Renfrewshire Militia Records

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Pandabean
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Renfrewshire Militia Records

Post by Pandabean » Sun Mar 21, 2010 6:21 pm

Do any records exist for the Renfrewshire Malitia? Im looking at a time period of 1785 -1830.

Cheers,
Andy
Andy
[size=75]
[b]McDonald[/b]
[b]Greenlees & Fairnie[/b] (Musselburgh area)
[b]Johnston, Whitson, Whitecross, Runciman [/b] (Haddingtonshire)
[b]Rutherford [/b](Dumbartonshire, Airth & Larbert)
[b]Ross, Stevenson & Robb[/b](Falkirk)[/size]

Currie
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Re: Renfrewshire Militia Records

Post by Currie » Mon Mar 22, 2010 1:53 pm

Hello Andy,

I’m not sure whether you’re after the records of a soldier or just general information about the Regiment.

If you search the National Archives for Renfrew Militia or Renfrewshire Militia in that time period you’ll find an assortment of available records. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/sear ... d=True&j=t

I haven’t found a history of the Regiment but one could perhaps be assembled from the various items that have appeared in the 19C newspapers. They appear to have been known as the Ayr and Renfrew Militia at some stage and seem to have moved around a fair bit. According to this site the Royal Renfrew Militia were embodied in 1793. http://www.aboutscotland.co.uk/argylls/allied.html

By 1834 they were disembodied and the following is from a report to Parliament on the state of the staff of the disembodied militia of the United Kingdom.

Page 76
RETURNS RELATIVE TO THE STATE OF THE DISEMBODIED MILITIA OF THE UNITED KINGDOM - RENFREWSHIRE.

The Adjutant General of the Forces,
Horse Guards, London.
Glasgow, 19 July 1834.
Sir,
ACCORDING to instructions contained in your letter of the 30th ultimo, I proceeded to Paisley, and inspected the Permanent Staff of the Renfrew Militia, and found it as described in a nominal Return herewith sent.
The Adjutant of the corps, Captain Jamison, is an officer far advanced in years; and should it be necessary to call out the Militia for active service, I am afraid he would not be able to perform the duties of the situation in the manner which in my opinion they ought to be done.
I have, &c.
(signed) T. Hograth, Lt Col. 82d Regt.

RETURN, showing the actual State as to Efficiency, &c. &c. of the PERMANENT STAFF of the Renfrew Regiment of Militia.

RANK AND NAMES, Age, Residence or at Head Quarters, Occupation or Trade, Period elapsed since performing Military Duty, General State as to personal Efficiency for Active Service.

Serjt-Maj. William Boyle, 52y 6m, at Headquarters, Weaver, 18y 4m, Fit
Serjeant Archibald Gray, 53y, at Headquarters, Weaver, 18y 4m, Unfit
Serjeant David Boay, 55y 11m, at Headquarters, Weaver, 18y 4m, Unfit
Serjeant John Munro, 51y, at Headquarters, Weaver, 18y 4m, Unfit
Serjeant James Maitland, 50y 6m, at Headquarters, Weaver, 18y 4m, Fit
Serjeant James Orr, 46, at Headquarters, Weaver, 18y 4m, Fit
Serjeant James M‘Ewing, 53y, at Headquarters, Weaver, 18y 4m, Unfit
Serjeant James Ralston, 46y 2m, at Headquarters, Weaver, 18y 4m, Unfit
Serjeant Robert Miller , 51y, at Headquarters, Weaver, 18y 8m, Fit
Serjeant John Nicol, 35y, at Headquarters, Weaver, 9y 9m, Fit
Drummer John Bryson, 46y 4m, at Headquarters, Weaver, Never, Fit
Drummer John M'Cumming, 44y 6m, at Headquarters, Weaver, 19y, Fit
Drummer Daniel M'Arthur, 25y 3m, at Headquarters, Weaver, Never, Fit
Drummer John Watson, 24y 7m, at Headquarters, Weaver, Never, Fit

(signed) T. Hograth, Lt Col. 82d Regt.
Head Quarters, Paisley,
15 July 1834.

