James Achilles Kirkpatrick was the British resident in India. He was known as the Lieutenant Colonel James Achilles Kirkpatrick. His plaque is present inside St. John"s Church, Kolkata.

Early Life of James Achilles Kirkpatrick
Lieutenant Colonel James Achilles Kirkpatrick was born in the year 1764 at Fort St. George, Madras in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He was the British resident at Hyderabad, which is now serving as the capital of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, from 1798 to 1805. He also built the historic Koti Residency in Hyderabad now is known as the historical tourist"s destination. He replaced his brother William and arrived as resident in Hyderabad in 1795. There he became thoroughly enamoured of Indo-Persian culture of court of Nizams of Hyderabad, and gave up his English manner of dress in exchange for Persian costumes.

Career of James Achilles Kirkpatrick
James Achilles Kirkpatrick was a colonel in the British East India Company`s army in his early phase. James Achilles Kirkpatrick wore Mughal-style costumes at home, smoked a hookah, chewed betel nut, enjoyed parties, maintained a small harem in his zenana khana, spoke fluent Hindustani and Persian and openly mingled with the elite of Hyderabad. James Achilles Kirkpatrick was adopted by the Nizam of Hyderabad, who invested him with many titles: Mutamin Ul Mulk (safeguard of the kingdom), Hushmat Jung (valiant in battle), Nawab Fakhr-Ud-Dowlah Bahadur (Governor, Pride Of The State, and Hero). He converted to Islam and married a local noblewoman called Khair-un-Nissa, the teenage granddaughter of Nawab Mahmood Ali Khan, the Prime Minister of Hyderabad. Towards the end of autumn of 1801, a major scandal broke out in Calcutta over Kirkpatrick`s behaviour at the Hyderabad court. It raised a major tumult because of the interracial nature of the marriage.

Decline of the Glory of James Achilles Kirkpatrick
The downfall of James Achilles Kirkpatrick came with Lord Richard Wellesley"s appointment as Governor-General of India. Lord Wellesley was an imperialist determined to reduce the Nizams of Hyderabad to subservience. James Achilles Kirkpatrick strongly disapproved of British-Indian liaisons. James Achilles Kirkpatrick was summoned to Calcutta, now called Kolkata only to be reprimanded and dismissed.

Death of James Achilles Kirkpatrick
James Achilles Kirkpatrick died in Calcutta on October 15, 1805. After his death, Khair-un-Nissa was taken care by James`s assistant, Henry Russell who replaced him as Resident in Hyderabad. He remained her assistant at Masulipatnam.

Personal Life of James Achilles Kirkpatrick
James Achilles Kirkpatrick and Khair-un-Nissa together had two children: a son, Mir Ghulam Ali Sahib Allum and a daughter, Noor-un-Nissa Sahib Begum. After their father`s death, they were sent to England to live with their grandfather Colonel James Kirkpatrick, in London and Keston, Kent, leaving their mother in India. The two children were baptised on 25th March 1805 at St. Mary"s Church, Marylebone Road, and were thereafter known by their new Christian names, William George Kirkpatrick and Katherine Aurora "Kitty" Kirkpatrick.