Officers or Soldiers Marrying 1790-1815

[Corse21]

Need some assistance from any army experts out there. Especially during Napoloenic era.

I've tried without success to find a marraiage for a soldier netween 1790-1815 for a long time. All the usual and well-known sources have not revealed anything.

The man in question was an ordinary soldier in the 51st Regt of Foot from 1790 to 1805. He then received a commission (without purchase) in 1805 and was an officer until 1817 when his regiment was reduced. He seems to have been in Ceylon from 1800 - 1819. He returned to UK going on half-pay. I have a copy of his 1828 half-pay record.

He had children during this time and I know the mother's name which is a European name. No luck finding any baptism records either.

my questions and help revolves around;

1. would he have required permission from CO to marry?
2. where would marriage take place if not in church. Maybe by declaration or just simply declaring it in front of witnesses?
3. Am I missing anything else or sources to search?

thank you

[ShaunJ]

Perhaps you could give us his name, and his wife's name?

[Corse21]

Hello Shaun

John White attested 51st 16 April 1790 born Ayshire, Scotland.

Johanna Day is wife.

[Andy J2022]

The 51st were only in Ceylon for 7 years, from 1800.  In summary, the battalion was stationed as follows:

        1792    Gibraltar    
     1793    Toulon    
     1794    Corsica    
     1796    Elba    
     1797    Portugal    
     1798    Cape of Good Hope    
     1798    India    
     1800    Ceylon    
     1803    Kandian war (Ceylon)
     1803    Ceylon    
     1807    England    
     1808 October   at sea (embarked at Falmouth)    
     1808    Spain    
     1808    Peninsular war    
     1809 January    at sea (embarked at Corunna)    
     1809.01.25    England    
     1809    Walcheren    
     1811.02.19    Portugal    
     1811    Peninsular war    
     1814    France: Bordeaux    
     1814.06.17    at sea (embarked at Bordeaux)    
     1814.06.25    England: Plymouth    
     1815.03.30    Belgium: Ostend    
     1815    Waterloo    
     1815    France    Army of Occupation
     1816.01.02    at sea    
     1816.01.03    England: Dover    
     1821    Ionian Islands

[Corse21]

Thanks Andy very useful.

I suppose the marriage could have taken place in any othe locations listed.

[Andy J2022]

And to answer one of your earlier questions, I think it most unlikely that he married without his Commanding Officer's permission, especially if this occurred after he was commissioned. As someone commissioned from the ranks he would have been very conscious of the need to follow etiquette, especially if he didn't come from the same social background as his fellow officers. Are you sure he was commissioned into the 51st? It was not uncommon for men like him to accept a commission in a different regiment to avoid the issue of how to deal with soldiers who were formerly his associates. Very often men commissioned after a long service as a soldier (15 years in his case) would be employed as a quartermaster, or a paymaster, if sufficiently numerate.

[ShaunJ]

Just to answer Andy's question, JW appears to have been commissioned into the 3rd Ceylon Regiment as a Lieutenant in August 1805.

Here is his service history as an officer from the 1828 return:

[ShaunJ]

It seems likely that he was married in Ceylon circa 1804 or possibly earlier. The first surviving child that we know of (John George White) was born in Colombo in May 1805. 

My guess is that Johanna Day (some trees have the name as Daly) was the daughter or widow of a fellow soldier. 

Unfortunately there are very few online church records available from that era in Ceylon. I've had a quick look in the indexes at https://www.kabristan.org.uk/ but I don't see anything there for this couple.

[Corse21]

Andy and Shaun

Many thanks for your efforts and posts.

He did go from the ranks without purchase as you can see fro the 1828 record. He came home in 1819 but Johanna died in 1820 in Scotland. He married again in 1821.

I think your conclusions are right, but there is unlikely to be any documentary evidence of marriage / permission etc.

From what you say some soldiers and officers obviously had their wives with them from UK.

Drew