Charles Kent 6th Regt

[Ju]

Thank you all so much for your replies.

They certainly explain why I haven’t been able to find Charles Kent in the 1871 census & the fact that he only served in the Home Islands does seem to suggest that Harriet would have been able to travel with him.

I’ve got one further question though…
Charles & Harriet married in 1862 and I only know of Charles, their son, who was born c1869 and Emily, their daughter, who was born c1875 (their other children being born in Warwick after Charles left the army) so are there any records relating to the family of army personnel that I could look at to try to trace any other children they might have had?

Thanks again,

Ju

[Andy J2022]

Service records from that era rarely show any family details. If a man was already married when he joined up, that fact would be recorded, but this was fairly rare. The other place  where dependants can be recorded is in pension records if a man is killed in action or invalided out; however there was no army pension for widows until the twentieth century.

Since Charles served exclusively in the British Isles (Ireland then under British administration) all births in England Wales and Scotland should have been registered. The starting points for official registration were: England and Wales 1837, Jersey 1842, Scotland 1855 and Ireland (North and South) 1864. Therefore there is a two year gap after their marriage until Irish registration began, but the sources say that the battalion didn't go to Ireland until 1870 so this probably isn't relevant.
The complete list of deployments of the 2nd Battalion for the period is:
       1857    England: Preston    
     1858    Gibraltar    
     1862    Ionian Islands: Corfu    
     1864    Jamaica    
     1867    Scotland    
     1868    England    
     1870    Ireland    
     1874    Guernsey    
     1875    England    
     1878    India

But as we know thanks to Shaun, he didn't serve overseas, so presumably he was at the depot during the years 1857 - 1867.  Throughout that decade the regimental depot was at Colchester. This theory is perhaps borne out by the fact that when he re-engaged for a further 11 years service in July 1866 this was done at Colchester. If this is correct, you need to look at Kent births registered in Colchester.

An alternative explanation is that during most of that early period he may have been serving with the 1st Battalion. Their relevant deployment was:    
Jan – Apr 1862 Bengal
Apr – May 1862 Passage home
June – Dec 1862 Gosport
Jan – May 1863 Gosport
Jun -Dec 1863 Aldershot
Jan - Sep 1864 Aldershot
Oct - Dec 1864 Plymouth (Devonport)
Jan – Jul 1865 Plymouth (Devonport)
Aug – Dec 1865 Jersey
Jan - Jun 1866 Jersey
Jul – Dec 1966 Cork
Jan – Nov 1867 Fermoy
Dec 1867 Passage to India

Incidentally, I don't think anyone has picked up on the fact that on page 2 (gbm_wo97_2013_051_002.jpg) of his record it shows he did 2 x 295 (590) days or roughly 19 months in the militia, presumably before he joined the regular army.

[ShaunJ]

My reading of the service record is that he served with 2nd Battalion of 6th Regiment throughout (1857 to 1878), with previous service in the Royal Berkshire Militia as Andy says. As he didn't leave the British Isles he must have stayed behind in the depot company while the battalion was deployed overseas.

His movements from 1865 onwards can be reconstructed from his medical records: 

Colchester 1865
Edinburgh 1867
Aldershot   1868
Brecon  1869
Buttevant 1870
Curragh 1873
Belfast  1873
Armagh 1873
Alderney 1874
Aldershot 1875
Dover 1876
Warwick 1877

[Andy J2022]

I agree that everything in his paper record suggests that he only served with the 2nd battalion. I only put forward the idea of the 1st battallion because 10 years is a long time to spend in the depot with no apparent experience in a service battalion. As the OP is mainly asking about his movements after the marriage, I think Shaun has nailed it with his list. Colchester seems to be the most likely place for Charles to be between 1862 to 1865.

These two children appear to fit the criteria;

Eliza Kent b. Q3 1862 Colchester 4a 238 mmn Hadley
Sarah Kent b. Q1 1865 Colchester 4a 278 mmn Hadley. Sarah's birth also registered in the Army Births and Baptisms 1865 for 6th Regiment of Foot. https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=BMD%2FOVS%2FREG1%2F001704&parentid=BMD%2FOVS%2FREG1%2F001704%2F1120

[Ju]

Thank you all once again.

I also had a look for entries in the registration district of Colchester and thought that Eliza & Sarah could be children of Charles & Harriet.

Charles & Harriet married in Jan 1862 so the birth of Eliza would fit. Unfortunately, there is also the record for the death of an Eliza Kent in the same quarter. I’ve found her listed as one of their children on some family trees in Ancestry saying that she was born & died at The Camp, Colchester on 3rd Sept, although no sources were attached so I would need to verify that.

It looks as if Sarah moved to Warwickshire with the rest of her family but was not living at home at the time of the 1881 census as she was a domestic servant, so that’s why I hadn’t connected her with them previously. In the census returns for 1901 & 1911 her younger brother, Frank, was staying with her & her husband, Samual Heath.

Finally, when I looked at the 1881 census again 1 noticed that another of Charles & Harriet’s children, George James, was actually born in Dover in c1877, which ties back to where Charles was according to his medical records.

Thanks again for all your help.

Ju