Thomas Parry (Chennai merchant)

Thomas Parry (1768–1824) was a Welsh merchant based in India. He was instrumental in realizing the potential for business and commerce in India. Parry became a household name in Chennai. Parry set up the EID Parry company in 1787 (Parry was in London until late 1788), the corporate headquarters of which stand on the corner.

Thomas Parry
Memorial to Thomas Parry, St. George's Cathedral, Madras

Parry's Corner, a well-known central business district of Chennai was named after him.[1]

Early life

He was the third son of Edward Parry and Anne Vaughan of Leighton Hall near Welshpool.

Ross was left fatherless in 1774 at age six, with four siblings under the age of 15. Thomas and one of his sisters, Elizabeth (1759-1825), grew up under the influence of his Aunt Ann Ross (née Parry) and her merchant husband Gilbert Ross; a Scot, a Freeman of the City of London, and a merchant who traded in Billiter Lane, London.

Gilbert Ross died on 4 March 1788. His will was probated March 14th, 1788 (Source National Archives) and contains an affidavit signed by Thomas Parry 'of Billiter Lane', suggesting that Thomas was tutored to be a merchant under the guidance of his uncle, alongside his cousin Gilbert Ross Jr.

Upon Gilbert Ross's death, the London business was inherited by Gilbert Ross Jr. (1755-1815), who later married Elizabeth Parry, Thomas' sister. Thomas found no role in the London business, so he left London in 1788,[2] most likely as an agreed strategy of the two cousins to expand into India.

Career

Parry undertook the six-month journey around Cape of Good Hope arriving in Chennai (then known as Madras) in 1789. He entered Chennai as a Free Merchant, free from the controls of the East India Company. He established a business on 17 July 1788, selling goods and providing banking services. The business grew.

Several partnerships were formed and dissolved in the early years. The Parry and Co business were not formed until 1796.

Death

Parry is buried at C.S.I Christ Church (also called as missionary church) Cuddalore Port, India.

He was not recognized until the late 19th century.

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See also

References
  1. T. Madhavan (12 May 2012). "NSC Bose Road: Thoroughfare of George Town". The Hindu. Chennai. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  2. C.H.P. (June 1940). "Thomas Parry. Free Merchant, Madras, 1768–1824. By G. H. Hodgson, pp. xiii + 357, plates 17, maps 5. Madras: Higginbothams, 1938. 7s. 6d". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 10 (2): 482. doi:10.1017/s0041977x00087668. ISSN 0041-977X.
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