Death & burial
Brief newspaper notice of John Eccleshaw/Eccleshall's death. [Image supplied by Jacky Chadwick (see below)]
Born in Birmingham, c.1825.
A newspaper notice of his death (see below) suggests his father's name was George Eccleshall, of the Reservoir Lodge, Edgbaston.
Enlisted at Birmingham on the 12th of December 1843.
Age: 18.
Height: 5' 7".
Trade: None shown.
From Private to Corporal: 30th of October 1847.
Corporal to Sergeant: 22nd of October 1850.
To Hospital Sergeant from Duty Sergeant: 12th of July 1851.
Embarked for India from Cork aboard the S.S. "Great Britain" on the 8th of October 1857.
The muster rolls for the period July-September 1858 show no service movement during the whole of this period.
According to EJB's notes, John Eccleshaw was invalided to England, embarking on the 29th of October 1859, and discharged, "invalided", from Maidstone on the 20th of October 1860. But he also noted that "no trace of his discharge can be found, the muster rolls for the Depot of the period April 1860 — March 1861, being missing".
However, it now seems likely that he died in 1860 on board the "Belgravia", while returning to Britain from India. [See Further information, below.]
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, and Sebastopol, and the Turkish medal.
Can find no trace on the Mutiny medal roll.
[PB: In October 2012, a Canadian researcher, Jacky Chadwick [JC], contacted the EJBA with some intriguing information that has opened new avenues to explore.[Is there anything more still to add?]
Subsequently, in 2014, Peter Druckers sent a considerable amount information he had accumulated.
I have shown the correspondence below. CHECK and integrate, if necessary.]
Sergt. John Eccleshall, 17th Lancers. Reg. No. was 769; 17th Lancers, Hospital Sergeant.
John Eccleshall would have been born c. 1825.
His father George was the lodgekeeper at Edgbaston reservoir. The gatehouse, built by Telford, still stands. His father was porter/keeper there from its opening in 1829.
George was from Forton — his parents were John (b.1762) and Elizabeth Patrick (b.1760) who had married in Forton in 1778.
John Eccleshall was christened c. 1829 Smethwick along with 3 brothers and a sister.
He enlisted 12.12.43 in Birmingham, and was a clerk prior to enlistment.
He stood 5' 7 1/2" tall and weighed 11st; in 1851 he was single and 25 1/2 years of age.
With service troops entire period [Jan. 1854 to Jan. 1856] as a Hospital Sergt.
[London Standard 17th May 1856 : from the seat of war in the Crimea. Removal of the 17th Lancers. — At seven o'clock on Wednesday morning, the steam transport Canada arrived in Cork Harbour with 465 men, including 20 officers, of the 17th Lancers, and 23 horses, under the command of Major Henry Roxby Benson...]
Invalided in India 9 Oct 1859 and returned home, along with a large complement of sick and wounded soliders from various regiments, including the 17th Lancers, on the Indian hired troopship Belgravia, but died at sea on 13th May. Presumably buried at sea.
Medal with clasps Alma, Balaklava, Inkermann and Sebastopol confirme don medal rolls.
His officially impressed medal with these four clasps was sold at Sotheby's in Feb 1879, was in the Colonel Murray collection by 1891 and sold thrice at Glendinings: Mar 1912; June 1917; and June 1921. Now in a private collection.
While the Lancers were in Portobello Barracks, Dublin in 1856 (back from the Crimea) he was witness to the marriage of another soldier, Henry Batcock.
In 1858 he was posted to join his regiment, the 17th Lancers, in India and travelled on the SS Great Britain but, like many men of the 17th Lancers, he was not among those who saw active service and did not receive the medal.
He died aboard the Belgravia on 13th May 1860, aged 35, as it was on its return to England with invalids from India, 17th Lancers amongst them.
A Notice of Death appeared in The Birmingham Journal of June 1860 : Sergt. Major "much respected by all who knew him".
London Morning Post and London Express : June 6th 1860 :
Arrival of Troops from India :
A large body of troops, to the number of 241 men of all ranks, the whole of whom have been sent home from India on account of wounds or debility, arrived at Fort Pitt hospital this afternoon from Gravesend, where they disembarked from the East India troop-ship Belgravia, 1,400 tons, Commander Wharton.
The vessel sailed from Calcutta on the 2nd of February last, touched at the Cape of Good Hope on the 4th of April, sailed the 11th of the same month and reached the Thames after a passage of 123 days.
The sick and wounded troops belong to the 6th Carabiniers, 17th Lancers, Royal Artillery, Rifle Brigade, 3d (Buffs), 5th Fusiliers, 6th, 8th, 23rd (Royal Welsh Fusiliers), 38th, 42nd (Royal Highlanders), 60th (Rifles), 71st (Highlanders), 75th and 90th (Light Infantry), all under the command of Captain .... Regiment, and Lieut. J. Tilly, 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and in medical charge of Assistant-Surgeon A. J. L. Hepworth, R. A.
During the voyage, they encountered the full force of the late gale.
