Initials On A Hose Date Stone.

[Sellergarth]

Hi all,
Has anyone any idea what the following initials could stand for which are on a date stone above the doorway of an old property near my house.
E
I C
1764
I know the initials usually are those of the person who had the house built, but despite extensive research (births, marriages, deaths) by numerous people over the years no record has been found of anyone with these initials. Is it possible they could have stood for something else?
Thanks.

[Sellergarth]

Ooops title should be `Initials on a HOUSE Date Stone`

[bookbinder]

What do you think of this (posssible) explanation, Sellergarth?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Munro,_8th_of_Novar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Buxar
E I C = East India Company
1764 = Battle of Buxar, 23. October 1764.
Fought between forces of British East India Company, under Hector Munro, and combined army of Mir Qasim (Nawab of Bengal); Nawab of Awadh; Mughal King Shah Alam. British forces were victorious. Did Hector Munro live in your house?

[Mosaic]

The initials were sometimes those of a couple, not just one person, and were often placed decoratively - so they could read IEC as easily as EIC. I've never come across a datestone commemorating a national event rather than a person. You may find that the date correlates to a known rebuilding phase in the area, and your archives or local studies service may have an idea who EIC or IEC were.

[Sellergarth]

Thanks bookbinder for such an interesting post but there is no local reference to Hector Munro and I doubt whether he would have lived in such a small cottage near what is now Barrow in Furness.
Thanks also Mosaic for taking the time to reply. If the initials were of a couple and could be read in various ways I may be looking for a needle in a haystack. :) But hey, onwards and upwards. Thanks again both.