Black Hole of Calcutta
- When
- 1756
- Where
- Fort William, Calcutta; Black Hole dungeon, Fort William
- Episodes
- 3
On 20 June 1756, British prisoners were confined in a small dungeon in Fort William, Calcutta, following the fort's surrender to Siraj-ud-Daulah's forces. John Zephaniah Holwell reported that 123 of 146 detainees died from suffocation and heat exhaustion in the cramped space.
Episodes
- Fall of Fort William
Bengali forces captured Fort William on 20 June 1756 after sepoy desertions weakened British defenses.
- Confinement in the Black Hole
146 British prisoners were confined in a 14 by 18-foot dungeon in Fort William on the night of 20 June 1756.
- Prisoner Deaths
John Zephaniah Holwell reported that 123 of 146 prisoners died from suffocation and heat exhaustion in the cramped dungeon.
Background and detail
Casualties. John Zephaniah Holwell stated that conditions were so cramped that many died from suffocation and heat exhaustion. He claimed 123 of the 146 prisoners died. Holwell attributed the maltreatment to revenge by lower-ranking Indian sergeants for losses suffered during the siege.
People involved
- John Zephaniah Holwell · British prisoner and East India Company employee
- Siraj-ud-Daulah · Nawab of Bengal
Sources
- Black Hole of Calcutta Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-17
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.