Philip Melvill
British Bengal Army officer
About Philip Melvill
Lived 1796 – 1882 (aged 85–86).
Philip Melvill (26 October 1795 – 4 October 1882) was a British Bengal Army officer who went on to be Military Secretary to the East India Company.
Military career Born the fourth son of Captain Philip Melvill, Melvill was commissioned into the Bengal Army in 1815. His elder brothers included Sir James Cosmo Melvill and Henry Melvill. Sir Philip Melvill was his younger brother.
He was appointed Military Secretary to the East India Company in 1837
He retired when the East India Company was nationalized in 1857 to Ethy near Lostwithiel in Cornwall where he died. His younger son, Teignmouth Melvill, won the Victoria Cross during the Anglo-Zulu War.
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Important facts
People in Philip Melvill's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Philip Melvill's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Philip Melvill?
British Bengal Army officer
When was Philip Melvill born?
Philip Melvill was born in 1796 in Topsham.
When did Philip Melvill die?
Philip Melvill died in 1882 in Lostwithiel.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Philip Melvill (East India Company officer)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Philip Melvill. https://biography.guide/philip-melvill-1796/
MLA: "Philip Melvill." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/philip-melvill-1796/.
Chicago: "Philip Melvill." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/philip-melvill-1796/.
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