LIVES OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE
The E.J. Boys Archive
Added 16th May 2012
1647, Private Joseph OSBORNE — 11th Hussars
Birth & early life
Born at Dundalk, Ireland.
Enlistment
Enlisted at Dublin on the 10th of April 1854.
Age: 28.
Height: 5' 7".
Trade: Shoe-maker.
Left sick on board ship on the 16t, "doing duty at Scutari" from the 22nd of September 1854 and sent to rejoin the regiment on the 14th of December 1854.
Is shown as "On duty" at Balaclava from this date and acually rejoined the regiment on the 1st of February 1855.
Birth registered
Joseph Peter Osborne [son], September Quarter 1859, Brighton.
1861 Census
Hulme Cavalry Barracks, Lancashire.
J Osborne, aged 34, Soldier, born Dundalk.
H Osborne, 26, wife, born Birmingham, Warwickshire.
J Osborne, 1, born Brighton.
W Osborne, 7 months, born Manchester.
From Private to Corporal: 23rd of January 1866.
Re-engaged for 12 years further service at Colchester on the 23rd of April 1866.
Sent to the Depot at Canterbury when the regiment went to India, on the 25th of July 1866, but was returned to Colchester on the 28th.
Discharged, "by purchase", from Colchester on the 30th of July 1866, upon payment of £10.
Served 12 years 80 days, to count.
In Turkey and the Crimea: 1 year 10 months.
Conduct and character: "good".
In possession of two Good Conduct badges.
Medals & commemorations
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol and the Turkish medal.
Granted a Special Campaign Pension (no date shown, but likely around 1893)
Life after service
Lummis and Wynn state that he "became a Master-Boot-maker, and was present when the regiment returned from India in 1878"; but nothing can be found to substantiate this, although he is shown from 1859 as receiving extra payment for practising his trade.
Birth registered
Baron Osborne, September Quarter 1869, Hartley Wintney [Hants].
1871 Census
21, Aberdeen Road, Brighton.
Joseph Osborne, aged 45, Boot & Shoe Maker, born Dundalk, Ireland.
Harriett, 34, born Birmingham.
Joseph, 11, born Brighton.
William, 10, born Manchester.
John, 7, born Tipperary.
Baron, 1, born Aldershot.
A Servant is also shown.
1881 Census
Church Street, Aldershot.
Joseph Osborne, aged 55, Bootmaker (unemployed), born Ireland.
Harriett, 45, born Birmingham.
Baron, 12, born Aldershot.
Amelia, 10, born Ireland.
Charles, 7, born Ireland.
1891 Census
80 Edward Street, Salford.
Joseph Osborne, aged 65, Shoemaker, born Ireland.
Harriett, 55, born Birmingham.
Charles, 18, born Ireland.
Amelia, 19, born Ireland.
A Boarder is also shown.
Death registered
Harriet [sic] Osborne, aged 63, December Quarter 1897, Salford.
Death & burial
Death registered
Joseph Osborne, aged 78, March Quarter 1901, Salford.
NB NOT 1910 as stated under Medals. This could possibly be a transcription error in the book mentioned.
Further information
His Crimean medal, with clasps for Alma, Balaclava and Sebastopol (the medal having been crudely engraved to "1647 Sergeant J. Osborne. 11th Hussars"), his Turkish medal (similarly engraved), and a coloured photograph of him (very probably done in the late 19th century) are now in the Peel Park Art Gallery and Museum at Salford. (There are photographs in the 11th Hussar file.) They were donated by Osborne's grand-daughter, a Mrs. Maddocks of Salford, in 1976.
In 1983 further information was received from a great-great-grand-daughter, Mrs. Reece, of Penelope Road, Salford. In the possession of her family is an old bible which gives his date of birth as the 29th of December 1824 and the date of his death as the 6th of January 1910.
He had married a Harriet Osborne, and by her had six children — five sons and a daughter — between June 1859 and October 1874. He was buried in Grave No. 2776 Plot A. in the Weaste Cemetery at Salford, with his wife, Harriet, who had pre-deceased him. Four other members of his greater family were interred in the same grave space between 1902 and 1970. The plot owner was shown as Joseph Osborne, of Edward Street, Salford 7 (the number of the house not being recorded), and this was where he was brought from at the time of his funeral.
References & acknowledgements
Registrations of death, and additional Census information for 1861-81 kindly provided by Chris Poole.