Hope that’s interesting,
Alan

Pandabean
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Re: Renfrewshire Militia Records

Post by Pandabean » Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:34 pm

Thanks very much Alan, I will have a proper read later on as I am at work now so skiving a little.

Im going on a hunch of a person who may have served around the turn of the 19th Century, I have no definite proof apart from a possible lie on a marriage certificate. Also based on looking at OPR marriages in the same area some people cam over from Renfrewshire to Midlothian and were part of the Renfrewshire militia.

I did a google search for records but didn't really come across much.

So I guess if the records are at Kew, then that will be another dead end ](*,)
Andy
[size=75]
[b]McDonald[/b]
[b]Greenlees & Fairnie[/b] (Musselburgh area)
[b]Johnston, Whitson, Whitecross, Runciman [/b] (Haddingtonshire)
[b]Rutherford [/b](Dumbartonshire, Airth & Larbert)
[b]Ross, Stevenson & Robb[/b](Falkirk)[/size]

scooter
Posts: 372
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 8:22 pm
Location: Kent, England

Re: Renfrewshire Militia Records

Post by scooter » Sat Apr 03, 2010 9:10 pm

Hi Andy,

I've spent quite a bit of time looking at the Muster Rolls and Pay Lists relating to the Renfrew Militia of late for the period you are interested in and have researched two brothers who served from the 1790's all the way through until 1815. I know where they were for almost the entire period, how much they were paid etc. etc. I am currently compiling a summary of what I've discovered regarding various units etc. and will post here in due course. What was the person's name? I may have photographed the rolls in which they are recorded. Ultimately though, Kew will hold the possible answers you are looking for.

Best,

Scott
Researching Wishart (Glasgow & Kirkcaldy), McDonald (Donegal & Falkirk), Thomson (Star, Fife) & Harley (Monimail, Moonzie & Cupar)

Pandabean
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Re: Renfrewshire Militia Records

Post by Pandabean » Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:34 am

Scott,

I was beginning to wonder if anything actually existed.
The name would be William Greenlees/Greenlies, probably born 1775 (+- 5 years) & he married in 1804 but was rebuked by the church and remarried in 1814 and had their first child then.

I hope that you are likely to have something.

Thanks,
Andy
Andy
[size=75]
[b]McDonald[/b]
[b]Greenlees & Fairnie[/b] (Musselburgh area)
[b]Johnston, Whitson, Whitecross, Runciman [/b] (Haddingtonshire)
[b]Rutherford [/b](Dumbartonshire, Airth & Larbert)
[b]Ross, Stevenson & Robb[/b](Falkirk)[/size]

scooter
Posts: 372
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 8:22 pm
Location: Kent, England

Re: Renfrewshire Militia Records

Post by scooter » Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:21 am

Hi Andy,

That's very interesting as one of the brothers I was researching (John Wishart) married a Margaret Greenlees from Lochwinnoch in Inveresk in 1804. The Royal Paisley Volunteers (of which John was a part of) were stationed at Castle Semple in the parish of Lochwinnoch in 1800 and I'm guessing this is when he met his wife. Where was your William from? I had a look through the documents I copied and William wasn't mentioned, however that isn't to say that he wasn't part of the Renfrew Militia, I only copied documents from two troops, and there were several others at the time excluding several other companies with their own troops.

From what I've seen there were the:

Volunteers:

The Royal Paisley Volunteers 1798 - 1802
1st Regiment of Paisley Volunteer Infantry 1803 -
2nd Company 1st Regiment of Paisley Volunteer Infantry 1803 -
3rd Company 1st Regiment of Paisley Volunteer Infantry 1803 -

2nd Regiment of Paisley Volunteer Infantry 1803 -

Renfrewshire Port Glasgow Volunteers 1798 - 1802
Renfrewshire Greenock Volunteers 1798 -
Renfrewshire Greenock & Sharpshooters Volunteers 1804 -
Renfrewshire Greenock & Port Glasgow Volunteers 1803 -
Renfrewshire Renfrew Yeomanry Infantry 1798 -

Militia:

Renfrewshire Regiment of North British Militia 1803 - (the 'North British' part is dropped from the Muster Rolls quite quickly in 1803)

Hope this helps!

