Born at Cookham, near Maidenhead.
1841 Census
Hambledon, Bucks [about 5 miles from Cookham and Maidenhead]
Edward Blissett, aged 12, an Agricultural labourer living with William and Ester Grey, both 35.
William Grey, also an Agricultural Labourer, is shown as born in Bucks, but not Ester and Edward [could she have been his sister?]. [PB]
Enlisted at Hounslow on the 7th of April 1847.
Age: 19 years 3 months.
Height: 5' 9".
Trade: Groom.
Appearance: Fresh complexion. Grey eyes. Brown hair. (Has mother's birthmark on left foot.)
[PB, March, 2014: The 1851 Census shows a large number of men in the 11th Hussars, all aged 19-21, from this part of the Thames — Cookham, Maidenhead, Taplow, Bray etc. For example 1444 David Andrews, 11th Hussars, christened in Cookham, lived nearby, and enlisted at Hounslow in October 1849. This could be worth following up.]
Tried and imprisoned: 6th of April to the 9th of May 1850.
1851 Census
Pockthorpe Cavalry Barracks, Norwich.
Edward Blissett, 21, unmarried, soldier, Private, born Cookham, Berks.
Tried and imprisoned: 26th-28th of September 1854.
Tried by a Regimental Court-martial on the 28th of September 1854 for "being drunk on the line of march." Given 50 lashes.
On detached duty in the Riding School at Sandhurst during 1860/61 and transferred to the 12th Lancers at Sandhurst on the 1st of March 1861. Regimental No. 529.
1861 Census
Cavalry Quarters, Sandhurst.
Edward Blissett, 33, unmarried, Army Private, 12th Lancers, born Maidenhead.
Marriage registered
Edward Blissett married Eliza Brookman, June Quarter 1861, Easthampstead.
Births registered
Edward Blissett, September Quarter 1862, Farnham.
Augustus Blissett, September Quarter 1864, Easthampstead.
Albert Blissett, December Quarter 1866, Easthampstead.
1871 Census
Royal Military College, Cavalry Quarters, Sandhurst.
Edward Blissett, aged 41, Corporal, 12th Lancers, born Reading.
Eliza Blissett, 43, born Blackwater.
Edward Blissett, 8, born Frimley.
Augustus, 6, born Sandhurst.
Albert, 4, born Sandhurst.
Discharged from Leeds, as L/Corporal [sic] on the 3rd of June 1873 as "Claimed discharge after termination of second period of limited engagement".
He had been re-engaged at Sandhurst on the 14th of May 1861 for a further period of 12 years' service and it would appear from the muster rolls that he spent almost all of his service with the 12th Lancers at Sandhurst.
Served 24 years 6 days. With the Army in the East, 2 years.
Conduct: "very good". In possession of five Good Conduct badges.
Six times entered in the Regimental Defaulters' book. Three times tried by Court-martial.
Aged 43 years 6 months on discharge.
Intended to live, c/o The Railway Tavern, Sandhurst, Berkshire.
Awarded a pension of 1/2d. per day.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, and Sebastopol, and the Turkish medal.
Awarded the Long Service & Good Conduct medal on the 11th of April 1873, with a gratuity of £5. Documents confirm the award of the Crimean and Turkish medals. There is no mention of the Long Service medal, but this could be due to the fact that documents were often made out some time before actual discharge and that awarded to him was dated very close to his discharge.
The muster roll for October of 1854 shows no reason for possible absence so he may have ridden in the Charge. He is shown in the December muster as being at Scutari from the 18th, and again from the 1st of April — 11th of May 1855.
However, he does not appear to have ever been a member of the Balaclava Commemoration Society nor to have ever attended any of the veterans' functions.
1881 Census
Railway Tavern, Sandhurst
The 1881 Census show him as a Licensed Victualler, born at Wokingham [Surrey], aged 51, living with his wife, Eliza, 54, born at Blackwater, Hampshire, and one son, 14, a Scholar.
