [[Aurangzeb]], one of which was his friend Daniel Chardin, diamond merchant and brother of [[John Chardin|Sir Jean Chardin]], Yale's partner in England.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=141, 149, 158, 163, 184}} He also sent letters to Mughal general [[Mahabat Khan]], and complied with the ceremonies of prince [[Muhammad Kam Bakhsh|Muhammad Bakhs]] and prime minister [[Asad Khan (Mughal noble)|Asad Khan]].<ref>Van Meersbergen, Guido (2022). [https://books.google.com/books?id=htFKEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Shah+Jahan%22+%22elihu+yale%22&pg=PA160 Ethnography and Encounter: The Dutch and English in Seventeenth-Century], European Expansion and Indigenous Response, Volume: 35, Leiden, Brill, p. 160</ref> The situation was delicate as the Dutch and [[Louis XIV]] at [[Versailles]] were also trying to get the Mughal in their favor, and the directors would hold Yale responsible if anything went wrong, including failing to keep the [[Golconda diamonds]] trade from the [[Kollur Mines]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=159-160}}

At the time, [[India]] was the world producer of diamonds, with [[Golconda Fort|Golconda]] producing 60% of its total output.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=149}} Most of Yale's private fortune will be obtained from this trade with the [[Moghul Emperor|Moghul]], who received royalties, while Yale used his expertise and capital to hold on these stones until they were [[facet]]ed and polished in [[Amsterdam]], on their way to London.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=151}} The process took on average 3 years before getting a return on investment, and Yale had 50 trained men to protect the goods from [[robber]]s during transportation.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=151}} By 1688, [[Sir Josiah Child]], the [[East India Company|Company]]'s largest shareholder, retired with a fortune of about £200,000 (equivalent to £{{formatprice|{{inflation|UK|200000|1688}}}} in {{inflation/year|UK}}),{{inflation/fn|UK}} and married his daughter to the son of the [[Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort|1st Duke of Beaufort]] at [[Badminton House]].<ref name="Evelyn p. 305">Evelyn, The Diary of John Evelyn, p. 305</ref><ref>[https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/member/somerset-charles-1660-98 SOMERSET, Charles, Marquess of Worcester (1660–98)], Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690–1715, ed. D. Hayton, E. Cruickshanks, S. Handley, 2002</ref><ref>[https://www.badmintonestate.com/the-estate/history/ A Short History of the Estate], Badmintonestate.com, Accessed 10 May 2024</ref> During the same year, Yale welcomed the [[Armenian people|Armenian]] merchants to establish themselves at [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]] following their persecution in Europe.<ref>Fort St. George, Madras: A Short History of Our First Possession in India, Mrs. Frank Penny, Swan Sonnenschein & Co., London, 1900, p. 117-118</ref> In July, he sent diplomats for the arrival of Dutch Gov. [[Johannes Camphuys]], and on 29 September 1688, he inaugurated the [[Madras Corporation]], where [[Nathaniel Higginson]] was elected its first mayor, with Amsterdam merchant [[Jacques de Paiva]] and others, elected on its board.<ref>[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Madras_in_the_olden_time-_Being_a_history_on_the_presidency_from_1639_-_1702_%28IA_dli.venugopal.633%29.pdf Madras in the Olden Time, History of the Presidency], J. Talboys Wheeler, Madras, 1861, p. 187-189</ref><ref>Fischel, Walter J. "The Jewish Merchant-Colony in Madras (Fort St. George) during the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Contribution to the Economic and Social History of the Jews in India (Concluded)."[https://doi.org/10.2307/3596295 Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient], vol. 3, no. 2, 1960. JSTOR. Accessed 10 May 2024, p. 1 p. 176-177</ref><ref name="Paiva1">[https://archive.org/details/fortstgeorgemadr01penn_0/page/110/mode/2up Fort St. George, Madras; a short history of our first possession in India], Fanny Emily Penny, Swan Sonnenschein, London, 1900, p. 110-111</ref> Initially founded to restrain Yale's powers as governor, it became the oldest corporation in [[India]], and the second oldest municipal body in the world after the [[City of London Corporation|City of London]].<ref>{{cite news|title= Chennai – the 2nd oldest Corporation in the world|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chennai-the-2nd-oldest-corporation-in-the-world/article5180124.ece|work=[[The Hindu]]|location=Chennai}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/04/02/stories/2003040200100300.htm|title=The Hindu : The first corporation|date=28 January 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040128034716/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/04/02/stories/2003040200100300.htm |archive-date=28 January 2004 }}</ref><ref>Murray, John (1920). [https://books.google.com/books?id=spJEAQAAMAAJ&dq=oldest+corporation+in+india+%22madras%22&pg=PA548 A Handbook for Travellers in India, Burma and Ceylon], Calcutta: Thacker, Spink, & Co., p. 548</ref> Paiva's widow, Hieronima, would become Yale's mistress and bear him a son named Charles.<ref name="Ameri11">[https://www.americanantiquarian.org/proceedings/44806952.pdf Elihu Yale, Governor, Collector and Benefactor], Hiram Bingham, American Antiquarian Society, 1937, p. 116</ref>

===Anglo-Dutch relations===
[[File:Ft St David, c.1763.jpg|thumb|A fleet arriving at [[Fort St. David]] on the left, in [[Cuddalore]]. c. 1763 by [[Francis Swaine]]]]

Following the [[English Revolution of 1688]], [[William III of England|William of Orange]], a Dutch, ascended to the throne of England, replacing [[James II of England|James II]], which was a fatal blow for [[Sir Josiah Child]] who had bet on the wrong side.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=211-212}} The past wars between the Dutch and English [[merchant]]s in Madras were now settled, and both started to form alliances through marriage.<ref name="Fort dutch1"/>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=211-212}} From then on, the directors' letters to Yale changed in tone.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=211-212}} [[Sir William Langhorne, 1st Baronet|Sir Langhorne]] started complimenting him on his private trade in diamonds, as they now saw it as a way to expand the company to new markets without having to bear the risks themselves.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=211-212}} Yale tried to build routes at [[Mindanao]], the second largest island of the [[Philippines]], getting from them [[Clove]] and [[Ironwood]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=211-212}} He was then put on a secret committee with [[Sir John Child, 1st Baronet|Sir John Child]], governor of [[Bombay]], and [[Nathaniel Higginson]], mayor of Madras, to plan the establishment of a new fort near the [[South Seas]], to engage in trade with [[China]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=211-212}} On 17 March 1689, Yale received the arrival of Commander [[Job Charnock]], with his staff and four companies of soldiers.<ref name="Charnock11">Fort St. George, Madras: A Short History of Our First Possession in India, Mrs. Frank Penny, Swan Sonnenschein & Co., London, 1900, p. 120-123</ref> He arrived from a failed mission that consisted of [[Blockade|blocking]] and seizing the ships of Mughal [[Aurangzeb]], who had attacked the company's ships in the [[Bay of Bengal]], and taken control of [[Chittagong]] during the [[Anglo-Mughal war (1686–1690)|Anglo-Mughal War]].<ref name="Charnock11"/>

[[Job Charnock|Charnock]] stayed in Madras for a few months under Gov. Yale's protection, which caused dissensions in the council for fear of the Mughal's revenge.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=233-236}}<ref name="Charnock11"/> The Council eventually outvoted Yale, and Charnock was forced to leave, where he would found the city of [[Calcutta]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=233-236}}<ref name="Charnock11"/> In July, 1690, news of the war between [[William III of England|William of Orange]] and [[Louis XIV]] of France arrived in [[Madras]], and Yale prepared [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]] once more for war.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=238}} On 15 August, the French sent seven [[warship]]s to attack the [[Madras]] roads, along with one [[fireship]].<ref name="Fort dutch1">Fort St. George, Madras: A Short History of Our First Possession in India, Mrs. Frank Penny, Swan Sonnenschein & Co., London, 1900, p. 113-114</ref> The fort was protected by a [[garrison]] of 700 soldiers under Gov. Yale, with the help of a Dutch fleet.<ref>Governor Elihu Yale, Papers of the New Haven Colony, Volume 3, New Haven Colony Historical Society, New Haven, 1882, p. 235</ref> Combat lasted a few hours, and the French were repulsed by the fort's guns, after which they didn't return.<ref name="Fort dutch1"/> Yale then negotiated the release of Englishmen, dealing with Moghul general [[Shaista Khan]], along with Daniel Chardin, who was sent to the [[Vimaladharmasuriya II of Kandy|King of Kandy]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|pp=216-220}} In 1690, Yale's brother negotiated with [[Rajaram I|Rama Raja]], the [[Chhatrapati]] of the [[Maratha Confederacy|Marathas]], for the acquisition of a fort at Devanampatnam on behalf of the company, which was sold for 40,000 [[Pagoda (coin)|pagodas]].<ref name="fort david11">[https://isarasolutions.com/books/113/book.pdf The English East India Company and Trade in Coromandel, 1640–1740], A S Shngreiyo, 2017, p. 34-35</ref> They renamed the place [[Fort St. David]] in honor of a [[Saint David|Welsh saint]].<ref>Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fort-Saint-David Fort Saint David]". Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Dec. 2014. Accessed 8 May 2024.</ref><ref name="fort david11"/> On 28 December, they supplied ammunition to general [[Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung|Zulfiqar Khan]], son of [[List of Mughal grand viziers|Grand Vizier]] [[Asad Khan (Mughal noble)|Asad Khan]], from which they obtained the [[firman]] for the territories of [[Visakhapatnam|Vizagapatam]], [[Gingee Fort|Gingee]] and Golconda.<ref>[https://ia600900.us.archive.org/20/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.24029/2015.24029.The-Chronology-Of-Modern-India_text.pdf The Chronology Of Modern India], James Burges, John Grant Co., Edinburgh, 1913, p. 133</ref> During this year, Yale was also instrumental to the development of the [[Government General Hospital]] for Madras soldiers.<ref>[http://www.madrasmedicalcollege.edu/history.htm Madras Medical College History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224132159/http://www.madrasmedicalcollege.edu/history.htm |date=24 February 2007 }}</ref>

