Which one of the following was the first fort constructed by the British in India?

The earliest British fort in India was Fort St. George at Madras. Contemporary accounts record that the English built a small fortification around their trading factory called Fort St. George, establishing it as the centre of the Madras settlement [1]. The East India Company secured Madras in 1639 and listed Fort St. George among its principal English trade settlements, alongside later centres such as Bombay and Calcutta, demonstrating its primacy in the Company’s early foothold in India [2]. Administrative records of the Madras Presidency beginning in 1670 further attest to the early establishment and governance of Fort St. George by the Company [3]. Hence option 2 (Fort St George) is correct.

Sources

1. [1] Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 3: The Beginnings of European Settlements > The Growth of the East India Company's Trade and Influence, 1600-1744 > p. 54
2. [2] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 14: The Mughal Empire > European Factories/Settlements during Mughal Rule > p. 209
3. [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 1: Sources for the History of Modern India > Archives of Three Presidencies > p. 4