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Note: Springville Cemetery, Transcribed by Kawartha OGS
Robert Laing - Ann Jesson
May 9, 1870 - 96 years of age
Native of Berwickshire
Immigrated to Canada 1830
The Royal Midlothian Yeomanry Cavalry galop. [P. F.] (Unknown Binding)
by Alfred Stella
Archives of Scotland
Military Papers. GD150/2360-2362 Fifeshire Regiment of Militia, 1808-1822. GD150/2363 Royal Fifeshire Yeomanry Cavalry, 1811-1824. GD150/2364-2369 Midlothian Yeomanry Cavalry, 1684-1862. GD150/2369-2374 Miscellaneous military papers, 1627-1800
Enlisted Men's Service Records
As with the service records of officers who served in the British Army, the key to locating the record of an enlisted man is the name of his regiment. Occasionally the regiment in which an ancestor served is known from the outset, but all too often the only facts known about an ancestor's service are when and where he served. Even with these sparse facts it is often possible to pin down the one regiment, or at most, a handful of regiments that were in service in that particular place and time.
Determining the Regiment
There are several books devoted to the subject of the regiments and corps of the British Army, but the genealogist may find particularly useful a trio of books discussing the history and accoutrements of the British regiments. The Regimental Records of the British Army, by John S. Farmer contains information on the names and nicknames of the regiments, their uniforms and badges, dates of formation, honors attained by the troops, and lists of their principal campaigns and battles.
A Guide to the Regiments and Corps of the British Army, by J.M. Breton includes much of the same information, although the information on battles and campaigns is sketchier. Closer to Farmer's volume is Arthur Swinson's A Register of the Regiments and Corps of the British Army. As with the other two books, this one is organized by precedence of the corps, beginning with the cavalry regiments and proceeding through the foot guards and regiments of foot. Again, the regimental listings include both the formal titles and nicknames borne by the regiment, a chronological list of the major campaigns and battles fought, and a short history of the regiment.
To locate the proper regiment, you begin with what is known about your ancestor. This could be the fact that he took part in a certain battle, or wore a certain type of uniform, or belonged to a regiment with a certain nickname. Then, you go through the regimental listings seeknig for one (or more) that would conform the the facts as you understand them.
For example, if your ancestor was posted to Gibraltar in the early part of the eighteenth century, he may have served in the 30th (or Cambridge) Foot Regiment. This regiment was stationed on Gibraltar during 1704 and 1705, and at the time was known as Colonel Thomas Sanders Regiment of Marines. Nicknames included The Triple X's and The Three Tens, both of which were obviously based on the number of the regiment.
Station Returns
Another source of information on regiments that can be useful if you already know that your ancestor was stationed in a particular place at a particular time is the collection of Station Returns (W.O. 17), located in the Public Record Office. These Returns are yearly lists of the disposition of Army regiments, beginning in 1759. If, for example, you know that your ancestor was in Egypt in 1882, these lists can be searched for a list of the regiments stationed in Egypt at that time.
Once you have determined the regiment in which your ancestor served, you will want to search two sets of records; the Muster Rolls and the Regimental Description Books.
Muster Rolls
The Muster Rolls are also deposited in the Public Record Office. These lists were compiled quarterly, and are arranged in volumes covering a twelve month period. Although these volumes do not contain as much personal information as the Regimental Description Books, they are helpful in establishing the dates of enlistment and discharge (or death). The first entry in these rolls for each soldier should indicate his age, while the last entry should show his birthplace, non-military occupation, and the date of his enlistment.
There are several series of these Muster Rolls, bearing War Office (W.O.) numbers 10 through 16. The three most comprehensive are; W.O. 10, containing Muster Rolls for the artillery for 1708-1878, W.O. 11, Muster Rolls for engineers for 1816-1878, and W.O. 12, the general series, with Muster Rolls for the cavalry, foot guards and regiments of foot for 1732-1878.
