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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: zhenger on Sunday 31 August 25 13:00 BST (UK)
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Hi, I may be looking for something which doesn't exist, but perhaps someone will have suggestions.
I'm looking for details of the marriage of James Ashton Benney and Margaret Brown, which probably took place between 1845 and 1851, maybe in India.
James Benney (born in Cornwall in 1812) joined the 94th Regiment of Foot aged 14 in March 1826 and became a pensioner 26 years later in 1852. Notes on his service from the pension records are attached — looks like he served in Gibraltar, Malta, Ceylon, and India, as expected from the history of the regiment. After this he lived in Chatham, Kent, until he died in 1877.
According to the censuses of 1861 and 1871, his wife was born in Ireland (Kings County). Their first son James was (according to the 1861 census) born on "board of ship" in about 1851, with the next two sons born in Kent. In the 1871 census it is claimed that all their children were born in Kent.
In 1851 I believe the 94th Regiment of Foot was still in India. I haven't found any details of a marriage between James Benney and Margaret Brown or any information about how a single Irish woman would be in India. I have searched through the British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, 1730-1960 and the UK, Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths at Sea, 1844-1890 on Ancestry and can't find anything relevant, nor can I find anything relevant in Irish or English records.
In the GRO Index to Marine Births 1837-1862 there are two male children with the surname Benny listed (attached). Does anyone have recommendations for getting certificates or details for these children, or is there a way of checking sites like Ancestry to see if they've already been identified?
However, there is a baptism listed as taking place in October 1851 in the Garrison Chapel Brompton, Kent, of William Arthur Benney, born to James and Margaret (attached). This is especially odd as there are no subsequent details of William Arthur Benney, only James Benney, who appeared to have been born at a similar time. You would think that William Arthur Benney was referred to by the name James Benney, but James Benney's son named one of his sons William Arthur, so there may be some significance to the name and perhaps William Arthur died.
This is all I know about this family mystery. My suspicion is that James Benney and Margaret Brown were either never married or were unofficially married on board a ship or were married in India where it wasn't recorded. We know very little about Margaret Brown and only have speculative evidence about who her parents were. She was probably born about 1827, and she died in 1878. Is there some way of finding out why she was in India, if she was in India? With her family?
Perhaps someone will have thoughts on all this speculation. Thanks to anyone who's read all this!
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His army service records are in the name of James Bennie
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=gbm%2fwo97%2f1022%2f041%2f006&parentid=gbm%2fwo97%2f1022%2f846180
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61068/records/141529
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any information about how a single Irish woman would be in India
Perhaps she was the widow of another soldier
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His army service records are in the name of James Bennie
Thanks, I hadn't seen these, although it doesn't answer the question it's very interesting!
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Could someone kindly give me a 1861 census ref.--OK found it
SS
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Could someone kindly give me a 1861 census ref.
Not sure of the exact format you want but they're on page 55, District 2b, Gillingham, (Chatham, Brompton) Kent. (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8767/images/KENRG9_479_482-0415?pId=7085366)
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Although you have said the pension docs do not show that the 94th/your ancestor was in Ireland the Wiki history has an enigmatic sentence
'It returned to Ireland in November 1834.'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/94th_Regiment_of_Foot
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We know from William Arthur's baptism that James was a drummer. I wonder if he was the one mentioned here, arriving at Chatham in August 1851; https://www.findmypast.co.uk/image-share/2853a16e-ee7e-41ae-ae05-6b34ad681b8e
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If William Arthur's names are not from his parents etc it may be that the Arthur is from the Duke Of Wellington. A serving soldier would be aware of his commander. The DoW was reputed to have been born in Dublin and perhaps James Bennie/nney was also from there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Wellesley,_1st_Duke_of_Wellington
There are Berney/Beirney families from Ireland.
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'It returned to Ireland in November 1834.'
I looked up the history (linked on Wikipedia) and found that the 94th Regiment wasn't ever stationed near Kings County, so there's no obvious link there. But yes, there's a chance James Benney would have been there. This is the Benney surname that originates from Cornwall (normally spelt that way).
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We know from William Arthur's baptism that James was a drummer. I wonder if he was the one mentioned here, arriving at Chatham in August 1851; https://www.findmypast.co.uk/image-share/2853a16e-ee7e-41ae-ae05-6b34ad681b8e
That is really interesting and I think it would make sense that he was the person involved. It ties in with the baptism and the claim that the child was born on board ship. Thank you!