M. D. Cockburn

Montague Dundas Cockburn (/ˈkoʊbərn/ KOH-bərn; 31 January 1789[1] – 28 September 1869) was a Scottish coffee planter, and Collector of Salem district (in Madras Presidency, British India) between 1820 and 1829.

[4] Cockburn helped in improving the coffee plantations in Tamil Nadu.

Cockburn erected a small hut which is now known as Grange Estate.

During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the building was fortified to form a castle-like structure, and is an important landmark today.

The first coffee estate in Kotagiri was planted by Cockburn in 1843, in Kanhutty.