Regimental Description Books
The Regimental Description and Succession Books (W.O. 25) are available at the Public Record Office in Surrey, with microfilm copies being available at the LDS Genealogical Library in Salt Lake City, or at one of the latest dates are 1756 and 1900, there is some variation between regiments. Volumes 266 through 688 cover the regular Army regiments, with a separate file of bundles for engineers, and another set of bundles for officers.
These Description Books begin with an index (using the first letter of the surname only), and follow with the entries in chronological order. The entries contain quite a lot of detail, filling 39 columns across two pages. Each entry begins with the full name of the soldier, the number of the company in the regiment he was assigned to, his height (both at the time of enlistment and at age 24), and his age (in years and days) at the time of his enlistment.
The next four columns describe the soldier's complexion, the color of his eyes and hair, the form of his visage, and whether he had any physical marks. The country or town and parish of his birth are given (but not the date), and any occupation he had outside of the military is noted. The date, place, and period of enlistment are all given, along with the name of the person by whom the soldier was enlisted. Details of any previous military service and dates of promotion are also noted, as well as the details of desertion, transfers, discharges, and if applicable, where and when the soldier died. The final column is reserved for comments on the soldier's character and conduct while in the service of his country.
The mobility indicated in these books can be amazing. An example is John Kennedy, a brass-foundry worker who was born in Dublin. In 1808 at the age of 19, John Kennedy enlisted in the 1st Foot Regiment on the Isle of Wight after serving eight months with the 17th Light Dragoons (later known as the 17th Lancers). He served in the seventh company of The (Royal) 1st Regiment of Foot until 1831, when he was pensioned at York. Presumably he also accompanied the regiment during its tours of duty in Europe, Iberia, America and India.
In short, service records for the enlisted man can provide far more than the bare facts of his birth, enlistment, and discharge from service or death. They can also give an accurate personal description of his physical condition and character, and chronicle both his military service and his civilian occupation. For the descendant of a British Soldier they are in invaluable.
Pension Records
Three of the main record types available at the Public Record Office which contain pension information are the Chelsea Regimental Registers (War Office file 120), the records of Soldiers Discharged Through Chelsea Hospital (W.O. 97), and the Applications for Pensions for Widows and Children [of officers], 1755-1908 (W.O. 42).
Like many of the other records concerning British Army personnel in the early part of the nineteenth century, the pension records discussed in this article are organized along regimental lines. So, to use them efficiently, you must know which regiment your ancestor served in before you can begin.
Chelsea Regimental Registers
The Chelsea Regimental Registers are available both at the Public Record Office and the LDS Family History Library (and its associated Family History Centers). The first fifty volumes of these registers cover the period of about 1715-1843, and are arranged chronologically by the date of admission (to the hospital) within each army regiment. The last twenty volumes include the years 1845-1857, noting the actual pensions being paid. In this second series, the admissions occuring prior to 1845 have been arranged by the rate of the pension, while those after 1845 are recorded chronologically.
Here again, we find an excellent picture of the soldier, in this case, at the time of his admission to the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. The register book includes his full name, date of admission to the hospital, his age, rank(s), time of service, and the rate of pay. The column noting his "complaint" (reason for hospitalization) often includes mention of where the illness was contracted, of the wound was suffered. Finally, the registers give the town and county of birth, civilian occupation, and miscellaneous remarks.
The Regimental Registers can also be found at the Public Office in W.O. 23, with extensions to 1876
Soldiers Discharged Through Chelsea Hospital
These documents, filed as W.O. 97, were compiled at the same time as the Regimental Registers, and thus contain much of the same information.
Here, the data is recorded on seperate sheets for each man, rather than in a register format as the records in W.O. 120. The 1,279 volumes in the series are arranged alphabetically within each regiment, covering a period approxiamately from 1760 through 1872.
