Born at Barton, Lincolnshire c.1811
Enlisted at Beverley, Yorkshire, on the 25th of October 1834.
Aged 23 years 4 months.
Height: 5' 7".
Trade: Butcher.
Appearance: Fair complexion. Hazel eyes. Brown hair.
1851 Census:
Cavalry Barracks, Pockthorpe, Norwich
Robert Ashton, 39, Private, born Barton, Lincolnshire.
From Private to Corporal: 9th of July 1854.
Reduced to Private by a Regimental Court-martial on the 29th of August 1854.
Invalided to England in February of 1856 and was at the Newbridge Depot from the 16th of March.
Discharged from Brighton on the 18th of June 1859 as "Free, at own request, after 24 years service."
Served 24 years 156 days. In Turkey and the Crimea 1 year 8 months
In India: 2 years 3 months.
Aged 47 years 4 months on discharge.
Conduct: "good".
In possession of two Good Conduct badges.
Twice tried by Court-martial.
Tried by a Regimental, Court-martial at Varna:
"he having returned drunk when in charge of a forage-party, on or about the 29th of August 1854. Found guilty and reduced from Corporal to Pte.
Letter relating to him, and another man from the regiment sent to the Military College, Sandhurst:
"Horse Guards,
9th January 1857.
Sir, — By the desire of the General Commanding-in-Chief I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 26th ultimo and to acquaint you that His Royal Highness has been pleased to select the men named in the margin for the Riding Troop about to be formed at the Military College, at Sandhurst and to request you that you will hold them in readiness to proceed to Sandhurst early in the ensuing weeks according to the route which you will receive from the Quarter Masters Department.
I am, etc., etc.
G.A. Weatherall,
DAG."
EJB: Similar letters were sent to the Officers Commanding the 4th Light Dragoons, 8th Hussars, the 13th Light Dragoons and the 17th Lancers, listing the names of the men selected.
Tried by a Regimental Court-martial at Hounslow on the 1st of January 1858, "for having been drunk when returning in charge of a Troop horse to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, on the 13th of December 1857 and letting him fall and break his knees." Found "guilty" and sentenced to 30 days imprisonment, with hard labour. He also lost 1d. per day for 30 days on both Court-martial charges.
He was at some time servant to Major A. L. Annesley, later Lt. General Sir Arthur Lyttleton Annesley, K.C.V.O. and Colonel of the Regiment.
Awarded a pension of 1/- per day. To live in Swinefleet, near Goole, Yorkshire, after discharge.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, Sebastopol and the Turkish medal.
Lummis and Wynn state that he was also entitled to the Long Service & Good Conduct medal. No trace can be found of this award, and in view of his known court-martials most unlikely.
Death registration
Robert Ashton, June Quarter 1860, Goole.
Shown in the Pension Books as having died in the Hull District on the 19th of June 1860 and the St. Catherine's House records show a man of this name as dying in the Goole District during the April-June quarter of 1860. No age at death is shown, this being in the period before it was recorded.
His death certificate shows him as dying at Swinefleet, Goole, Yorkshire, from "Tabes purulenta, 6 months" [Emaciation, bodily weakness and hectic fever resulting from an ulcerous discharge] on the 19th of June 1860, aged 49 years. His occupation was shown as "Pensioner, late a Private in the 11th Hussars, Queen's Own."
A Reuben Setterington, also from Swinefleet, is shown as being present at his death. (There is a copy of his death certificate in the "Certificates" file.)
[PB: No information about his burial.]
Lummis and Wynn in their book "Honour the Light Brigade" confuse the service details of the two Ashtons. (See record of 1308 Robert Ashton.)
In May 1992 several items thought to be formerly belonging to him were offered in a local auction sale of 19th and 20th Century paintings at Kirkby Lonsdale, Lancashire, comprising an oil-painting on canvas (reputed to be of Robert C. Ashton. 11th Hussars), some 22 by 17 inches, a (presumed) 11th Hussar forage cap, a newspaper from the 1860s with an announcement of his death, and his Turkish Crimean medal.