===Slavery===
[[File:Elihu Yale by an unknown artist.jpeg|thumb|right|''[[Elihu Yale with Members of his Family and an Enslaved Child]]'', unknown artist, c. 1708]]
Records of the period indicate a flourishing [[Slave Trade|slave trade]] in Madras.<ref name="auto11">{{cite book |last=Blight |first=David W.|author-link=David W. Blight |date=2024 |title=Yale and Slavery: a history |url=https://yaleandslavery.yale.edu/sites/default/files/2024-02/Yale%20and%20Slavery%20A%20History%20Feb2024%20David%20Blight%20with%20the%20Yale%20and%20Slavery%20Research%20Project.pdf |location=New Haven, Connecticut |publisher=Yale University Press |pages=44–45 |isbn=978-0-300-27384-7}}</ref> After English merchants began to kidnap young children and deport them to distant parts of the world, the administration of Fort St George stepped in and introduced laws to curb the practice. On 2 February 1688, Elihu Yale decreed that slaves should be examined by the judges of the [[choultry]] before being transported. Transportation of young children, in particular, was made unlawful.{{sfn|Bingham|1939}}{{page needed|date=July 2024}} During his tenure as [[President of Madras]], Yale ordered a minimum of 10 slaves sent on every ship going to Europe, and on a month in 1687, Fort St George exported at least 665 slaves.<ref name="auto11"/> In his judicial capacity he also on several occasions sentenced so-called "black criminals" to [[Flagellation|whipping]] and enslavement.<ref name="auto11"/><ref name="SLA"/> Evidence as to whether Yale personally owned slaves, or participated directly in their sale is inconclusive; the historian [[Steven Pincus]] suggests that he did not,<ref>{{cite web|first=Valerie|last=Pavilonis |title="Cancel Yale"? Not likely.|url=https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2020/06/28/cancel-yale-not-likely/|access-date=2020-07-20|website=yaledailynews.com|date=28 June 2020|language=en}}</ref> while, in a 2016 article in the ''[[Journal of Global History]]'', Elizabeth Kuebler-Wolf stated that he enslaved one or two people as household servants, citing explorer [[Hiram Bingham III|Hiram Bingham]]'s 1939 book ''Elihu Yale''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Keubler-Wolf |first=Elizabeth |date=11 October 2016 |title='Born in America, in Europe bred, in Africa travell'd and in Asia wed': Elihu Yale, material culture, and actor networks from the seventeenth century to the twenty-first |url=https://doi.org/10.1017/S1740022816000176 |journal=[[Journal of Global History]] |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=320–43 |doi=10.1017/S1740022816000176 |via=Cambridge Core|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Historian Joseph Yannielli writes that although Yale "probably did not own any of these people – the majority were held as the property of the [[East India Company]] – he certainly profited both directly and indirectly from their sale",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yannielli |first=Joseph |date=2014-11-01 |title=Elihu Yale was a Slave Trader |url=http://digitalhistories.yctl.org/2014/11/01/elihu-yale-was-a-slave-trader/ |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=Digital Histories @ Yale |language=en-US}}</ref> while the [[Sterling Professor]] [[David W. Blight]] suggests that Yale's personal ownership is "not a key question [...] some portion of [his] considerable fortune derived from his myriad entanglements with the purchase and sale of human beings" through his "key leadership role in the business of [[human trafficking]]".<ref name="auto5"/>

===The Groom===
Gov. Yale's story of having hanged his groom for taking his favorite horse on a day is a false story that was propagated by privateer [[Alexander Hamilton (sailor)|Alexander Hamilton]].<ref name="Groom1">Bingham (1939), Chapter XIII : The Hanging of the Groom, p. 205-208</ref> The events were as follow: In August 1689, two soldiers of [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]] stole [[Musket|gun]]s, horses, and other items, and left Madras as fugitives with a group of five [[Maratha Confederacy|confederate]]s to join the enemy's army during war time.<ref name="Groom1"/> One was named George Isaac, and the other was named Charles Cross, the latter being not only a soldier but also one of the [[Groom (profession)|grooms]] of the fort's stables.<ref name="Groom1"/> They were captured by the [[Polygar|Polligars]] on their way to the [[Mughal Emperor|Mughal]] and surrendered to Madras on condition of showing them mercy, which was initially agreed, but once arrived, Gov. Yale and the Council decided to have them sentenced for [[treason]] and [[desertion]].<ref name="Groom1"/> One was executed before the [[stable]]s, the other was shot in front of the fort's gate.<ref name="Groom1"/> Thirty-eight years later, Capt. [[Alexander Hamilton (sailor)|Hamilton]] wrote about the event in his memoirs, from a "weal and treacherous memory".<ref name="Groom1"/> As a past employee who became a [[Privateer]], he never forgave the taxes the [[East India Company|Company]] forced upon him during his private travels, and his depiction of the time, always critical of his past employer, are not considered faithful about the period.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/fortstgeorgemadr01penn_0/page/88/mode/2up Fort St. George, Madras; a short history of our first possession in India], Fanny Emily Penny, S. Sonnenschein, London, 1900, p. 88-89</ref><ref name="Groom1"/>

==Elihu Yale v. East India Co.==
[[File:Kensington.Palace.by.Kip.1724.jpg|thumb|260px|[[Kensington Palace]], 1700s, where Elihu Yale's case was heard by the King of England, [[William III of England|William of Orange]], and his [[Privy Council (United Kingdom)|Privy Council]]]]

The later years of Yale's governance was marked by serious conflicts between his [[Madras Presidency|Presidency]] and the council, coming from Thomas Gray, [[Sir Josiah Child]]'s servant, and lawyer [[William Fraser (British administrator)|William Fraser]], a man known for his violent temper.<ref>Madras in the Olden Time; History of the Presidency, J. Talboys Wheeler, Asian Educational Services, Madras, 1993, p. 126</ref>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=171-215-216-250-251}} They accused Yale of trying to get military power into his own hands.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=171-215-216-250-251}} In 1691, Yale then received several Indian merchants and citizens who came to complain about Fraser's behaviour as new [[List of mayors of Chennai#List of mayors|Mayor of Madras]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=265-268}} Fraser had imprisoned four of their friends for refusing to sign an [[Arbitration|arbitration proceeding]], and were stuck without food adapted to their religion.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=265-268}} Yale ordered the [[marshal]] to temporarily release them to their private homes, and reversed other sentences made by the Mayor's Court.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.57371/page/n165/mode/2up?q=yale History Of The City Of Madras], C. S. Srinivasachari, University of Madras, P. Varadachary & Co., Madras, 1939, p. 105</ref>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=265-268}} Yale wrote in his letter that "he would have been unfaithful to his trust had he permitted an innocent man to starve to death in prison".{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=265-268}} On 1 October 1692, letters arrived from London with accusations against Yale, making [[Nathaniel Higginson]] the new [[Madras Presidency|President of Madras]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=268-269-270-272}} According to Madras historian Fanny Penny, the accusations were the same as with past governors, being the "old story of private trade, jealousy on the part of his fellow-merchants, and suspicion and distrust at home as his wealth accumulated".<ref name="Council121">[https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.02148/page/131/mode/2up?q= Fort St. George, Madras: A Short History of Our First Possession in India], Fanny Emily Penny, Swan Sonnenschein & Co., London, 1900, p. 131-132-133</ref>

