Change in Bengal Agrarian Society : 1760-1850

This work traces the course of change in the agrarian society of Bengal under the rule of the East India Company with special reference to the impact of the Permanent Settlement.

Part One attempts to describe the nature of land tenure and the different categories of land rights, as they prevailed before the Permanent Settlement and as they were affected by the Regulations of 1793. It becomes clear that because of the incredible variety of land rights, which differed from district to district, the attempt to simplify the situation by creating a single category of landlords by the Permanent Settlement only succeeded in creating fresh complications in each locality.

Part Two consists of five studies that cover a wide spectrum of geographical and social conditions. Each area study takes note of the lie of the land, the composition of the population, the pre-Settlement local conditions of land tenure, the distinctive settlement in 1793, the sale of 'estates' thereafter, the resulting rent-sharing structure and the impact of change in the upper levels of tribute collection.