Woolwich birth, 1790

[heiserca]

John Clezy was born about 1790 at Woolwich - his father was in the Royal Artillery.

Parents:
John Clezy (or Clezie, Clazy, Clazie, Clasie, Claisye, etc), from Coldstream, Berwickshire
Margaret Paulin (or Palen, Paline), from Hutton, Berwickshire

They married 15 Sep 1777 and that record says the husband was “attached to His Majesty’s Corps of Artillery at Perth.”

The son later became a teacher.  He tutored the children of Colonel Robertson-Macdonald of Kinlochmoidart, then taught at schools in the Scottish Borders.  A letter he wrote in 1823 to Edinburgh Academy stated that he was born and got his primary education at Woolwich.

That is all we know of his early years.  How to find out more? 

They were a Scottish family, so likely Presbyterian rather than Anglican.  Where to find a Presbyterian baptismal record around 1790 at Woolwich? 

Are there nominal records for the Royal Artillery in that period?  I am in Canada so cannot go to the National Archives at Kew.     

[hanes teulu]

The newspaper The Caledonian Mercury, reporting Edinburgh University prize winners, mentions a John Clezy

May 6 1815
In the Senior Greek Class For Latin Poems Mr John Clezy
In the Senior Humanity Class For Latin Essays Mr John Clezy

May 1 1817
In the Logic Class Mr John Clezy, Kent

(note- Woolwich is in the County of Kent)

Edinburgh University Archives - see
http://epona.lib.ed.ac.uk:1822/cgi-bin/view_isad.pl?id=GB-0237-EUA&view=basic

regards

 

[Nick29]

The Greenwich Heritage Centre in Woolwich has a lot of information on the Woolwich Arsenal area (it is actually situated on the old Arsenal site).

I've had the odd lookup from them before from email requests - see http://www.greenwichheritage.org/

[heiserca]

Found a partial answer to one question, about Presbyterian baptism.  A book dated 1796, “Environs of London: volume 4, Counties of Herts, Esssex & Kent”, by Daniel Lyons, is found online, says:

Meeting-houses.
There are six meeting-houses in Woolwich, one belonging to the Presbyterians, two to the Anabaptists, two to the disciples of Mr. Whitfield, and one to those of Mr. Wesley.

Now can anyone now tell me where to find baptismal records, circa 1790, from this Presbyterian meeting house?

[casalguidi]

According to the North West Kent Family History Society, the Presbyterian (and Scots church) chapels don't go back that early http://www.nwkfhs.org.uk/wool_plc.htm

Casalguidi