By then, Yale's fortune was at £205,000 (equivalent to £{{formatprice|{{inflation|UK|205000|1692}}}} in {{inflation/year|UK}}),{{inflation/fn|UK}} which was the same as the [[East India Company|Company]]'s former chairman and largest shareholder, [[Sir Josiah Child]].<ref name="Mad91">Madras in the Olden Time; History of the Presidency, J. Talboys Wheeler, Asian Educational Services, Madras, 1993, p. 129</ref><ref name="Evelyn p. 305"/>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=209-210-265-268}} On 23 November, [[John Goldsborough|Sir John Goldsborough]] and judge [[John Dolben (politician)|John Dolben]] arrived in Madras for Yale's investigation.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=274-276}} The [[Councillor]]s took the law into their own hands, and had the Yale brothers imprisoned, and fearing of being poisoned, Yale wrote a letter to be delivered to the King of England by his brother, who will leave Madras on 20 February 1694.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=249-262-263-284-290-292}} The investigators then inspected the fortifications around Black Town, the [[South Indian|Indian]] natives's neighborhood.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=274-276}} Yale had built the walls with the company's fund to protect the town against invasions of the [[Mughal Emperor]], but having not followed the directors's order to tax the natives for it, he was fined 3484 [[Pagoda (coin)|pagoda]]s with interest by the [[East India Company|Company]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=274-276}} Goldsborough then sent a group of [[musketeer]]s to [[Catherine Nicks|Mrs. Nicks]]'s house, Yale's friend, to investigate fraud charges regarding [[cloth]]s, where she would be fined for her husband's mistakes.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=274-276}} Not having enough money to pay the taxes to bring her children home to England, she would be forced to sail without them.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=278-282}} For Yale's trial, [[William Fraser (British administrator)|William Fraser]] was first put on the court, but Yale had him temporarily displaced after Fraser had imprisoned a [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] merchant for four years upon suspicion alone.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=274-276}} By July, [[Sir John Goldsborough]] concluded his investigation, and left the countercharges to Fraser, not finding any evidence that Yale had defrauded the [[East India Company]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=278-282}} His fines were based for the most part on technicalities, where he had not followed orders or made errors of judgment.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=278-282}}

===The case reaches London===
[[File:Adam Callander (1750-1817) - Shipping off Madras - BHC1890 - Royal Museums Greenwich.jpg|thumb|225px|An [[East Indiaman]] ship sailing off [[Madras]], such as used by Yale for his return to England in 1699]]

Ten months later, while still in prison, Yale's brother arrived in London in 1695, and appealed directly to the King's [[Privy Council (United Kingdom)|Privy Council]] on 14 February at [[Kensington Palace]], contesting the accusations.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=284-285-291-296}} The Privy Council ordered a reply from the [[East India Company]] but were not impressed by their statements against Yale's activities, therefore they ordered, on behalf of the king, to stop all the company's ships that were ready to sail for [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]] in India.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=284-285-291-296}} Yale's case was given to [[Thomas Rawlinson (1647–1708)|Sir Thomas Rawlinson]], and was attended by the King of England, [[William III of England|William of Orange]], Prince [[George of Denmark]], Archbishop [[Thomas Tenison]] and the principal ministers.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=284-285-291-296}} They ordered that the [[Attorney General for England and Wales|Attorney General]] examine the charter granted to the whole [[East India Company|Company]], and to examine their powers in matters of [[Judiciary|judicature]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=284-285-291-296}} Their investigation was brought to [[UK Parliament|Parliament]], where they discovered [[bribery|briberies]] made by [[Sir Josiah Child]] and [[Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet|Sir Thomas Cook]] to [[Tory]] members.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=284-285-291-296}} Thereafter, the King of England, [[William III of England|William of Orange]], ordered on 15 March 1695, the liberation of Elihu Yale, so that he could come back to England whenever he chose, with the additional order of giving him the [[Cabin (ship)#Sailing ships|Great Cabin]] in the Company [[Sailing ship|ship]] of his choosing when he would be ready to sail home.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=290-294-298-300}}{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=284-285-291-296}} When the letter reached [[Madras]] ten months later on 8 January 1696, Yale was immediately offered a ship for Britain, but having already served the company for over 20 years, he decided to stay as [[William Fraser (British administrator)|Fraser]] was still on his case.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=284-285-291-296}}

Fraser then suggested to [[Sir Josiah Child]] that Yale had poisoned four members of the Council over the years.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=285-289-296-297}} Fraser's case relied on statements made by two Indian natives that were not sworn, where they said that they had heard someone, who is now dead, say that somebody else, who has now left Madras, that two of Yale's enemies were still alive, and that they would be dead soon.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=285-289-296-297}} Based on native [[gossip]]s, the directors dismissed the case.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=285-289-296-297}} Thereafter, president [[Nathaniel Higginson|Higginson]] was told by his servant of seven years that [[William Fraser (British administrator)|Fraser]] had threatened him twice, to which he replied that he had beaten him because he didn't like his [[As-salamu alaykum|Salams]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=285-289-296-297}} Fraser was then charged and banned from the council.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=285-289-296-297}} With Fraser removed, Yale stayed at [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]] for some years, and over time, cleared his name of all scandal<ref name="Council121"/> and developed his diamond business.<ref name="Mad91"/>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=209-210-265-268}} Gov. [[Thomas Pitt]], who would find the [[Pitt Diamond]], became Yale's partner, as the [[East India Company|Company]] had now removed all restrictions on private trade.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=298-300}} In 1699, after a 30 years career in India, Yale decided to sail home, and was granted the usual privilege of past governors to bring back five tons of goods, which he filled with [[diamond]]s, [[rubies]], [[sapphire]]s, [[Chinese ceramics|Chinaware]]s, [[Persian carpet]]s, [[nutmeg]]s, and other items.<ref name="Trubner21">[https://archive.org/details/englishintercou01andegoog/page/452/mode/2up?q=yale English intercourse with Siam in the seventeenth century], John Anderson, Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., London, 1890, p. 451-453
</ref> He decided to have [[Thomas Pitt|Gov Pitt]]'s ship as his vessel, and brought back with him the children of [[Catherine Nicks|Mrs. Nicks]].<ref name="Trubner21"/> Over time, the old accusations against the company's officers enriching themselves at their expense appeared less frequently, as the directors learned that their employees could grow wealthy while advancing their commercial interests.<ref name="Council121"/>

==Return to Britain==
[[File:Elihu Yale, merchant, London residence.jpg|thumb|Elihu Yale and his London home, possibly by [[Michael Dahl]], gifted by [[Joseph Verner Reed Jr.]] and Sr.]]

Yale arrived in Britain in 1699 with a fortune that amounted to £200,000 (equivalent to £{{formatprice|{{inflation|UK|200000|1699}}}} in {{inflation/year|UK}}),{{inflation/fn|UK}} mostly made from his [[Golconda diamonds|diamond]] business in the [[Golconda|Golconda mines]] and [[Kollur Mine|Kollur mines]] in Southern India.<ref name="auto6">Scarisbrick, Diana (2014). Elihu Yale: Merchant, Collector & Patron, Thames & Hudson, First Edition, p. 149</ref><ref name="academia1"/><ref>[https://www.nhregister.com/colleges/article/Elihu-Yale-Today-s-diverse-university-would-11367570.php Elihu Yale: Today's diverse university would please namesake, biographer says, Today's diverse Yale would please namesake, biographer says], New Haven Register, 19 July 2014</ref> In relation to [[GDP]], his fortune amounted to 1/4 % of UK's GDP at the time, which translates to nearly 6 billion British pounds in 2021 money.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/ukcompare/|title=Five Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a UK Pound Amount, 1270 to Present|website=MeasuringWorth.com|access-date=2023-02-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/ukcompare/relativevalue.php?use2=a%3A5%3A%7Bi%3A0%3Bs%3A3%3A%22CPI%22%3Bi%3A1%3Bs%3A6%3A%22DEFIND%22%3Bi%3A2%3Bs%3A4%3A%22WAGE%22%3Bi%3A3%3Bs%3A5%3A%22GDPCP%22%3Bi%3A4%3Bs%3A4%3A%22GDPC%22%3B%7D&amount=200000&year_source=1699&year_result=2021&button=Submit|title=Measuring Worth, inflation rates, relative value, worth of a pound, purchasing power, GDP, history of wages, real wage, growth calculator|website=MeasuringWorth.com|access-date=2022-10-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.measuringworth.com/datasets/ukgdp/|title=What Was the U.K. GDP Then? Annual Observations in Table and Graphical Format 1700 to the Present|website=MeasuringWorth.com|access-date=2022-10-20}}</ref> Famous diamonds extracted from these mines over time have included the [[Orlov (diamond)|Orlov Diamond]], belonging to [[Catherine the Great]], the [[Hope Diamond]], belonging to [[Louis XIV]], the [[Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond]], belonging to the [[Habsburgs]], among others.<ref>[https://www.famsf.org/stories/the-exchange-of-diamonds The Exchange of Diamonds], Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, 19 November 2018, Accessed 17 May 2024</ref><ref>[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/a-new-diamond-unveiled-at-natural-history-museum-111523819/ A New Diamond Unveiled at Natural History Museum], Megan Gambino, The Smithsonian, 29 January 2010, Accessed 17 May 2024</ref> Yale acquired rough stones from the [[Mughal Emperor]]s of [[Golconda]] in exchange for a royalty, and were sent to [[Fort St. George, India]], under the protection of 50 trained men.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=151}} Thereafter, Yale would send the diamonds to [[Amsterdam]] to be [[facet]]ed and polished, until ready to be shipped to London.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=151}} The process took on average 3 years and needed large amounts of capital to endure setbacks, such as wars and political instability.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=151-158-163}}

