John Carnac

Brigadier-General John Carnac (1716 - 1800), was a British officer who served three times as Commander-in-Chief of India.

John Carnac voyaged to India as a lieutenant in the 39th Regiment and served at Madras as secretary and aide-de-camp to the colonel of the regiment, John Adlercron. He joined the service of the East India Company as Captain in 1758 after transferring from the 39th foot. After his arrival in Bengal he became secretary and aide-de-camp to Robert Clive, governor of Bengal, and joined him in an expedition against the Shahzada, son of the Mughal emperor.

He commanded at Patna in 1760 and in 1761 defeated the Delhi Emperor near Bihar. He became Brigadier-General in 1764 and defeated the Marathas in the Doab in 1765. He also participated with Clive in the negotiations with Shuja-ud-Daula and the Mughal emperor.

In 1767, Carnac resigned from the company's service in January and returned to England. He purchased estate near Ringwood in Hampshire and was also employed to finance Carnac's involvement in the largely unsuccessful Polygon housing development in Southampton. By 1773, Carnac's financial position was precarious and he returned to India as a member of the council at Bombay.

From 1776-1779 he was Member of Council, Bombay and a member of the Superintending Committee on the expedition against Poona in 1778. He was dismissed from the East India Company for his share in the convention of Wadgaon in 1779 and died at Mangalore in November 1800.