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Topic: British Army in India, 1810-1820 (Read 373 times)
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Wilbur
RootsChat Extra
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Posts: 3
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Hello all
I've been told that there are some very knowledgeable people who post to this list and I'm hoping to pick their brains.
I am researching an individual who spent fifteen years in the British Army, eight of those years were in India between 1810 and 1820. According to 'family legend' he was wounded on two occasions during his service in India. I want to find his service record but understand that I would need to know which regiment he served in. Can someone advise me - how would I go about finding which regiments were in India during the specified time period? Would the fact that he was wounded mean that there are other records which I might search?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Bill Burnett
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jorose
RootsChat Marquessate
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Posts: 3104
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If he was discharged (didn't die in the service) there should be discharge records for him, some have been indexed so you might be in luck - try searching the NA catalogue.
Also if he had children while in the Army you may find their births on the overseas indexes, and those would usually show the regiment.
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manmack
RootsChat Aristocrat
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Posts: 2042
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and you may have the added problem that he was serving in the east india companies forces,they were running india from 1700s till 1860,then the british government took over,lord wellesley[duke wellington] was fighting the mahrattas between 1803-1806,he had the 74th and the 78th highlanders under his command,also the 19th light dragoons,mack
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military history,mainly ww1,manchester pals battalions,tyneside irish +tyneside scottish brigades,leeds,liverpool,accrington,birmingham,hull,barnsley,swansea and salford pals.
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Valda
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Posts: 6998
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There are several Burnetts in TNA catalogue with Yorkshire connections who received an army pension in the early part of the C19th but none the specific dates you mention. Only men who were discharged to pension (served a sufficient period of time) have surviving attestation and discharge papers.
WO 97/25/21 JOHN BURNETT Born GUISLEY, Yorkshire Served in 11th Dragoons Discharged aged 35 1801-1817
WO 97/159/59 ROBERT BURNETT Born GAISLEY, Yorkshire Served in 3rd Foot Guards Discharged aged 38 1813-1818
WO 97/645/92 STEPHEN BURNETT Born HOCKTON, Yorkshire Served in 51st Foot Regiment Discharged aged 26 1816-1825
East India Company army records are at the British Library. There is no (name) online catalogue.
Regards
Valda
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Wilbur
RootsChat Extra
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Posts: 3
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My thanks to "jorose", "manmack", "Valda" and "Liverpool Annie" for your responses to my posting.
I can only give a little more detail about my man. His name was Thomas BURNETT he was born in Coxwold, Yorkshire in 1787. He must have joined the Army aged 17 or 18 because, having served 15yrs according to family tradition, he was back home by 1819; when the first of three children with his wife named Hannah was born at Coxwold. Hannah died as a result of complications with the third birth and Thomas re-married, his second wife was Elizabeth KIRBY. Thomas was now working as a stonemason - his father and at least two of his brothers were stonemasons. In 1853 Thomas emigrated to America with his family and he has many descendants still living there today.
It is *possible* that Thomas married first wife Hannah in India - though I have not been able to find the marriage in any of the oversees indexes I have consulted.
Thanks for the details of BURNETT service records at the NA. In fact I had already searched the NA catalogue and obtained copies of the service records for all BURNETTs I found - Thomas was not one of them. I understood that not all records had been indexed and that records were filed by regiment - so that I would need to know which one Thomas was in.
I was very interested to learn that the East India Company ran an army in India - thanks for the information about the regiments involved. I should know this but where are the East India Comany records held?
Thanks again for taking the time to reply.
Bill Burnett
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Valda
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Posts: 6998
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TNA online index covers all men who received a Chelsea pension up to 1854 (regardless of regiment). I don't believe it includes men who received their pension from Kilmainham (men who finished their service in Ireland) but all out patient pensions were transfered to Chelsea by 1822, so only inpatient records remained with Kilmainham for soldiers actually living in the hospital (in patients - living at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham or the Royal Chelsea Hospital).
The online index was created because soldiers documents were filed by the War Office by regiment and then by soldier's names. This continued until 1872 when they were arranged alphabetically by name of soldiers within categories - cavalry, artillery, engineers, foot guards, infantry and miscellaneous.
After 1882 the documents were arranged in name order.
Most soldiers did not accrue enough service to receive a pension. The main way (providing you know their regiment) to track their army service is through the regimental quarterly pay books (the muster books).
East India Company records (see previous message) are held at The British Library - Indian Office Collection.
http://www.bl.uk/collections/oiocfamilyhistory/family.html
They hold indexes for baptisms, marriages and burials in India.
Regards
Valda
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