The form itself is used to chronicle the soldier's service, and to provide proof of his discharge from the military. Among the information included in his full name, town and county of birth, date, place and term of enlistment, and the period of his service (in years and days) from the time of his eighteenth birthday. This allows for an easy calculation of the exact date of his birth.
His service record notes all of the regiments in which he served, with both beginning and ending dates, ranks attained, and the total service rendered, again in years and days, in each rank and regiment. Service in either the East or West Indies is noted seperately. The reason for his discharge (illness or wounds) is given, as are remarks on his general conduct while in the service, and notations on his height, complexion, eye and hair color, and civilian occupation. The form is dated and signed by both the discharged soldier and his commanding officer.
As with the Regimental Registers, these Soldiers' Documents can be obtained on microfilm through the LDS Family History Library and its Family History Centers, with the originals being deposited at the Public Record Office.
Pension Applications
To make a proper application for pension benefits, the widow or her children had to include a variety of documents proving both military service by the officer to the Crown, and their legitimate relationship to the deceased officer. Thus, the Applications for Pensions for Widows and Children (W.O. 42) are organized into numbered bundles, each including the application for the pension along with the supporting documents. These bundles have then been filed alphabetically by the surname of the officer, with bundle numbers beginning anew at one for each letter of the alphabet (e.g., bundles 1-203 for the letter A, 1-739 for B, etc.). The time period covered by these documents is 1755-1908.
Although the exact contents of each bundle varies somewhat, it is possible to find statements of service and commission for the deceased officer, as well as certificates of birth, marriage or death. In the absence of civil certificates (which began in 1837), there are usually signed statements certifying legitimate marriages and births. Of course, these certificates ans statements include the names of the persons involved, with the date and location of the birth (or baptism), marriage, or death (or burial) indicated.
As is the case with the Regimental Registers and the Soldiers' Discharge papers, these Pension Applications can be consulted at the Public Record Office in Surrey, the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City, or at an LDS Family History Center.
In this article on British military records, I've been able to cover several collections and their contents, but by no means have I exhausted the list of such records available for research by genealogists and historians. If you wish to go into the records available at a greater length, you should consult the list of sources at the end of the article. Of special interest are Hamilton-Edwards' In Search of Army Ancestry, and Records of Officers and Soldiers Who haved served in the British Army, an excellent booklet published by the Public Record Office.
Certainly seeking information on military ancestors is not always a bed of roses, but the records available can make the study fascinating, while providing a variety of unexpected rewards for the diligent researcher.
Sources for Further Study
A Guide to the Regiments and Corps of the British Army on the Regular Establishment, by J.M. Brerton (The Bodley Head, London - Sydney - Toronto, 1985).
A Guide to the Sources of British Military History, by Robin Higham (Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, England, 1972).
An Annotated Bibliography of the British Army, 1660-1914, by A.P.C. Bruce (Garland Publishing Inc., New York, 1975).
A Register of the Regiments and Corps of the British Army, by Arthur Swinson (The Archive Press, London, 1972).
Army Records for Family Historians, by Simon Fowler (Public Record Office Publications, Public Record Office, CHancery Lane, London WC2A 1LR, England, 1992).
British Army, 1660-1914: A Bibliography, by A.P.C. Bruce (Garland Publishing, New York - London, 1975).
English Army Lists and Commision Registers, 1661-1714 (6 volumes) by Charles Dalton (Francis Edwards Ltd., London, England, 1960).
In Search of Army Ancestry by Gerald K. Hamilton-Edwards (Phillimore & Co. Ltd., Chichester, Sussex, England, 1977).
Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, c/o The National Army Museum, Royal Army Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HT, England.
LDS Genealogical Library, 35 North West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84150.
Public Record Office, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, England.
Records of Officers and Soldiers Who Have Served in the British Army (Public Record Office, London, England).
Tracing Your Ancestors in the Public Record Office by Jane Cox and Timothy Padfield (Her Majesty's Stationary Office, London, England, 1984
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