Great Mogul, Little Park Street
| The name most likely comes either from any of the Muslim emperors of India (1526-1857) or the Great Mogul diamond, the largest diamond ever found in India. It was discovered as a 787-carat rough stone in the Golconda mines in 1650 and subsequently was cut by the Venetian lapidary Hortense Borgia. The French jewel trader Jean-Baptiste Tavernier described it in 1665 as a high-crowned rose-cut stone with a flaw at the bottom and a small speck within. Its present location is unknown, and some believe that either the Orlov diamond or the Koh-i-noor may have been cut from this stone after its loss following the assassination of its owner, Nadir Shah, in 1747.
In 1756, four soldiers were billeted here. |
| Previous page: Graziers Arms | This page: Great Mogul | Next page: Green Dragon |