During the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], shipments would get stolen by [[pirate]]s on their way to Europe, and once there, the [[List of the last monarchs in Europe|Europeans princes]] and nobility would lack the funds to acquire them, forcing some merchants into bankruptcy.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=151-158-163}} Demand followed the [[Coronation|Coronations of monarchs]], [[royal court]] events, war victories and other ceremonies.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=158-163}} It became the most important branch of private trade of [[East India Company|East India]] employees between [[Madras]] and London.<ref name="Diamonds t1">Mentz, Søren. "Merchants and States: Private Trade and the Fall of Madras, 1746." Journal of Indian Ocean World Studies 2, no. 1 (2018), p. 42-43-44</ref> Along with [[Jean Chardin|Sir Jean Chardin]] and [[Jean-Baptiste Tavernier]], Yale became one of the largest European diamond traders in the world, as nearly all diamonds came from India during that period.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2015/deccan-sultans/exhibition-galleries/section-one|title=Section One, Diamonds of the Deccan|website=metmuseum.org|access-date=2022-10-20}}</ref>{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=149}} Chardin, the past jewel merchant of the [[Abbas II of Persia|Shah of Persia]], was also one his partners.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=48}}<ref name="Diamonds t1"/> He kept doing business with his friends Gov. [[Thomas Pitt]], grandfather of prime minister [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt]], and [[Charles Cotterell|Sir Charles Cotterell]], during the era where London became the international trading centre of diamonds, dislodging Portugal and the Netherlands.<ref>Bingham, Hiram (1937). Elihu Yale : governor, collector and benefactor. Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society. p.124</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://yale1962.org/speakout/?p=2217|title=Boola Moola: Glittering Details of an Investment Banker's Wealth (continued)|access-date=2022-10-20}}</ref>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=301-304}} This new class of [[merchant]]s who made their fortune in the [[East Indies]] would become known as the [[Nabob]]s in Britain.<ref>Larrabee, Harold A. The New England Quarterly, vol. 13, no. 2, 1940, pp. 346–49. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/360763. Accessed 11 May 2024.</ref>{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=45}}

===London life===
[[File:Edward Dayes - Queen Square, London - B1977.14.4639 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg|thumb|230px|Painting of [[Queen Square, London|Queen Square]], Yale's London house location, from the [[Yale Center for British Art]]{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=43}}]]

During the [[Georgian era]] under King [[George I of England|George I]], Yale and other merchants would meet at [[London coffee house]]s as centres of social life.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=83-227-228-229}} He kept his title of governor, and after the failures of his bankers, he opened a bank account in the newly created [[Bank of England]], with deposits at [[C. Hoare & Co]] of [[Richard Hoare (banker)|Sir Richard Hoare]], now the oldest bank in Britain.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=301-304-311-313}}{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=301-304}} He lived most of his remaining years at the Plas Grono estate in Wales, next to [[Erddig Hall]], inherited from the line of his great-grandfather, Chancellor [[David Yale (chancellor)|David Yale]], and at his London house in [[Queen Square, London|Queen Square]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=301-304}} His neighbors included the Duke of Powis at [[Powis House]], Lord Chancellor [[Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst|Bathurst]], [[Queen Anne of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] and her son [[Prince William, Duke of Gloucester|Prince William]], and artists [[Charles Burney]] and [[Jonathan Richardson]].<ref>Critchley, MacDonald. "The Beginnings Of The National Hospital, Queen Square (1859–1860)."[http://www.jstor.org/stable/25391725 The British Medical Journal], vol. 1, no. 5189, 1960, pp. 1829–37. JSTOR. Accessed 27 July 2023. p. 1831</ref><ref>'Queen Square and Great Ormond Street', Old and New London: Volume 4 (1878), pp. 553–564</ref> In London society, Yale was associated with [[Charles Cotterell|Sir Charles Cotterell]], [[Master of the Ceremonies]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=306-308}} He was then elected in December 1717 a Fellow of the [[Royal Society]] under [[Sir Isaac Newton]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=319-322}} His candidature was introduced by [[Sir Hans Sloan]], founder of the [[British Museum]] and compeer of [[Voltaire]] and [[Benjamin Franklin]].<ref>ULTEE, MAARTEN. "[http://www.jstor.org/stable/42554034 SIR HANS SLOANE, SCIENTIST]." The British Library Journal, vol. 14, no. 1, 1988, pp. 1–20. JSTOR. Accessed 24 Nov. 2023, p. 9</ref><ref name="Siam11"/> In the same year, Yale was asked by Newton to deal with the donations of Dr. Thomas Paget, and later received a new map of the Netherlands dedicated to him by [[John Senex]], royal geographer of [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]].<ref name="Siam11">Anderson, John (1890). [https://books.google.com/books?id=2F4oAAAAYAAJ&q=yale&pg=PA489 English Intercourse with Siam in the Seventeenth Century], Kegan Paul, Trench, Turbner & CO., London, p. 453</ref>{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=120}}{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=306-308}}

Thereafter, his American godson David Yale entered [[Pembroke College, Cambridge|Pembroke College]] at the [[University of Cambridge]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=319-322}} Yale leased [[Latimer House]] from his son-in-law, Lord [[Lord James Cavendish (MP for Derby)|James Cavendish]], son of the [[1st Duke of Devonshire]], to accommodate his daughter Ursula.<ref>Bingham, Hiram (1937). Elihu Yale : governor, collector and benefactor. Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society. p.123</ref> He was elected [[High Sheriff of Denbighshire]] in Wales, gave money to [[St Giles' Church, Wrexham|Wrexham Church]], and built a family gallery.<ref>Bingham, Hiram (1937). Elihu Yale : governor, collector and benefactor. Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society. p.130</ref>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=301-304}} He then became a member of the [[Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England|Society for the Propagation of the Gospel]], and met there the Bishop of London, [[John Robinson (bishop of London)|John Robinson]], and the Lt. Gov. of New England, [[Francis Nicholson]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=319-321}} From Nicholson's influence, and with [[Jeremiah Dummer]] as intermediary, Yale would answer a donation request for Connecticut College through Harvard graduate [[Cotton Mather]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=322-333-335}} While his initial plan was to bestow a charity at [[University of Oxford|Oxford]], he sent them books, along with [[Sir Isaac Newton]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=317-319}} He also sent a newly painted portrait of King [[George I of Britain|George I]] by artist [[Sir Godfrey Kneller]], principal painter of the king at the time, and the institution changed its name to [[Yale College]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=333-335}} The total sum gifted was about the same as [[John Harvard]]'s to [[Harvard College]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=333-335}} The painting is now at [[Yale University Gallery]], while about 214 of the books are at [[Yale Library]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=317-319-333-335}} Yale's will included donations to the poor of [[Wrexham]] in Wales, to [[Christ's Hospital]] in London, [[St Bartholomew's Hospital]], [[St Thomas' Hospital]], various [[workhouse]] and [[Scottish poorhouse|poorhouses]], and to Connecticut College, later known as [[Yale]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=338-339-341-342}}

== Marriage and children ==
[[File:The North Family at Glemham, Glemham Hall, by Peter Vanderbank.jpg|thumb|Katherine Yale with her husband [[Dudley North (politician, born 1684)|Dudley North]], at their family seat, [[Glemham Hall]], by artist [[Peter Vanderbank]] c. 1715{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=52}}]]
In 1680 Yale married Catherine Elford, widow of Joseph Hynmers, [[second-in-command]] of [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St George, India]] as [[Deputy Governor]] for the [[East India Company]].<ref>Marriage Records, Joseph Hynmers and Catherine Elford, St. Botolph's Church, Aldgate, 6 November 1669</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X0HRAAAAMAAJ&dq=joseph+hynmers+govenor+east+india&pg=PA544|title = Vestiges of Old Madras, 1640–1800: Traced from the East India Company's Records Preserved at Fort St. George and the India Office, and from Other Sources|last1 = Love|first1 = Henry Davison|year = 1913}}</ref> Her father was wealthy [[Levant Company|Levant]] merchant Walter Elford, son of Turkey merchant Walter Sr., the step-nephew of Admiral [[Sir Francis Drake]] of [[Buckland Abbey]], the explorer, and the half-brother of [[Sir Francis Drake, 1st Baronet|Sir Francis Drake]], the MP.<ref>Walter Elford, "England Births and Christenings, 1538–1975"</ref><ref>[https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en/download/TheFamilyandHeirsofSirFrancisDrake_10667547.pdf The Family and Heirs of Sir Francis Drake], Lady Eliott-Drake, Vol. I, London, 1911, p. 29-161</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/visitationofcoun00sain/page/66/mode/2up?q=elford+drake The Visitation of the County of Cornwall, in the year 1620], Sir Henry Saint-George, Americana, London, p. 66</ref>

