ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>FORD MATTHEW WILLIAM (d. 1841)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="FORD,MATTHEW,WILLIAM"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279FORD, MATTHEW WILLIAM (d. 1841), an Englishman who started his career in 1804 as an ensign in a West India regiment. He successively served with the 7th Foot, the 70th Foot, the Ist Royal Scots and the 22nd Light Dragoons. In 1823, he was appointed paymaster to the 16th Foot. While stationed at Karn&#257l in 1837, he embezzled large sums of money and deserted the British troops. He came to Lahore towards the end of the year and joined the Sikh army as a battalion commander on Rs 800 per month, later commuted for a <i>j&#257g&#299r</i> of three villages near R&#257walpi&#7751&#7693&#299. Ford's battalion belonged to Avitabile's brigade. At the time of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh's funeral procession, Ford commanded the regiment that lined up the streets of Lahore.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257's death, European employees of the court became suspect especially in the eyes of the Sikh troops. In March 1841, Ford was at Haz&#257r&#257 when he was attacked by his own men and seriously injured. He escaped to Pesh&#257war where he died of the injuries a month later.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1">Grey, C., <i>European Adventurers of Northern India</i>. Lahore, 1929.<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Gulcharan Si&#7749gh <br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>