In that capacity he was instrumental in the sending of a young Robert Clive as the head of a punitive expedition in 1757 to Calcutta, after the Black Hole incident of 1756.

From about 1734 to 1741 he was educated at Harrow School under Dr James Cox, and was then placed for a year in the office of the accountant-general of the Royal African Company.

He acquired a reputation for knowledge of Indian customs, and in 1752 was asked to state his opinion on the regulation of the police in Calcutta.

He took an active part in the deliberations of the council respecting the military operations in the Carnatic, 1754–8, and recommended the appointment of Clive to command the expedition against Suráj-ud-Dowlah.

He was elected fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London on 8 November 1770, and from about 1769 till his death was salaried historiographer to the East India Company.

Orme was given access to the records at the India House, and obtained information from the Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau, whom he visited in 1773 at his country seat in France.

[citation needed] In London, Orme formed a library of ancient and modern classics, and arranged his materials – collected since 1742 – for an Indian history.

In August 1763 he published the first volume of his major work, A History of the Military Transactions of the British Nation in Indostan from the year 1745; vol.

Orme told Samuel Parr that in preparing the third volume he completely formed every sentence in his mind before writing it down.

Orme's essays ‘On the Origin of the English Establishment … at Broach and Surat’ and ‘A General Idea of the Government and People of Indostan’ were included in this volume.

[1] Orme bequeathed to his friend and executor, John Roberts, chairman of the court of directors, all his books, manuscripts, &c., with a request – duly carried out – that he would present them to the East India Company.