Walter Elford Sr. was among the pioneers of the [[English coffeehouses in the 17th and 18th centuries|English Coffee Houses]] on [[Exchange Alley]], next to the [[Royal Exchange, London|Royal Exchange]], owning the Great Coffee House (Turk's Head) until the [[Great Fire of London]], and was featured in [[Samuel Pepys]]'s diaries.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=UC0xDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22walter+elford%22+%22coffee+house%22&pg=PA73-IA8 Eighteenth-Century Coffee-House Culture], Vol. 4, Markman Ellis, 2006</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=J-JSalViBrMC&q=elford&pg=PA71 The Diary of Samuel Pepys], Vol. 10: Companion, University of California Press, Samuel Pepys, 1983, p. 71</ref><ref>[https://books.google.ca/books?id=_Pw9AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA271&lpg=PA271&dq=%22morat%27s+head%22+%22coffee+house%22+london&source=bl&ots=tp2Zhy-dDf&sig=ACfU3U3WXSk0AX7Qfxzgx69BJIZBJ5MHxw&hl=fr&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiolcTv_LOCAxWFhYkEHbgaCHgQ6AF6BAgqEAM#v=onepage&q=%22morat's%20head%22%20%22coffee%20house%22%20london&f=false Curiosities of London: Exhibiting the Most Rare and Remarkable Objects of the Metropolis], John Timbs, London, Virtue, 1867, p. 271</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/earlyhistoryofco00robi/page/118/mode/2up?q=elford The Early History of Coffee Houses in England], K. Paul, Trench, Trübner, Edward Forbes Robinson, London, 1893, p. 119-125</ref> Catherine Elford's maternal grandfather was merchant Richard Chambers, [[Court of Aldermen|Alderman]] and [[Sheriffs of the City of London|Sheriff of the City of London]], family of [[Amyas Bampfylde|Sir Amyas Bampfylde]] of [[Poltimore House]] and [[Barrington Court]].<ref>The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Herald's Visitations of 1531, 1564, & 1620, Vol. 1 to 7, Yale University Press, J. L. Vivian, p. 329</ref><ref>Parish Register, St. Giles Church, Wrexham; Brown's Cases in Parliament, Volume VI, 1803</ref><ref>To the Parliament of the Common-wealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. [https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=eebo2;idno=B18894.0001.001 The brief remonstrance and humble petition of Richard Chambers merchant, late Alderman and Sheriffe of the City of London]; Chambers, Richard, 1588–1658</ref>

Their wedding took place at [[St. Mary's Church, Chennai|St Mary's Church]], at Fort St George, where Yale was a [[vestryman]] and [[treasurer]]. The marriage was the first registered at the church.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/history-and-culture/article3803310.ece?homepage=true|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204045355/http://www.thehindu.com/arts/history-and-culture/article3803310.ece?homepage=true|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-02-04|title=''The Hindu'', paragraph 10|website = [[The Hindu]]}}</ref> They had 4 children together.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://britishart.yale.edu/stories/new-light-group-portrait-elihu-yale-his-family-and-enslaved-child-timeline-part-1|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 November 2021|title=''Yale Center for British Art''|access-date=21 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121073748/https://britishart.yale.edu/stories/new-light-group-portrait-elihu-yale-his-family-and-enslaved-child-timeline-part-1}}</ref> David Yale died young in 1687.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://britishart.yale.edu/stories/new-light-group-portrait-elihu-yale-his-family-and-enslaved-child-timeline-part-1|url-status=dead|archive-date=2021-11-21|title=Elihu Yale: his family and enslaved child|publisher=Yale Center for British Art|access-date=2022-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121073748/https://britishart.yale.edu/stories/new-light-group-portrait-elihu-yale-his-family-and-enslaved-child-timeline-part-1}}</ref> Katherine Yale (died 1715), married [[Dudley North (politician, born 1684)|Dudley North]] of [[Glenham Hall]], a cousin of [[Lord North]], the prime minister who later lost the [[American War of Independence]].<ref name="auto4">{{cite journal |author=Alexander O. Vietor|year=1961|volume=35|journal=The Yale University Library Gazette|title=An Elihu Yale Conversation Piece|issue=4 |pages=158–160 |jstor=40857897 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40857897}}</ref> Their daughter would marry [[Nicholas Herbert (politician, died 1775)|Nicholas Herbert]], son of [[Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke]], and lived at [[Wilton House]] and [[Highclere Castle]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=246-311-313}}

Anne Yale (died 1734) married [[Lord James Cavendish (MP for Derby)|Lord James Cavendish]] of [[Chatsworth House]], son of the [[1st Duke of Devonshire]] of [[Hardwick Hall]], and Lady Mary Butler, the [[James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond|Duke of Ormond's]] daughter at [[Kilkenny Castle]].<ref name="auto4"/> Lord Cavendish was also a nephew of Earl [[John Cecil, 5th Earl of Exeter|John Cecil]] of [[Burghley House]], and a grandson of Countess [[Elizabeth Cavendish, Countess of Devonshire|Elizabeth Cecil]] of [[Hatfield House]].<ref>"Cavendish, William (1617–1684)" . ''Dictionary of National Biography''. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900</ref>

Ursula Yale, who never married, died in 1721 at [[Latimer House]], a house rented by Yale from his son-in-law - who is buried in the church on the estate.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> In 1687, after the death of [[Jacques (Jaime) de Paiva (Pavia)|Jacques de Paiva]],<ref name="esefarad.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.esefarad.com/?p=10147|title = The Portuguese Jewish Community of Madras, India, in the Seventeenth Century| date=11 April 2010 }}</ref> a Portuguese Jewish diamond merchant and mines owner, Yale formed a relationship with his widow Hieronima de Paiva and brought her to live with him, causing a scandal within Madras's colonial society. They had a son who died, along with his mother, in [[South Africa]].<ref name="esefarad.com"/>

== Death ==
[[File:The tomb of Eliugh Yale - north side - geograph.org.uk - 1472637.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|Yale's grave in the grounds of [[St Giles' Church, Wrexham|St Giles' Church]]]]

Yale died on 8 July 1721 in [[London]]. No descendants of his have survived past his great-grandchildren.<ref name="Bingham 1937 144"/> His body was buried in the churchyard of the parish church of [[St Giles' Church, Wrexham]], [[Wales]].<ref>{{Unbulleted list citebundle|For date of death, Bingham (1939) p. 336 cites {{em|Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer}} on Saturday, 8 July 2021 that Yale "lies at the point of death". Death is announced the following Tuesday 12 July 1721 in {{em|Post-Boy}}.|For place of burial, see Bingham (1939) pp. 336–337.}}</ref> His tomb bears an inscription:

{{poemquote
|{{not a typo|Born in America, in Europe bred
In Africa travell'd and in Asia wed
Where long he liv'd and thriv'd; In London dead
Much good, some ill, he did; so hope all's even
And that his soul thro' mercy's gone to Heaven
You that survive and read this tale, take care
For this most certain exit to prepare
Where blest in peace, the actions of the just
Smell sweet and blossom in the silent dust.}}
|source=}}

In [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]], a tablet to Yale was erected in 1927 at [[Scollay Square]], near the site of Yale's birth. Yale president [[Arthur Twining Hadley]] penned the inscription, which reads: "On Pemberton Hill, 255 Feet North of This Spot, Was Born on April Fifth 1649 Elihu Yale, Governor of Madras, Whose Permanent Memorial in His Native Land is the College That Bears His Name."<ref>{{cite web|title=Boston Erects Tablet in Honor of Elihu Yale|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1927/1/25/boston-erects-tablet-in-honor-of/|work=[[The Harvard Crimson]]|date=25 January 1927|access-date=2011-06-25 }}</ref>

At his death, with no proper will, his heirs-at-law inherited the Plas Grono estate and sold it to [[Sir George Wynne, 1st Baronet|Sir George Wynne]].<ref>Yale, Rodney Horace (1908). [https://archive.org/details/yalegenealogyhis00yale/page/118/mode/2up?view=theater&q=wynne Yale Genealogy and History of Wales], Milburn & Scott Company, Nebraska, p. 119</ref>

==Yale University==
[[File:Portrait of King George I by Sir Godfrey Kneller.jpeg|thumb|200px|The portrait of King [[George I of Britain]] gifted by Elihu Yale to [[Yale College]] as its initial endowment]]
In 1718, [[Cotton Mather]] contacted Yale and asked for his help. Mather represented a small institution of learning that had been founded in 1701 in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, as the Collegiate School of Connecticut, which needed money for a new building. In 1717, [[Isaac Newton]] gave the college a copy of his book ''[[Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica|Principia]]'', on [[Newton's laws of motion]] and [[Newton's law of universal gravitation]], and in 1718, Yale sent Mather 417 books, a portrait of King [[George I of Great Britain|George I of Britain]], and nine bales of goods.<ref>Kelley, Brooks Mather. (1974). Yale-A History. New Haven: Yale University Press, p. 17</ref><ref>[https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2022/11/18/cambridges-scott-mandelbrote-lectures-on-lost-newton-book/ Cambridge's Scott Mandelbrote Lectures on Lost Newton Book], Yale Daily News, Adnan Bseisu, New Haven, Connecticut, 18 November 2022</ref> These last were sold by the school for £800.<ref>{{ URL | http://www.yale.edu/about/history.html }}{{failed verification|date=July 2024}}</ref> In gratitude, officials named the new building Yale; eventually the entire institution became [[Yale University|Yale College]].<ref name="AFP">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Elihu Yale (English merchant and philanthropist)|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/651366/Elihu-Yale|access-date=2009-08-10|quote=English merchant, official of the British East India Company, and benefactor of Yale University.}}</ref>

