John Z. Holwell

John Z. Holwell was a British official and the self-proclaimed governor of Bengal for the East India Company. He was involved in an incident known as the Black Hole of Calcutta on June 20, 1756. Following the capture of Calcutta by the nawab of Bengal, Siraj al-Dawlah, Holwell and other Europeans were imprisoned in a small lockup known as the Black Hole. According to Holwell's account, 146 people were held in the 18x14 foot room, with only 23 surviving the night. This event was later used to symbolize British heroism and the nawab's cruelty, though historical accounts suggest Holwell's numbers may be exaggerated and the nawab's role was one of negligence rather than malice.1