Further study and information on this collection, however, shows the painting could not be of Robert Ashton, being that of a young man in an officer's uniform. (There is a photograph of this painting in the 11th Hussar file.)
Insufficient detail precluded a positive identification by the Department of Uniforms, Badges and Medals at the NAM. But by eliminating regiments the uniform could not be of, it was decided that:
"The rather tall pill-box cap, the very short hair and the type of moustache does rather indicate a date of circa 1895. In conclusion, the portrait is that of an Hussar officer below field rank in undress, circa 1895."
The painting could possibly a relative — a grand-son, perhaps — although this has not yet been substantiated. With some cleaning, the signature, said at one time to be "Nash", is now apparent as "C.M.S. 1885."
The newspaper report was from The Goole and Marshland Gazette, 2nd of July 1860:
"June 19th. At Swinefleet, aged 48. Mr Robert C. Ashton of the 11th Hussars. He was one of the few that survived the noted Light Cavalry Charge in the Crimean War".
The Department of Uniforms, etc, at the NAM has now seen the cap and their opinion was that:
"The knitted fabric is very similar to that of an other ranks pillbox hat of the 109th Bombay Infantry at present in the Museum collection. Photographs of soldiers in the Crimea show a cap such as yours. However, it would appear that a cap band of cloth for other ranks or lace for senior N.C.O.s was worn by light cavalry regiments.
A photograph by Roger Fenton of Lt. and Adjutant John Yates shows this gentleman, his charger and what may be a groom. This man wears a pill-box with either no band or a darker band than the body fabric. He may however, be a regimental servant rather than an other rank.
The proof lies with evidence, if such exists, of the other ranks' pillbox being worn without a capband. The crimson colour is very indicative of the 11th Hussars (their later pillbox hats were crimson) and in all probability this is another rank's cap worn at the time of the Crimean War."
EJB: Robert Ashton was himself the servant to an officer in the 11th, and the cap could well have been his — perhaps something worn as being more suitable for stable duties than the busby.
828 Robert Ashton's medals came up for auction at DNW as part of the John Darwent collection on 2nd April 2014:
Robert Ashton was born in Barton, Lincolnshire and enlisted in the 11th Hussars in Yorkshire in October 1834, aged 22 years. Advanced to Corporal in July 1854, he lost his stripes later in the same year, out in the Crimea, 'for returning drunk to camp when in charge of a forage party, on or about 29 August 1854.' He was, nonetheless, actively engaged throughout the Crimea campaign, and fought at Alma, Balaklava, Inkermann and Sebastopol, and was, in all probability, a "charger". He was invalided home in February 1856.
Ashton was again tried by Court-Martial in January 1858, on this occasion 'for having been drunk when returning in charge of a Troop horse to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst on 13 December 1857, and letting him fall and break his knees.' Found guilty, he was sentenced to 30 days' imprisonment with hard labour. Yet, despite such mishaps, he is known to have been a private servant to Major (later Lieutenant-General Sir) A. L. Annesley, who eventually commanded the regiment.
Discharged at Brighton in June 1859, Ashton settled at Swinefleet, near Goole, Yorkshire, but died there shortly afterwards, in June 1860. The following announcement appeared in the 'Deaths' column of the Goole & Marshland Gazette on 2 July (original edition included):
"At Swinefleet, aged 48 years, Mr. Robert C. Ashton of the 11th Hussars. He was one of the few that survived the noted Light Cavalry Charge in the Crimean War."
Recent research reveals that Honour The Light Brigade confuses the entries for 828 Private Robert Ashton, and 1308 Private Robert Ashton, both of the 11th Hussars. Interestingly, said research alleges that the latter serviceman used the early demise of the above recipient to seek recognition for his own participation in the charge, when in fact he was not even entitled to the 'Balaklava' clasp: his ploy succeeded and he died in February 1901, having enjoyed regular attendance at Balaklava Society reunions.
[Source: DNW (accessed 24.2.2015).]
Death registration and Census information for 1851 kindly provided by Chris Poole.