Yale was also a [[vestryman]] and treasurer of St Mary's Church at [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St George]]. On 6 October 1968, the 250th anniversary of the naming of Yale College for Yale, the classmates of [[Chester Bowles]], then the American ambassador to India and a graduate of Yale (1924), donated money for lasting improvements to the church and erected a plaque to commemorate the occasion. In 1970, a portrait of him, later renamed ''[[Elihu Yale with Members of his Family and an Enslaved Child]]'', was donated to the [[Yale Center for British Art]] from [[Chatsworth House]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=New light on the group portrait of Elihu Yale, his family, and an enslaved child {{!}} Yale Center for British Art |url=https://britishart.yale.edu/new-light-group-portrait-elihu-yale-his-family-and-enslaved-child |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=britishart.yale.edu |language=en}}</ref> A portrait, painted during the 18th century, was also given to Yale University by U.S. President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]].<ref>Kuebler-Wolf, E. (2016). [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-global-history/article/abs/born-in-america-in-europe-bred-in-africa-travelld-and-in-asia-wed-elihu-yale-material-culture-and-actor-networks-from-the-seventeenth-century-to-the-twentyfirst/C88CC630FC26A2CB6B9BFC5F86EFDC8C 'Born in America, in Europe bred, in Africa travell'd and in Asia wed': Elihu Yale, material culture, and actor networks from the seventeenth century to the twenty-first]. Journal of Global History, 11(3), 320–343. doi:10.1017/S1740022816000176</ref>

On 5 April 1999, [[Yale University]] recognised the 350th anniversary of Yale's birthday.<ref name=AFP/> An article that year in ''[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]]'' magazine by [[John Steele Gordon]] described Yale as the "most overrated [[Philanthropy|philanthropist]]" in American history, arguing that the college that became Yale University was successful largely because of the generosity of a man named [[Jeremiah Dummer]], but that the trustees of the school did not want it known by the name "Dummer College".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gordon |first=John Steele |author-link=John Steele Gordon |year=1999 |title=Most Overrated Philanthropist |url=https://www.americanheritage.com/overrated-underrated-10 |journal=American Heritage |volume=50 |issue=3 |page=68 |issn=0002-8738}}</ref> Of Yale's donation to the college, totalling just under £1,162,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68444807|first=Geeta|last=Pandey|title=Elihu Yale: The cruel and greedy Yale benefactor who traded in Indian slaves|publisher=[[BBC News Online]]|date=13 March 2024|access-date=14 March 2024}}</ref> Gordon suggested that "never has so much immortality been purchased for so paltry a [...] sum."<ref>{{cite book |last=Blight |first=David W.|author-link=David W. Blight |date=2024 |title=Yale and Slavery: a history |url=https://yaleandslavery.yale.edu/sites/default/files/2024-02/Yale%20and%20Slavery%20A%20History%20Feb2024%20David%20Blight%20with%20the%20Yale%20and%20Slavery%20Research%20Project.pdf |location=New Haven, Connecticut |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |page=47 |isbn=978-0-300-27384-7}}</ref>

In her article for ''[[The Atlantic]]'' about [[Skull and Bones]], a secret society at Yale University, [[Alexandra Robbins]] alleges that Yale's [[headstone]] was stolen years ago from its proper setting in [[Wrexham]]. She further alleges that the tombstone is now displayed in a glass case in a room with purple walls.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Robbins|first1=Alexandra|title=George W., Knight of Eulogia|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2000/05/george-w-knight-of-eulogia/304686/|website=The Atlantic|date=May 2000|publisher=The Atlantic Monthly Group|access-date=14 June 2017}}</ref>

=== 21st century re-appraisal ===
In the 21st century Yale University's historic associations with the slave trade have been re-evaluated. In 2017, the university determined to rename Calhoun College, which honoured the [[white supremacy|white supremacist]] and pro-slavery leader [[John C. Calhoun]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/11/us/yale-protests-john-calhoun-grace-murray-hopper.html|title=Yale Will Drop John Calhoun's Name From Building|first=Noah|last=Remnick|date=11 February 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=14 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215005241/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/11/us/yale-protests-john-calhoun-grace-murray-hopper.html|archive-date=15 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>  In respect of Elihu Yale, the process was assisted by the availability online of the relevant [[East India Company]] records.<ref name="Digital Histories At Yale">{{cite web |last1=Yannielli |first1=Joseph |date=1 November 2014 |title=Elihu Yale Was a Slave Trader |url=http://digitalhistories.yctl.org/2014/11/01/elihu-yale-was-a-slave-trader/ |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=6 August 2022 |website=Digital Histories @ Yale }}</ref> In 2020 Yale's president, [[Peter Salovey]], launched the ''Yale and Slavery Research Project'' to explore the university's links with slavery and colonialism, including Elihu Yale's central role.<ref name="auto5"/> The project was led by [[David W. Blight]], director of the [[MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies#Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition|Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition]], and published its findings in 2024. Blight identified "Yale's key leadership role in the business of [[human trafficking]]" and confirmed that part of Yale's fortune unquestionably derived from "the purchase and sale of human beings [...] much of his growing wealth derived from the lucrative trade in cloth, silks, precious jewels, and other commodities, yet this commerce was inseparable from the slave trade".<ref>{{cite book |last=Blight |first=David W.|author-link=David W. Blight |date=2024 |title=Yale and Slavery: a history |url=https://yaleandslavery.yale.edu/sites/default/files/2024-02/Yale%20and%20Slavery%20A%20History%20Feb2024%20David%20Blight%20with%20the%20Yale%20and%20Slavery%20Research%20Project.pdf |location=New Haven, Connecticut |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |page=45 |isbn=978-0-300-27384-7}}</ref> In his foreword to the report, Salovey wrote of the importance of the study as providing a "deeper, more honest understanding of who we are" and of helping in "coming to terms with injustices of the past and in confronting current wrongs".<ref name="auto5"/>

A linked re-evaluation considered the artworks donated by, and related to, Elihu Yale, in particular, the painting ''[[Elihu Yale with Members of his Family and an Enslaved Child]]''. The picture, which shows Yale and his relations being served by a collared African child, was donated to the [[Yale Center for British Art]] in 1970 and regularly displayed at the university. In 2020 the artist [[Titus Kaphar]] produced a version of the painting, entitled ''"Enough About You"'', in which the main sitters are distorted beyond recognition and the image of the uncollared boy is set within a gold frame.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/yale-researchers-hope-to-identity-enslaved-child-in-namesake-portrait-180978879/|first=Nora|last=McGreevy|title=Who is the enslaved child in this portrait of Yale University's namesake?|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]|date=15 October 2021|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref>{{efn|Of the seven paintings depicting Yale owned by the university, three show him with enslaved attendants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/10/06/yale-center-for-british-art-tries-to-identify-enslaved-black-child-in-18th-century-portrait-of-an-early-university-benefactor|first=Nancy|last=Kenny|title=Yale Center for British Art tries to identify enslaved child|publisher=[[Yale Center for British Art]]|date=21 October 2021|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref>}}{{efn|The historian [[Jonathan Holloway (historian)|Jonathan Holloway]] considers the painting and its context in a discussion for the [[Yale Center for British Art]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://interactive.britishart.yale.edu/slavery-and-portraiture/331/commentary-by-jonathan-holloway|title=Elihu Yale with Members of his Family and an Enslaved Child|publisher=[[Yale Center for British Art]]|access-date=21 April 2024}}</ref>}}

==The Yale collection==
[[File: Adriaen van der Werff - Christ and the Samaritan woman 2008 AMS 02802 0086.jpg|thumb|225px|The Christ and the Samaritan Woman, a key item of Yale's collection, painted by [[Medici]] baroque painter [[Adriaen van der Werff]]{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=246}}]]
[[File:Elihu Yale, coat of arms, metal, Plas grono.jpg|160px|thumb|[[Coat of arms]] of Elihu, acquired by [[Yale College]] president [[Ezra Stiles]] in 1788, from the [[Yale (surname)|Yale family]]]]

Yale arrived in England with Indian artworks, and used his new wealth to build a large European [[art collection]] of 10,000 items, including 7,000 paintings, which would become, after his death, the first [[art auction]] in Britain.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=80-233}}<ref name="Dictionary of American Biography">[https://books.google.com/books?id=eoPEEAAAQBAJ&q=elihu+yale Dictionary of American Biography], Francis S. Drake, Verlag Publisher, 1st edition, 2023, p. 1010-1011</ref><ref name="Dates 1841, p. 43">Dictionary of Dates, and Universal Reference, Human Arts and Inventions, [[Joseph Timothy Haydn]], Edward Moxon Co., London, 1841, p. 43</ref> During this era, the English [[English country house|country house]]s started to include goods from India and China, brought over the continent by the [[East India Company]].{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=190-200}} As about 75% of all Indian exports were long-lasting and colorful textiles, it gave rise to the [[1700–1750 in Western fashion|1700–1750 Western fashion period]], which included the use of [[tapestries]].{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=190-200}} A new desire for collecting emerged among the English aristocracy under the [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Duke of Marlborough]] at [[Blenheim Palace]], and the [[2nd Duke of Devonshire|Duke of Devonshire]] at [[Chatsworth House]].{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=223}} Yale followed their lead and became a famous collector in London, with artists visiting him at his [[Queen Square, London|Queen Square]] home to secure [[patronage]], one of which would be [[John Vanderbank|Vanderbank]], who worked at [[Kensington Palace]] and [[Castle Howard]].<ref>Captain Edward Harrison, letter to Thomas Pitt at Fort Saint George, 25 July 1707; published in Grenville, Manuscripts of J. B. Fortescue, 30.</ref>{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=80}}

