54 SOCIAL SCIENTIST
as those of Hathwa and Bcttiah who refused to recognize British authority. These revolts were crushed, no doubt, but when it came to the question of revenue collection the British failed miserably. This made them realize the strength of the social base of such traditional ^amindar families of Bihar. Soon, the old ^amindar families were induced by the British to assume charge of their wmindaris.
The Hathwa family belongs to the Bhumihar Brahman caste. Its origin is traced right from the seventh century B C.4 The status of this family as raja was recognized by the Mughal emperors also.5 After the fall of the Mughal empire, at the time of the grant of Diwani in 1765, Fateh Sahi held the raj. He refused to acknowledge "the sovereign or quasi-sovereign rights of the Company. When towards the end of 1767, the Revenue Collector of Sarkar Saran demanded rent on behalf of the Company, Fateh Sahi not only refused to pay it but also drove out the Company's troops who were sent against him. On hearing of it Sitab Rai, then Naib Nazim of Bihar, applied to Captain Wilding, who wa^then investing the fort of Tiloor, to relinquish that design and advance immediately to Huscpur to punish the insurgents. Captain Wilding accordingly marched to Husepur, routed the ^amindar there and conquered the fort. Fateh Sahi was driven away from H'lsepur into the jungles. The East India Company then attached tlie Huscpur Estate and farmed it out to a person named Govind Ram .... {Later) the collector of Sarkar Saran finding that the rents could not be collected . . . suggested to the Revenue Council of Patna that Fateh Sahi should be induced to settle in Husepur .... The Husepur Estate was kept under direct management for one year . . . and was let in farm to Basant Sahi, a cousin of Fateh Sahi."6
Bettiah estate is not claimed to be so old as Hathwa. This family also belongs to the Bhumihar Brahman caste. Jugal Kishore Singh held the estate during the period under review. He enterc d into "kabulliat for the whole of Ghamparan at the office of Dhiraj Narain in 1763-64 A D and took up the management of the zamin-dari in his own hands. He defaulted in discharging his revenue obligations to the Company.... The Governor, therefore, wrote to Jugal Kishore Singh on July 24, 1765: 'In the time of Mcer Gossim you used to pay into the Treasury six or seven lacs of rupees out of the revenue of your Zamindari, and I am informed that at present you pay nothing but a few timbers. I, therefore, write to you that you must send without delay the balance which you owe the Sircar, and give security for the regular payment of your revenues in future. If you neglect this advice, an English army