Best wishes,

Scott
Researching Wishart (Glasgow & Kirkcaldy), McDonald (Donegal & Falkirk), Thomson (Star, Fife) & Harley (Monimail, Moonzie & Cupar)

Pandabean
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Re: Renfrewshire Militia Records

Post by Pandabean » Tue Apr 06, 2010 12:02 pm

Lol, whats the chances of that, you having a Greenlees in your work. William suddenly appears in Inveresk/Musselburgh in 1814, with his second attempt at marriage and the birth of his son shortly after. He had no other children that we can find, not even through the census records, which seems odd to me, why they would have one child at that time. He died in 1823 in Inveresk, with his wife Elizabeth Peat dying in the 1840s and thus was the start of the Greenlees line in Inveresk/Musselburgh. We have assumed that he came from the west coast and Renfrewshire/Paisely was one possibility.

The reason I am chasing this link, is William's son, William married a second time in 1872 (I think) to an Ellen Greive, now on that marriage certificate William states his father as a Private in the Royal Artillery (Deceased) and that is the only mention of it. Now I know WO96 is being uploaded to Ancestry so that is my first port of call when they come out, also if he died during action or before his 12 years he may be WO97.

The other link was in the OPRs there were some men listed as being in the Renfrewshire militia when they were in Inveresk/Musselburgh. So that turned on a small 20 watt light buld in my head and thinking, "hey William may have come over in the Militia and settled". He was a weaver turned miner, no other mention of military duty.

The other option is the Edinburghshire Militia, on his marriage certificate he did state they were married in 1804 in Edin, but were rebuked. So he waited 10 years to have a son? Seems a large gap to me.

I hate how Scottish records are kept way down in London with no other means of accessing them than going down to view them....meh thats a rant for another day.
Andy
[size=75]
[b]McDonald[/b]
[b]Greenlees & Fairnie[/b] (Musselburgh area)
[b]Johnston, Whitson, Whitecross, Runciman [/b] (Haddingtonshire)
[b]Rutherford [/b](Dumbartonshire, Airth & Larbert)
[b]Ross, Stevenson & Robb[/b](Falkirk)[/size]

bleckie
Posts: 212
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Location: Perth

Re: Renfrewshire Militia Records

Post by bleckie » Tue Apr 06, 2010 12:13 pm

Hi Andy
I have been chasing a ancester of mine who was listed as an army pensioner (still looking for him) viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14499 but last week on
findmypast I found his grandson's military record all 6 pages of it. The only clue I had was that on the 1881 census he said he was an army reservist.
I actually found his recort on findmypast's chelsea pensioner records
might be worth a try.
Yours Aye
BruceL

Pandabean
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Location: Aberdeenshire - Originally Falkirk

Re: Renfrewshire Militia Records

Post by Pandabean » Tue Apr 06, 2010 12:28 pm

Thanks Bruce. Unfortunately the records I am looking at won't be upload to FMP until next year and then WO97 will be after that, I believe those are the records where they did not claim a pension after service. However I did find a hit for a Greenlees family member that. :)
Andy
[size=75]
[b]McDonald[/b]
[b]Greenlees & Fairnie[/b] (Musselburgh area)
[b]Johnston, Whitson, Whitecross, Runciman [/b] (Haddingtonshire)
[b]Rutherford [/b](Dumbartonshire, Airth & Larbert)
[b]Ross, Stevenson & Robb[/b](Falkirk)[/size]

scotsgirl44
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:31 pm

Re: Renfrewshire Militia Records

Post by scotsgirl44 » Sat Mar 23, 2013 3:37 pm

I have an ancestor John Flockhart (married to Isabella Sinclair) who was recorded as being in the Renfewshire Militia - certainly between 1805 and 1810 (militia family record with principal recorded as James Henderson. His daughter Amelia was born in England according to her census data c. 1809. A record birth of a John Flockhart (to Isobel Sinclair and John Flockhart) 1806 in Rye also fits in with this information. Can anyone tell me if the Renfrewshire militia were posted to Rye during the early 1800s - I believe they were at Portsmouth at some point. If so did their families travel with them?
Any help appreciated.

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