Dossier WJ/2/2 - Letters of John Shore, 1st Baron Teignmouth

John Shore, Lord Teignmouth was born in St James Street, Piccadilly, on 5th October 1751 but was brought up in Romford. In 1769 he went to work in Bengal where he was one of the first to learn some of the languages. In January 1785 Shore returned to England in the company of Warren Hastings. While in England, on 14th February 1786, he married Charlotte, the only daughter of James Cornish, a medical practitioner at Teignmouth. He returned to India in 1787as a member of the government of Bengal. However he journey back to England in 1790 to be a witness at the trial of Warren Hastings. Shore was appointed Governor-General of India in succession to Cornwallis on 19th September 1792, and was created a baronet, succeeding to the government in 1793 after Cornwallis' departure. He served as Governor-General until 1798.

On his return to England he was created Baron Teignmouth in the peerage of Ireland. He settled in Clapham and became the first President of the British and Foreign Bible Society. He was involved with the Clapham Sect and their anti-slavery campaign. In 1808 he moved to 4 Portman Square where he died on the 14th February, 1834

Teignmouth was a close friend of William Jones and succeeded him as the President of the Asiatic Society after Jones' death. He edited the "Memoirs of the Life, Writings and Correspondence, of Sir William Jones". An 1807 edition is held in the RAS Collections.