After the troops had been medically inspected 15 men were into hospital for medical treatment, and the remainder sent to St. Mary's to await their discharge.
(copied by them from The Times.)
_____________________
FROM Kathleen Burgar 9.1.13
http://genforum.genealogy.com/crimeanwar/messages/353.html
Parents
1851 England Census
Name: George Eccleshall
Age: 54
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1797
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Mary Eccleshall
Gender: M (Male)
Where born: Staffordshire, England
Civil parish: Birmingham
Ecclesiastical parish: St Martin
County/Island: Warwickshire
Country: England
Street Address: Reyesevoir [presumably Reservoir] Lodge
Registration district: Birmingham
Sub-registration district: Lady Wood
ED, institution, or vessel: 12
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 9
Piece: 2051
Folio: 308
Page Number: 3
Household Members: Name Age
George Eccleshall 54 Lodge Keeper, Staffordshire
Mary Eccleshall 52 Staffordshire
Eliza Eccleshall 29 Staffordshire
Joseph Eccleshall 23 ?stamper, Staffordshire
Samuel Eccleshall 22 gardener, others b Birmingham
Thomas Eccleshall 20 warehouseman
Oliver Eccleshall 16 merchant clerk
Richard Eccleshall 14
Hannah Eccleshall 13
1861 England Census
about George Ecclesball
Name: George Ecclesball
Age: 65
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1796
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Mary Ecclesball
Gender: Male
Where born: Laston, Staffordshire, England
Civil parish: Birmingham
Ecclesiastical parish: St John
County/Island: Warwickshire
Country: England
Registration district: Birmingham
Sub-registration district: Lady Wood
ED, institution, or vessel: 33
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 8
Piece: 2133
Folio: 48
Page Number: 1
Household Members: Name Age
George Ecclesball [sic?] 65
Mary Ecclesball 63
Eliz Eccleshall 40
Richard Eccleshall 25
---------------
England & Wales Christening Records, 1530-1906
Name: George Eccleshall [father]
Gender: Male
Christening Date: 17 Mar 1797
Christening Place: Forton, Staffordshire, England
Father's Name: John Eccleshall
Mother's Name: Elizabeth
_______________
From Laurence Crider 1.2.13
http://genforum.genealogy.com/crimeanwar/messages/354.html
Dear Jackie:
From my book:
Eccleshall, Hosp-Sgt John, (769), 17th L (p251)
Enl c. 1843. At Sea, Constant., & Devna 1st to 3rd Mstrs respectively [54-2-2]. Free Rations as Hosp Sgt [55-3-2] & [56-1-2]. W/ Svc Trps entire period [54-1 to 56-1] as a Hosp Sgt. Inv 10-29-59. Medal [490/496] w/ A [490/496], B [519], I, [490/496] & S [509] Clasps. **(new entry) '
Eccleshall enlisted 12.12.43 in Birmingham, and was a clerk prior to enlistment; he stood 5' 7 1/2" tall and weighed 11 st; in 1851 he was single and 25 1/2 years of age.' [RS].
To translate for you: John Eccleshall, regimental number 769, served as a Hospital Sergeant throughout the Crimean War; he was with the service troops (those at the seat of the war) throughout the entire war period and was awarded a Crimean Medal with clasps for Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman, and Sebastopol (at the page numbers in brackets as listed on the Medal Rolls; He was invalided (discharged as an invalid) on 29 Oct 1859 and left the service. I found no more about him in my researches. The new entry was information from Robin Smith of South Africa and is self explanatory; it probably came from a form 20 or 24 in the paylists or muster rolls at some point during his service. The reference to page 251 indicates the page where he is mentioned in Lummis' "Honour the Light Brigade"; the only information you will find there which was not included in my book is that his enlistment date was c. November 1843, and that his medal with 4 clasps was sold at Sotheby's in Feb 1879, and thrice at Glendinings: Mar 1912; Jun 1917; and Jun 1921. He is inexplicably absent from Dutton's "Forgotten Heroes: The Charge of the Light Brigade" (2008, the only other published source listing the men of the Light Brigade.
The only persons who I know of that may have more information are Philip Boys and Roy Mills at 'The Lives of the Light Brigade' website; if they are not too busy, I am sure they would answer a query.
________________________
From Jacky Chadwick, email,
So John was a hospital sergeant? .... what would that mean exactly ... would he be involved in fighting at all or would he be working in a field hospital I'm guessing?
Regarding his death ... the newspaper article said he died onboard ship ... but you have him discharged as invalided.
There is a death registration for a John Eccleshall in Kings Norton for about the right date. I have ordered the death certificate to see if this is our man... it is the right sort of area if his family had registered the death.... maybe he made it home?
I am happy for you to credit me with spotting the newspaper article I found on the UK newspaper archive
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
...but the other info. was provided to me by a man called Bernard Beech who has done a one name study on the name Eccleshall ... website here..
http://www.one-name.org/profiles/eccleshall.html
the info. should really be credited to him but I should check with him first... I will get back to you on that.
Maybe it would be a good idea for him to contact you directly too, as he has been researching the family for a long time.