Light Brigade Relief Fund (St James's Gazette)
His name appears on an 1890 list of Balaclava survivors issued by the Light Brigade Relief Fund. A document in the National Archives, TS 18/322, concerning the transfer of the funds to the Patriotic Relief Fund in 1891, shows he received a single payment of £30 on 14th Nov 1890, sent c/o Major General Clive, Staff College, Camberley. He was listed as aged 60.
In April 1891, he attended the funeral of 902 James Webster, 17th Lancers, at Camberley.
Deaths registered
Edward Blissett, aged 63, March Quarter 1893, Easthampstead.
Eliza Blissett, aged 74, June Quarter 1899, Kingsclere.
Died [5th March 1893] at Sandhurst, Surrey, and was buried in the churchyard of St. Michael and All Angels at Sandhurst on the 9th of March 1893, aged 63 years. His address in the burial records is simply given as "Sandhurst".
The officiating priest was the Reverend Randall Parsons. The present incumbent [1980s?] also states that "no gravestone now exists".
His will shows that he died on the 5th of March 1893. An innkeeper, letters of administration were granted to his widow, Eliza Blissett, on the 20th of March 1893. The value of his effects was £103/10/0.
Extract from the Hants and Surrey Times, 18th of March 1893:
Funeral of a Crimean veteran
The remains of the late Mr. E. Blissett, who was a Balaclava hero, were interred in the Sandhurst cemetery on Thursday last.
The members of the Riding Troop of the Royal Military College, to which the deceased had formerly belonged to as a Corporal in the 11th Hussars, acted as bearers and the Band of the Royal Military College was in attendance and played the Dead March in "Saul".
Mr. Blissett was the landlord of the "Railway Arms" for many years. [Another source states this should have been the "Railway Tavern".]) The funeral was very largely attended.
Extract from the Broad Arrow, 18th of March 1893:
Mr. Edward Blissett died at Sandhurst on the 5th inst. The deceased was formerly in the 11th Hussars and served with it all through the Crimean campaign, including the charge of the Light Cavalry at Balaclava, and received £30 from the fund raised on behalf of the "Six Hundred" a short time ago.
He had been a resident of Sandhurst for some twenty years. The funeral took place at the parish church on Thursday the 9th, about 500 people being present.
The coffin was covered with the Union Jack, upon which were a number of wreaths and borne upon the shoulders of men of the 10th and 11th Hussars, 12th Lancers and the Carabiniers, preceded by the Royal Military College Band under Bandmaster Moody, who played the Dead March in "Saul."
The funeral cortege was met at the entrance by the Rector, who performed the burial service.
All the Light Brigade were represented, amongst the officers present being, Major Hodges, Quarter-master and Lieutenant T.K. Bunting and Qmr. Sergeant Blyth, and amongst those who followed were eight Crimean veterans, three of whom were comrades of the deceased in the ever memorable charge.
The following information came from a Mr E. Cove [Cove or Cope?], late Lieutenant, RN, who said that as a boy he lived in Sandhurst and remembered seeing a gravestone to Blissett when he was about twelve years old. This would have been about 1902-03.
At that time the grave was situated close to the main church door and vestry. The inscription on the stone claimed that he had ridden in the Charge.
"I remember that it was a tall upright stone, and the lettering on the front was to the effect that he had taken part in the Charge of the Light Brigade."
On a recent visit however, he had been unable to find the stone and speaking to the priest-in-charge had been told that over the past few years many headstones had been removed and stacked in a corner of the churchyard. He was unable to find Blisset's stone amongst them, most having the wording obliterated by time and weather.
He also recalled that his father had told him that Blissett had kept a public house (much later occupied by a doctor as a private dwelling) standing at the junction of Yately Road.
[RM, 2011: There are now new photographs of Edward Blissett in the 11th Hussars File. After contact with a family descendant, his gravestone has been located.
Also in 2011 contact was made with a descendant living in Christchurch, New Zealand, who reported that the Museum at Canterbury, Christchurch, holds a Cavalry sword to a survivor of the Charge marked "Blissett".]
Additional Census information for 1861-1871, and registrations of births, deaths and marriage kindly provided by Chris Poole.