giving orders that he was not to be allowed to return; where, after completing, his work he died suddenly, and as it was suspected of poison. Holwell left a widow, by whom he had a son and a daughter. His son Zephaniah (d. 1729) was a timber merchant in London, father of John Zephaniah Holwell [q. v.]
Holwell wrote:
- ’A sure Guide to the Practical Svrveyor, in two parts. The first showing how to Plot all manners of Grounds … as also how to Find the Area thereof … The second … how to take the Ground Plot of any City or Corporation; as also the Mensuration of Roads … with the manner of making a Map of any County or Kingdom,’ London, 1678, 8vo, illustrated by diagrams, and with an ‘Appendix of Mathematical Tables.’
- ‘A New Prophecy … of the Blazing Star that appeared April the 23rd. Being a full Account of the Events and Sad Effects thereof,’ London, 1679, 4to, pp. 4; written, according to the title, two years before, ‘as will be attested by several persons on oath.’
- ‘Catastrophe Mundi: or Evrope’s many Mutations until the year 1701 … Whereunto is annexed, The Hieroglyphicks of Nostradamus … Rightly placed, and in order … with the addition of many more,’ London, 1682, 4to, pp. 40; with astrological tables and many illustrations; the preface is dated 12 Oct. 1682.
- ‘An Appendix to … Catastrophe Mundi, being an Astrological Discourse of the Rise … of the Othoman Family. With the Nativities of the present French King, Emperors of Germany and Turky … Whereunto is added a Suppliment of the Judgment of Comets,’ London, 1683, 4to, pp. 40. The preface is dated 9 May 1683. These two works which foretold the speedy fall of the pope, called forth from a rival astrologer, John Merrifield, ‘Catastasis Mundi: Proving that the Turks will be defeated notwithstanding Mr. Holwel’s menaces to the contrary … Also the said Holwel’s monstrous falshoods and errours discovered, &c.,’ London, 1684.
- ‘Trigonometry made Easy,’ London, 1685, 8vo.
- Clavis Horologiæ, or a Key to the whole Art of Arithmetical Dyalling,’ London, 1686, 4to. To this there was added as an appendix a reprint of Guillaume Streel’s ‘Explication of the pyramidical dyal set up in his Majesty’s Garden at Whitehall, anno 1669’ (Gough, British Topography, i. 776). In an advertisement in the ‘Catastrophe’ (p. 40), Holwell says that he has ready for the press a ‘Clavis Horologie,’ and also a ‘Table of the Altitude of the Sun for any Hour of the Day,’ which is probably a part of the same work.
- ‘Strange and wonderful Prophecies. Foretelling what shall happen … in the years 1697, 1698, 1699, and 1700,’ London, 1696, 8vo; a reprint from the ‘Catastrophe.’
[Asiatic Ann. Reg. vol. i.; Holwell’s own works; Cat. of Ashmolean MSS.; Brit. Mus. Cat.; Cat. of the Chatsworth Library; Watt’s Bibl. Brit. In the Ashmolean MSS. In the Bodleian Library there is a ‘Nativity of John Holwell’ (Ashm. MS. 240, f. 237 ‘’b’’), and a ‘Figure on the Nativity of John Holwell’ (ib. 436, f. 75.)]
HOLWELL, JOHN ZEPHANIAH (1711–1798), governor of Bengal, son of Zephaniah Holwell (d. 1729), a timber merchant, of London, and Sarah, his wife, and grandson of John Holwell [q. v.], was born in Dublin 17 Sept. 1711, and baptised 23 Sept. at St. Werburgh's Church. Holwell was educated partly at a school at Richmond in Surrey, and partly at Iselmond, near Rotterdam, where he acquired some knowledge of book-keeping and of modern languages. Afterwards he was for a time in a mercantile house at Rotterdam, but trade proving distasteful, he returned home and decided to become a surgeon. He studied under Andrew Cooper, senior surgeon of Guy's Hospital, and went to Calcutta as surgeon's mate to an Indiaman in February 1732. Here he settled, occasionally making voyages as medical officer on board of country ships, and interposing a sojourn at Mocha and Jedda, where he acquired a colloquial knowledge of Arabic; at the same time he also made himself acquainted with other oriental languages. After serving for a short time as surgeon to the company's factory at Dacca, Holwell returned in 1736 to Calcutta, where he lived for over eleven years, practising his profession and taking part in the municipal administration of the young settlement. In September 1749 he went to England for his health; during the voyage he drew up a scheme for reforming the zemindar's court at Calcutta, which on his arrival he submitted to the court of directors, who thereon appointed him 'zemindar' of the Twenty-four Parganas. Holwell returned to Calcutta in August 1751. In his new post he gave so much satisfaction that his salary was increased from two to six thousand rupees a year, and he rose to be seventh in the council by which the company's affairs were managed. On 18 June 1756 the settlement was attacked by Suráj ud Dowlah, the nawáb of Bengal; and, after a brief attempt of defence, which Holwell afterwards stigmatised as a 'tragedy of errors,' the governor and many of the senior officers went on board ship and escaped down the river, leaving the rest of the white people to their fate. Thus deserted, they called on
