Fulwood Barracks

[Daisypetal]

Hi,

This could be his marriage,

Alexander WARNER
Jane LEVENSTON 
Marriage:  28 AUG 1846   0716, Limerick Saint Michael, Limerick, Ireland


I found this family in the 1841 census,


1841  HO107/272/12  f.  p.1  Stoke Damerell, Devon
Two houses and an officers quarters

Robert LEVISTON        35    Private Soldier     I
Elizabeth LEVISTON     30                            N
Jane LEVISTON           11                            Y
John LEVISTON            7                            I
 
The Officer is,
Henry John FRENCH    45    Major Commanding 85th Lights    N


So I wonder if Alexander met her due to his job


Regards
Daisy

[Albertine]

Daisy,  how can I thank you!!!  You are absolutely brilliant!   I knew his wife's name was Jane and their first child Elizabeth, but beyond that absolutely nothing!!   Please accept my heartfelt thanks - these are relatives on my late mother's side about whom we know very little and the family will be really pleased with all this information.

You, Ken and Pete are so helpful and I really do appreciate all your help.

Jan

[km1971]

Hi Jan

My first thought was that Jane was the widow of another soldier who had died in Ireland. Hence my question. The army would only allow children of soldiers to follow them around until a certain age. I think it might be 16 for girls, and this might explain why she married so young. It was either that or be abandoned by her parents, maybe into service, if his regiment moved to another country. It was 14 for boys and they would often be placed in an apprenticeship, and left behind. Victoria’s army was not a place for charity. If a soldier died his wife was often encouraged to marry another soldier. It was either that or a free passage back to the workhouse, as any pension would be tiny.

Below are details of her father’s papers. The reference is for a microfilm in Kew. You can order them for 40p a page. It will not be a lot, as there will not be many pages. You will be lucky to find any FH information in them, as the army just did not record details of wives and children until the 1860s.

But then you have probably used up all your luck for a while. Finding an IGI entry for Ireland is quite rare, as most priests refused to let the LDS see them. I wonder if St Michael’s is C of I.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=-4001007&CATLN=7&Highlight=%2CROBERT%2CLEVISTON&accessmethod=0

Ken

[BumbleB]

Sorry to butt in on this, but Fulwood Barracks rang bells!  I was led to believe that Fulwood Barracks was the home of what is now the South Lancashire Regiment (The Prince of Wales Volunteers) and was originally the 82nd Regiment of Foot. - from a book called "Regiments of Foot", page 191-192, which I think came from the National Army Museum.  And that the 85th Light Infantry Brigade is or was the Bucks Volunteers (from a page I printed off from http://freespace.virgin.net/paul.harris14/nwc/b4_foot9.html !!  But then I know very little about the British Army at any time!!

I've got a guy who went to India in 1880s as part of the 82nd Regiment of Foot (that bit I know is true as I've got his service record - 14th Brigade).  But I haven't taken things any further than collecting this little bit of information.  And I may very well be totally wrong.

BumbleB

[km1971]

Hi BumbleB

There were very few permanant Depots until the 1870s. The 85th Regiment later amalgamated with the 53rd Regiment to become the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry. This was in 1881.

The South Lancs Regiment was formed from the 40th and 82nd Regiments. Although it did have it's Depot in Preston for a while it was mainly based in Warrington, where (until 1913) it shared the Orford Road Barracks with the Liverpools.

The Brigade system for recruiting was introduced in 1873 and lasted until 1881. Fulwood Barracks was mainly linked to the Loyal North Lancs Regiment, formed in 1881. They were joined by the East Lancs around 1900.


Bucks Volunteers is an old name of the 85th Regiment from the 18th century. It is very important when researching the army to appreciate the time period being dealt with. Being the army they changed everything every five-ten years, and still do.

Ken

[BumbleB]

Thanks a lot for that Ken.  It certainly is very complicated.

BumbleB

[km1971]

You just have to make sure you look at an Army List of the period you are interested in.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,360069.0.html might help.

The biggest shakeup was in 1881. The 1st to 25th Regiments already had two battalions. Those numbered 26th and upwards were amalgamated into two battalion regiments to match. All regiments then had a permanent depot, and it is really only from 1881 than county and city names mean anything.

The Guards, KRRC and Rifle Brigade were excluded from these changes.

Ken

[charlotteCH]

As suggested earlier, the 82nd Regiment of Foot has a home there in the Museum at Fulwood Barracks , as far as I understand it.


charlotte

[Wendi]

In that case this might be of interest

http://www.qlrmuseum.co.uk/The%20Museum.htm

Wendi