John Beames’s Memoirs of a Bengal Civilian

Record summary

John Beames’s memoir of service in Bengal contains observations and anecdotes about local customs, popular beliefs and unusual experiences encountered within colonial administrative life. It is a possible source for nineteenth-century references to ghost stories, spirit beliefs or apparition-like incidents circulating among officials and residents. Its comparative value lies in showing how educated colonial observers framed such material as superstition, folklore or curiosity. Researchers should verify the relevant chapter and determine whether an anecdote is firsthand, hearsay or borrowed from a wider narrative tradition.