Many of Yale's paintings came from [[Dutch Golden Age painting|Dutch Golden Age]]'s artists, the most famous being [[Rembrandt]], [[Pieter Bruegel the Elder|Bruegel]], [[Anthony van Dyck|Van Dyck]], [[Peter Paul Rubens|Rubens]], [[Albrecht Dürer|Dürer]], [[Willem van de Velde the Younger|Van de Velde]], [[David Teniers the Younger|Teniers]], [[Peter Lely|Lely]], [[Godfrey Kneller|Kneller]] and [[Salvator Rosa|Rosa]].<ref>Diana Scarisbrick and Benjamin Zucker. Elihu Yale: Merchant, Collector & Patron. Part II, Chapter 3: "Yale and the Art World in England."</ref>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=311-313}} Yale's collection was stored in four London houses, in addition to several coach houses and stables.<ref>Bingham, Hiram (1937). Elihu Yale : governor, collector and benefactor. Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society. p.135</ref><ref name="auto6"/> Through the influence of the [[Royal Society]] under [[Isaac Newton]], he collected instruments built on new science from dealers like [[George Willdey]].{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=111-118}} He obtained the [[Leibniz–Clarke correspondence]] and acquired books from [[Bernard de Montfaucon]], one of the modern founders of archaeology at the time.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=105-110-111}} With a rising middle class in search of status symbols, he acquired watches and clocks from [[Thomas Tompion]], father of English clockmaking, along with works of engineer [[Henry Winstanley]].{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=121-122-131}} When [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] commissioned [[Nicolas Dorigny]] to produce large prints at [[Hampton Court]], Yale and the Duke of Devonshire acquired several of them.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=256-257}} He acquired one of the [[Jewels of Mary, Queen of Scots]], along with works of [[Medici family|Medici]] painter [[Adriaen van der Werff]].<ref>Bingham, Hiram (1937). Elihu Yale : governor, collector and benefactor. Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society. p.136</ref>

Other paintings included those of philosopher [[Thomas Hobbes]], astronomer [[Pierre Gassendi]], [[Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet|Sir John Wynn]], and [[Jacques Courtois]], previously patroned by [[Mattias de' Medici]].<ref>Ann Sutherland Harris. Cortese, Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press, 2017.</ref>{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=110-111-144}} At Yale's death, his collection launched the [[art auction|auction]] concept in Britain, spacing the sales at a few months' intervals to not overload the [[art market]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=311-313}}{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=80-233}}<ref name="Dictionary of American Biography"/><ref name="Dates 1841, p. 43"/> His European paintings were the largest group ever sold in England.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=234-236}} Catalogues were available at various coffee houses such as [[Garraway's Coffee House|Garraways]].{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=234-236}} Van der Werff's painting was acquired by the [[James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby|Earl of Derby]], while a bidding war ensued for Queen Mary's ring between the [[Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer|Earl of Oxford]] and the [[Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke|Earl of Pembroke]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=246-311-313}} Yale's granddaughter married the latter's son, [[Nicholas Herbert (politician, died 1775)|Nicholas Herbert]], who lived at [[Wilton House]] and [[Highclere Castle]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=311-313}} [[Inigo Jones]]'s designs were acquired by the 2nd Duke of Devonshire, and are still at [[Chatsworth House]].{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=257}} It is thought that some of Yale's missing paintings are now at the [[Hermitage Museum]] in Russia, dating back from [[Catherine the Great]]'s acquisition of the [[Walpole collection]] at [[Houghton Hall]].<ref>Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "[https://www.britannica.com/money/Christies Christie's.]" Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 May. 2024. Accessed 17 May 2024.</ref>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=315}} Numerous works would later be acquired by [[Yale University]], while others went to [[Madryn Castle]], seat of Deputy [[William Corbet Yale]] of the Yales of Plas yn Yale.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2014|p=76-77-80}}

==Ancestry and coats of arms==
[[File:Coat of Arms of David Yale.svg|150px|thumb|Elihu Yale's arms, inherited from the [[Fitzgerald dynasty|Fitzgeralds]], became the inspiration for [[Yale College]]'s arms<ref name="Yalearmsu1"/>]]
{{see also|House of Gwynedd#Family tree of the House of Gwynedd}}

Elihu's ancestry, as a member of the  [[Yale (surname)|Yale family]], originated from the [[Lordship of Yale]] in North Wales.<ref name="burke1969"/>{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=1-2}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SYEfAAAAYAAJ&q=yale+lordship+wales |page=270| title=An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names: With an Essay on Their Derivation and Import|author=William Arthur| publisher=Sheldon, Blakeman & Company | year=1857 }}</ref> The Yale name was adopted from the maternal line, while the coat of arms, later adopted by [[Yale College]],<ref name="Yalearmsu1"/> came from the paternal line.{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=1-2}}<ref name="cunedda81">[https://www.seekingmyroots.com/members/files/G001924.pdf Genealogy of the Durand, Whalley, Barnes and Yale Families], Frances Bailey Hewitt, Lakeside Press, Chicago, 1912, p. 49-51-57-85-87-93</ref><ref name="Nameyale1"/><ref name="Broch1line"/> The Yales derived from the 6th century prince of Powys, [[Brochwel Ysgithrog]],<ref name="Broch1line"/> and from the 4th century king [[Cunedda]].<ref name="cunedda81"/><ref name="Nameyale1"/> Following the division of the [[Kingdom of Powys]] during the 12th century, a new principality will emerge named Northern Powys, which will be kept by Elihu's ancestors, the princes of [[Prince of Powys Fadog|Powys Fadog]], [[Lord of Yale|Lords of Yale]], with their seat at [[Castell Dinas Bran|Castle Dinas Bran]] as members of the [[House of Mathrafal]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=1-2}}<ref name="Nameyale1"/><ref name="windsorcasl1">[https://archive.org/details/b24877876_0002/page/1662/mode/2up?q=madras+powys+prince+windsor A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland], Sir Bernard Burke, King of Arms, Colburn and Co., London, 1852, p. 1662-1663-1664. See : Griffith ap Einion (Lowry), Lord of Bromfield (and Yale), last Prince of Powys, Madras (Elissau, Elihu) and Windsor</ref> They will submit to [[Edward Longshanks]] during the 13th century, with prince [[Gruffudd Fychan I|Gruffudd Fychan]] losing the lordship of Yale to the [[John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey|Earl of Surrey]], [[William Wallace]]'s rival at [[Battle of Sterling Bridge|Sterling Bridge]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=NR8fAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA194 The History of the Princes of Powys Fadog], Jacob Youde William Lloyd, Vol. I, T. Richards Co., London, 1881, p. 194-196</ref><ref>[https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc504408/m2/1/high_res_d/1002778963-Beims.pdf Owen Glendower and the Welsh Fight for Independence], Phillip Eric Beims, University of Texas, 1991, p. 21</ref><ref>[https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A36794.0001.001/1:6.16?rgn=div2;view=fulltext The baronage of England, or, An historical account of the lives and most memorable actions of our English nobility], University of Michigan, Dugdale, William, Sir, 1605–1686, p. 74-82</ref>

About a century later, his descendant [[Owain Glyndwr]], a cousin of the [[Tudors#Patrilineal descent|Tudors]],<ref>Okerlund, A.N. (2009). [https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9780230100657_6#citeas Birth of a Prince. In: Elizabeth of York]. Queenship and Power. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, p. 55</ref> would lose the [[Glyndwr Rising|War of Independence]] against [[Henry V of England|Henry V]], becoming the last Welsh [[Prince of Wales]] in 1415.<ref>Gower, Jon (2014). [https://books.google.com/books?id=0mqJesC_NG4C&dq=%22the+story+of+wales%22+%22gower%22+%22fadog%22&pg=PA134 The Story of Wales], BBC books, Huw Edwards, Ebury Publishing, Open University, Wales, p. 134</ref><ref>Pierce, T. J., (1959). [https://biography.wales/article/s-OWAI-GLY-1354 OWAIN GLYNDWR (c. 1354 – 1416)], 'Prince of Wales'. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 18 May 2024</ref><ref name="upper powys1">{{cite book | chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-23973-3_6 |year=1995 |title=Medieval Wales, British History in Perspective, Chapter 46 : Rebellion and Revenge|pages=108–132|author=A.D. Carr|chapter=Rebellion and Revenge |publisher=Palgrave, London|doi=10.1007/978-1-349-23973-3_6 |isbn=9781349239733 }}</ref> Known by [[Shakespeare]] as [[Owen Glendower (Shakespeare character)|Owen Glendower]], he became the granduncle of baron [[Ellis ap Griffith|Elissau ap Gruffudd]], founder of the [[Ellis ap Griffith#House of Yale|House of Yale]] in 1480, which Elihu belonged to.<ref name="burke1969"/><ref name="GriffithYale1">[https://books.google.com/books?id=TJMWR99J89kC&q=America+Elihu+United+States+America++Connecticut+Madras+College+founder&pg=PA2060 A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain], Sir Bernard Burke, Kings of Arms, Vol. II, booksellers to the Prince of Wales, London, 1886, p. 2060-2061</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TJMWR99J89kC&q=%22house+of+yale%22+%22ellis%22&pg=PA2060 | title=A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland | last1=Burke | first1=Bernard | year=1886|pages=2060–2061 }}</ref><ref name="Broch1line"/> Elissau's mother, [[Tudur ap Gruffudd|Lowry ap Tudor]], was Glyndwr's niece, while his father, Griffith ap Einion, was a member of the [[House of Fitzgerald]].<ref name="burke1969"/><ref name="cunedda81"/> Elissau would become co-heir of Glyndwr's claims through his mother,<ref name="burke1969"/><ref name="corepre1"/> including those of [[House of Mathrafal|Mathrafal]] (Powys Fadog), which featured the [[Lordship of Bromfield and Yale]].<ref name="burke1969">{{cite web |author=Peter Townend| url=https://www.burkespeerage.com/preview.php?book=Preview%20of%20Burke%E2%80%99s%20Landed%20Gentry%2018th%20Edition%20Volume%20II%201969&ref=pLG18v2&page=1&totalPages=10&from=subs_ind | title=Burke's Landed Gentry, 18th Edition, Volume II|publisher=Burke's Peerage Limited|year=1969|page=668 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lxARAQAAMAAJ&q=elihu+sovereign+dynasties&pg=RA2-PA115 | title=The Heroes of the American Revolution and their Descendants| author=Henry Whittemore|publisher=The Heroes of the Revolution Publishing Co.| year=1897 |page=112}}</ref><ref name="GriffithYale1"/><ref name="windsorcasl1"/> From his marriage to an heiress within the lordship,<ref name="Nameyale1">[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/The_history_of_the_state_of_Rhode_Island_and_Providence_Plantations_%28IA_historyofrhod04bick%29.pdf The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations], Biographical, The American Historical Society, New York, 1920, p. 51-52</ref> he received the estate of Allt Llwyn Dragon, which he renamed Plas yn Yale (Yale Manor).<ref name="WelshYalebio1">Dodd, A. H., (1959). [https://biography.wales/article/s-YALE-PLA-1500 YALE family, of Plâs yn Iâl and Plas Grono Wrexham]. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 18 May 2024</ref><ref name="Broch1line"/><ref name="dragonplas1"/><ref name="armsthoseosb1"/> The name would then be adopted by his grandson, Chancellor [[Thomas Yale (chancellor)|Thomas Yale]] (b. 1525), and by Elihu's great-grandfather, Chancellor [[David Yale (chancellor)|David Yale]], Thomas's nephew.<ref name="burke1969"/><ref name="Nameyale1"/><ref name="WelshYalebio1"/>

