The period after the Battle of Plassey in 1757 saw the gradual expansion and consolidation of the English East India Company’s grip on the province of Bengal. However, while the pivotal battle yielded an easy victory for the Company, the task that followed—the imposition of municipal, fiscal and mercantile order on the region—presented numerous unforeseen challenges. And at the centre of this project was the fledgling town of Calcutta, destined to become the second city of the British Empire.