The correct answer is 1651 CE.In 1651, the first English factory was set up on the banks of river Hugli in Bengal.The East India Company convinced merchants to settle near the factory.By 1696, the company began building a fort around the Hugli settlement. Additional InformationEnglish East India Company:The East India Company first arrived via sea route at Surat in the year 1608 for the purpose of establishing trade with India.The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal Siraj-Ud-Daulah and his French allies on 23 June 1757.The battle consolidated the Company's presence in Bengal, which later expanded to cover much of India over the next hundred years.Fort William was built in 1696 by East India Company by John Goldsborough at Calcutta.