Niblett family - mayor of Swindon

[Nic011]

Hi

My information is a little sparce but I am hoping someone can help. 

I am tracing the Milliner famly of Gloucestershire.  I believe that a female member of the family married a member of the Niblett family.  He later became Mayor of Swindon.  I belive it to be during the 1930's or 1940's, though t may have been before that -  but unlikely to be after 1950.

Can anyone help?

Thanks

Nicola

[Miken]

Nicola:

While I can support the information you have already been given on Harry Edwin Niblett there is a possibility that he may have married Sarah Millner or Milliner in West Bengal, India in 1893. As he was in the Army, service in India would have been logical at that time. Is this an avenue you have pursued?

Unfortunatley, although I have a lot of information on the Niblett family in India, I have no further record of him and Sarah. I do have some information on Edwin's origins in Hereford if you are interested.

[Nic011]

Hello

Since I posted the original message I have discovered the following

GRO Army Index Marriages
 
Harry Edwin N. Niblett  -  1893 page 82  -  Rawalpindi
 
Sarah J Milner - 1893 page 82  -  Rawalpindi
 
GRO Army Index Birth - Could these be their children?
 
Albert Henry N. Niblett   1893  page 190 - Muree
Edwin John N Niblett     1893 or 1895  page 170 - Calcutta
Dorothy Newton Niblett  1898 page 254 - Calcutta
Jessie Rose N Niblett    1899 page 269a - Darjeeling
Robert Newton Niblett    1903 or 5 page 254a - Calcutta

I have yet to discover which regiment he was in - any ideas?

I would love to know more about the Niblett family, if that were possible.  Can I ask what your interest is?  I have a little more infro' from the current Mayor of Swindon's secretary, plus a photo of him, if you are interested.

Nicola

[Miken]

Hi:

Thanks for replying. My interest is that I have been writing the history of the Niblett family starting at Brookthorpe in Gloucestershire around 1425. In the process I have developed a data base for the family with over 1200 marriages and 5000 births or christenings covering the period 1425 to 1900. Unfortunately, especially since 1837, it is difficult to get access to information without excessive time and money so there are a number of gaps. Prior to 1837 the records are more easily accessible but sometimes illegible or missing altogether.

I try to fill in the gaps by writing to those who are researching their own family tree like yourself. I offer information from my own records if I have it. My intention is to help in those enquiries if I can and certainly not to make money so I am happy to provide you with any information I have.

My database is so large that I have split it into several sections based roughly on parishes so to send you any information I need a specific line of enquiry. I can send you my paper on the origins of the family name if you like.

As far as India is concerned there were a number of Regiments in India. The family I have concentrated on were originally in the 14th Buckinghamshire Regiment of Foot around the beginning of the 1800's and later were part of the civil service in India right up until the 1940's. Your Harry was not part of that family having arrived from Gloucester much later. Interestingly Regiments rarely seemed to recruit in their own county and the Buckinghamshire Regiments frequently recruited in Gloucestershire.

You seem to have had more success with the Army records at Kew than I had. I could find very little to help me despite knowing specific names, Regiments, ranks, dates and locations.

The use of the name Newton as a christian name is interesting.  A few Niblett familes adopted the habit of using the mother's or grandmother's family surname as a second christian name and especially so in India. Is there a Newton further back in your history?

Yes. I would like to receive the photograph of Harry. I will add it to my section on the family in India.

My e-mail address is Moderator Comment:email address removed to avoid spam. Please use Personal Message System provided to share email addresses. Thank You.


Regards,


Mike

[Nic011]

Hi Mike

Hopefully you will have received a pm with my e-mail address.  (The photo I have of him is as Mayor of Swindon not in India, but you are still welcome to have a copy if you would like me to send it.)

Your comments on the recruitments of out of county is interesting as I had assumed he would have been in a Gloucestershire regiment - but maybe not!  Something to look in to. 

You asked about the Newton name.  I have not found anything yet.  Presumably if your idea about it being from the female side of the family is correct, it must be something to do with Harry's mother.  As of yet I have not looked at that. 

Thank you for the offer of information.  Anything you have on Harry and his family would be very much appreciated.

Regards,

Nicola

[Ju]

Hi Nicola!

You can look for World War One medal cards at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
and there is one for Harry E. Newton Niblett, covering 1914-1920.

It shows the following:

Corps:             Staff                           General List
Rank:          Lieutenant                Major & Quarter Master

Hope this helps!

Ju

[Nic011]

Ju

Thanks for that - I didn't know about it.  Am now off to investigate the site further!!

Nicola

[Woodflute37]

My grandfather was Harry Newton Niblett and my mother was Jessie Rosa Niblett. Incidentally my second name is Newton, a tradition in this side of the family. My only clue to the reason for the use of Newton is something that my mother told me: that her father (Harry Niblett) was, as a child, in some way adopted and brought up by a man called Newton. In honour of him, and possibly as a rejection of the Niblett name, he joined the army under the name of Newton. Later, the army insisted that he adopt his original legally registered name of Niblett. He did so but added in Newton as prefix. So his army records which are quite impressive were partly under the name of Newton. Beyond this my grandfather's origins are something of a mystery so I would be interested in any other information that is available, on him and my granny, nee Millner. I can provide more on their later careers, if required.

[KGarrad]

For anyone still looking for Harry Edwin Newton Niblett, and his Army career, his pension records are available on Ancestry.

9th March 1882 attested, and joined 16th Queens Lancers
1st November 1885 Transferred to 2nd Dragoon Guards, appointed Lance Corporal
2nd November 1888 Promoted Corporal
27th January 1893 Promoted Sergeant
22nd October 1893 Promoted Transport Sergeant Major
1st October 1894 Transferred to 16th Lancers
16th May 1901 Transferred to 3rd Hussars?
1st December 1901 Transferred to 15th Hussars
1st November 1909 Transferred to 17th Lancers
18th April 1812 Discharged


He served in Egypt in 1884 and 1885, and India 1885 to 1912.
Egypt Medal & clasps; Long Service & Good Conduct Medal; Distinguished Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal; Kandahar Bronze Star.
Mentioned in Dispatches 1885 and 1898


9th December 1914, re-signed to 17th Lancers
(Occupation: Soldier!)


Harry was born in the parish of Hackney, London, Middlesex.
December qtr 1852
Shoreditch district    vol 1c, page 207

Niblett, Henry Edwin