Plunder and Prize in 1812 Java: The Legality and Consequences for Research and Restitution of the Raffles Collections

The assumption in much of the heritage literature is that there were few protections for cultural heritage until the twentieth century. Contrary to this assumption, this article will demonstrate that British colonialism was obsessed with property, and that plunder was a highly regulated activity. The Law of Prize prescribed what could, and could not, be taken lawfully in the context of British colonial military operations in the nineteenth century. Prize Law dictated that it was illegal for soldiers to take objects; but they had the right to purchase them from the colonial government at an auction. This article examines the history, and rules and regulations of Prize Law in the context of the East India Company during the British occupation of Java under Thomas Stamford Raffles between 1811 and 1816. We focus on the plunder of the palace of the Sultan of Hamengkubuwono II (1750-1828) in Yogyakarta in 1812 and consider the consequences for the legality of objects collected by Raffles during his time in Java.