Drillmaster Sergeant

[swissancestor]

I'm researching my wifes family and have found links through three generations to the Royal Artillery. I have hit a bit of a wall with Jesse Lucas born around 1783 and shown in the 1841 census as a Drillmaster sergeant who married a Charlotte Debney in 1815 . In the marriage banns for his son, George David Lucas a blacksmith / farrier sergeant in the RA dated July 1862, Jesse Lucas is shown as a Sergeant RA. In the Banns for his other children he is listed as a drillmaster. The only military records i can find for a Jesse Lucas are linked to a sergeant in the 10th Hussars, Captain Floyds Troop who served in the Peninsular campaign and at Waterloo the record shows he was born in Dorset in 1783 and enlisted in London in 1804. He was discharged from the Hussars in 1821 seemingly due to ill health. My question is did Jesse Lucas serve in the 10th Hussars first and then join the RA or are these different people. I can find no records for Drillmaster Jesse Lucas in the Royal Artillery. Can anyone help with this one? Thanks

[ShaunJ]

I think it probably is the same man. Discharged to pension in 1821, possibly found a position with local yeomanry (militia) as drill sergeant. Many private schools also had drillmasters or drill sergeants.

Is it just George's marriage record that mentions RA?

The Chelsea pensioner register for 10th Dragoons notes that Jesse Lucas died 11/11/1843 - perhaps that should clinch it for you.

[swissancestor]

Thanks for this.
The date of death does tie in as he was buried at St Mary Hampton on 26 Nov 1843. The family lived in Hampton, London based on the baptism records of his children and the 1841 census. All the baptism records list him as a Drill Sergeant. The marriage banns for his children have him as either a pensioner (1843), Officer in Army (1855) or Sergeant RA (1862). It is possible that his younger children believed these were his profession due to his death years earlier  when they were young? However the pension record shows his profession as that of labourer?

[swissancestor]

I did find a Jez or Jes Lucas in the pensions list who had served in 1-6th Battalions artillery but he was living in Canterbury or Chorley in 1826 which doesn't tie in with the children's baptisms which were all in the Hampton / Twickenham area in the 1820's.

[ShaunJ]

However the pension record shows his profession as that of labourer?

That would be his occupation before he joined the army

[swissancestor]

yes that makes sense,