Soldier in 1799

[er indoors]

I am looking for information on John King a Liverpool Tailor who married Mary Melling 17 Aug 1789 St Nicholas Liverpool.

Looking at the baptism records of his children he was a tailor Dale St area except for 1799 when he was a soldier.  Would anybody have any idea where?
1802 his is a tailor again Crosbie Street. The last baptism 1818 that is the last record of him 1821 Gore directory Mary King 13 Parker St 1824 Mrs Mary King Parker St  1828 she died aged 60.

Would love to find out why he was a soldier for such a short time what war would he have been involved with, are there any records?
available. I couldn't find a death record for him.

Many thanks

[ShaunJ]

Have you checked the original register page ? It's definitely not a transcription error?

[ShaunJ]

OK I've checked it now and it definitely does say "soldier"!

It could possibly be a transcription error by the parish clerk.

[er indoors]

Thank you for looking  Just discovered Prime Minister William Pitt introduced income tax 1799 to fund the war against Napoleon
Maybe that was it.

[ShaunJ]

Well yes but the Napoleonic wars went on for another 16 years after that.

This one just seems wrong to me - firstly I wouldn't expect a tradesman with an established business to be joining the army in 1799; secondly I wouldn't expect a soldier to be released by the army after a very short period of service, unless he was unfit.

[ShaunJ]

Those 1818 baptisms are interesting! He's described as a "servant of customs".

Note that there there is a death announcement for a John King of HM Customs in the Liverpool Mercury of 5 January 1827. Aged 61. But if that is him then the directory entries for Mary King in Parker Street may not be the right family.

[er indoors]

Thank you I thought it a bit odd also the baptism of two daughters Jane born 1806 and Margaret born 1808 were not done til 1818 he was then a servant of customs pottery.
So that death looks like him  Just found a death wed 19th jan 1825
Mary King wife of John King age 56 after a long and tedious illness
toxteth park.

Now even more confused.

[GrahamSimons]

Just to confuse you further (I'm afraid) - could it be that he had joined the local militia - large numbers of men joined to defend their home areas in case of invasion? If that's the case he might have been proud to have done so and therefore announced himself as a soldier? I have found several men in my research who seemed to be "gentlemen" or in some sort of commerce, who declared themselves on later censuses as "Lieutenant in the Barsetshire Militia" or whatever.

[er indoors]

You could be right about that, upto now know very little of him just discovered he is my ggggg grandfather.