While the Yale name was adopted from baron [[Ellis ap Griffith|Elissau]]'s maternal line, the Yale arms would be inherited from his father, a member of the [[Fitzgerald dynasty#House of Corsygedol|Fitzgeralds]] of Corsygedol, from the line of [[Osborne Fitzgerald]], initially a [[Earl of Desmond|Desmond]].{{sfn|Bingham|1939|p=1-2}}<ref name="armsthoseosb1"/><ref>[https://archive.org/details/generalarmoryofe00burk/page/354/mode/2up?q=Llewelyn+yale The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales], Sir Bernard Burke, King of Arms, Harrison & sons Co., London, 1884, p. 355-1147</ref><ref name="corepre1">{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iWRHAAAAYAAJ&q=co-representatives+co-heir+ellis+tudor+fitzgerald+lowrie&pg=PA1662 |pages=1662–1663| title=A genealogical and heraldic dictionary of the landed gentry of Great Britain & Ireland for 1852 | last1=Burke | first1=Bernard | year=1852 }}</ref><ref name="Broch1line">{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R29WAAAAcAAJ&q=Elihu+Madras+prince|page=419| title=Annals and Antiquities of the Counties and County Families of Wales|author=Thomas Nicholas| publisher=Longmans, Green, Reader, and Co. | year=1872 }}</ref> This line was founded by the marriage of a Welsh princess named [[Nest ferch Rhys|Nesta]], daughter of [[Rhys ap Tewdwr|Rhys ap Tudor]], with Norman lord [[Gerald de Windsor]], son of the first governor of [[Windsor Castle]] for [[William the Conqueror]].<ref name="cunedda81"/><ref>Yorke, Philip & al. ''[https://archive.org/details/royaltribesofwal00yorkuoft/page/n43/mode/2up?q=yale+windsor The royal tribes of Wales]'', Richard Williams, Isaac Foulkes Co., Liverpool, 1887, p. 16-17.</ref><ref name="windsorcasl1"/> Two branches will form over time, the Yales of Plas yn Yale, who stayed in Britain, and the Yales of Plas Grono, who went to America in 1637.<ref name="WelshYalebio1"/><ref name="cunedda81"/><ref name="armsthoseosb1">[https://books.google.com/books?id=Y11BAAAAYAAJ&q=lieut+colonel+yale+arms+those+of+osborne+fitzgerald&pg=PA10-IA3 Encyclopædia of Heraldry: Or General Armory of England, Scotland, and Ireland], John Burke, Bernard Burke, King of Arms, London, 1884, Yale name</ref><ref name="dragonplas1">[https://books.google.com/books?id=lucGAAAAYAAJ&q=allt+llwyn+dragon+elihu&pg=PA104 Bye-gones: Relating to Wales and the Border Counties], Charles Minot, Vol. VI, Caxton Press, 1887, p. 104</ref> As Elihu was heir of the Plas Gronos in 1689, his arms would be those later used for [[Yale College]], as well as for the Yale schools of [[Yale School of Public Health|Public Health]], [[Yale School of the Environment|Environment]] and [[Yale School of Medicine|Medicine]].<ref>New England Historic Genealogical Society. A Roll of Arms. 9 vols. Boston, 1928–1980</ref><ref name="Yalearmsu1">[https://ysph.yale.edu/about-school-of-public-health/history/coat-of-arms/#:~:text=The%20upper%20portion%20of%20the,whom%20Yale%20College%20is%20named. The School of Public Health Coat of Arms], Yale School of Public Health, www.Yale.edu, Accessed 17 May 2024</ref>

== Cultural references ==
*''[[Elihu (secret society)|Elihu]]'' later became the name of a "[[secret society|senior society]]" founded in 1903 at Yale.
*[[Tom Wolfe]], who earned a [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] in [[American Studies]] from Yale, named the African-American [[Atlanta]] police chief in ''[[A Man in Full]]'' Elihu Yale.
*[[Yale College, Wrexham|Yale College]], a former college in [[Wrexham]], [[Wales]], which has since merged with [[Coleg Cambria]], was also named after Elihu Yale.
*[[Theodore Roosevelt]]'s son [[Quentin Roosevelt|Quentin]] kept a [[hyacinth macaw]] named Eli Yale.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== References ==

* {{Cite book |last=Bingham |first=Hiram |title=Elihu Yale: The American Nabob of Queen Square |publisher=Dodd, Mead & Company |year=1939 |location=New York, NY}}
* {{Cite book |last=Scarisbrick |first=Diana |title=Elihu Yale: Merchant, Collector & Patron |publisher=Thames & Hudson |year=2014 |isbn=9780500517260 |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Yale |first=Rodney Horace |url=https://archive.org/details/yalegenealogyhis00byuyale/ |title=Yale Genealogy and History of Wales |publisher=Milburn & Scott |year=1908 |location=Beatrice, NE |oclc=1102359364}}

==External links==
*[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elihu-Yale Elihu Yale], Encyclopædia Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia, 16 April 2024
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=eoPEEAAAQBAJ&q=elihu+yale Yale, Elihu, Principal Benefactor of Yale College], Dictionary of American Biography, Francis S. Drake, Verlag Publisher, 1st edition, 2023
*[https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-30183 "Yale, Elihu (1649–1721), Merchant and Administrator in India and Benefactor"], Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, ed. H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004)
*[https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/25103/dictionary.pdf;jsessionid=BFE0302AA96E28AF8E88D194E25366A4?sequence=1 Yale, Elihu (1649–1721). British merchant], Dictionary of World Biography, 6th edition, Barry Jones, Australian National University Press, 2019
*[https://biography.wales/article/s-YALE-PLA-1500 Elihu Yale (1649–1721), India merchant and Philanthropist], Dictionary of Welsh Biography, Dodd, A. H., (1959). 
{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{cite DNB|wstitle=Yale, Elihu|volume=63|short=x}}
*Elihu Yale collection (MS 566). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library. [http://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/mssa.ms.0566 Collection: Elihu Yale collection | Archives at Yale]
*{{cite Appletons'|wstitle=Yale, Elihu|year=1889|short=x}}
*{{cite NIE|wstitle=Yale, Elihu|short=x}}
{{Yale}}
{{S-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[William Gyfford]]<br />[[Agencies of British India|Agent]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=[[Madras Presidency|President of Madras]]|years=8 August 1684 – 26 January 1685}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[William Gyfford]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[William Gyfford]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=[[Madras Presidency|President of Madras]]|years=25 July 1687 – 3 October 1692}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Nathaniel Higginson]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yale, Elihu}}
[[Category:1649 births]]
[[Category:1721 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Wrexham]]
[[Category:18th-century British merchants]]
[[Category:British philanthropists]]
[[Category:British East India Company people]]
[[Category:History of Chennai]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Boston]]
[[Category:Presidents of Madras]]
[[Category:Merchants from London]]
[[Category:Welsh educational theorists]]
[[Category:Yale University]]
[[Category:Yale University people]]
[[Category:Benefactors of Yale University]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:Yale family|Elihu]]