Berwickshire militia during Napoleonic war period

[sylann]

Just noticed this and I'm interested in the Berwickshire Militia I have a John McAlpine who married in Haddington 1807 a Margaret Donaldson it states he was a soldier in the Berwickshire Militia I managed tofind out that they were claiming for 2 children in 1813 George & Elizabeth I've been doing this for a few years and not been able to find their births until now !!
George McCalpen baptised 11 Feb 1810 at St Mary Woodbridge father John McCalpen mother Margaret Donaldson
I don't have anything on John McAlpine/McCalpen other than his marriage the 1841 census in Linlithgow which says he was not born in the county but was born in Scotland his age was 55
 
If anyone can help in anyway  to find out where he was born I would be very grateful
Sylvia

[Rena]

I came across this morsel of information and have pasted it here in case it helps.  Musselburgh, MidLothian county, had a barracks which housed 2,000 men (!)

http://www.ancestor.abel.co.uk/Inveresk.html

<<The following militia regiments were at Musselburgh in the period 1803-14:

    Berwickshire Militia
    Originally stationed at Port Seton, by Prestonpans. Moved ca 17.6.1805 to Musselburgh.>>

Sylann, Linlithgo in West Lothian is the next door county to Midlothian. The people of the counties would have used the river as a main street so travel was comparatively easy.  If your family followed tradition John would have named his oldest son in favour of his own father.   

[sylann]

Thank you for your input
Yes we had thought on those lines George being named after John's father but Margaret's father was also George. and we don't know if  George was the first child !

I'll look again at the George McAlpine and see if any could match our tree but if I remember when I looked before their wasn't any George McAlpine's, it was James,Donald, John

Thank you

[histcoll]

looking for a soldier from the Napoleonic war period named Isaac Baillie, who according to other sources of information arrived in Berwickshire around 1810. Working as agricultural labourer and previously living in Ireland where two of his children were born. His wife was Annie Hewitt. Isaac's daughter's death certificate in 1897 described Isaac as a soldier.   

[McB]

The Berwickshire Militia did travel around quite a lot.
This is what I have a note of:
In 1808 they may have been at Edinburgh.
In 1810 they may have been at Haddington, East Lothian.
In 1811 they were at Woodbridge, Suffolk.
In 1813 they were at Irvine, Ayrshire.

[histcoll]

Thank you I will try looking around the Edinburgh area for Issac

[McB]

Good luck. I found a marriage and then 3 baptisms that suggested these places were where the regiment was at some point during these years; which also provides an insight into the way in which wives moved around with the soldiers as they were posted from place to place.

[hilarymartin]

harry, im researching james dickson and isabella keay. do you know anything else about them? hilary

[lynneallan]

Hi - I just located my 5x great grandparents.  Robert Crawford and Janet Davidson.  Married in 1812 at St. Cuthbert's in Edinburgh (Canongate). 

Transcription of marriage record (Old Parish Registers Canongate):
1st of January 1812 - Robert Crawford, Sergt. in the Berwick Shire Militia in Edin. Castle, and Janet Davidson in St. Cuthbert's, Daughter of George Davidson, Labourer, in Kelso(?), gave up their names for Marriage.  Certified by William Davidson, Printer Caltonhill, and James Lusk(?), Sergt. in said Regt.

I am interested in learning more about Robert's service.  I noticed that in some of the posts, it indicates that the Berwickshire Militia were in Suffolk at the time of this marriage.  Is there any reason that Robert would not have been with them?  Would there have been a reason for members of the regiment to stay behind?

Regards,
Lynne