Baptism of Richard Pope, son of Richard and Elizabeth Pope, Hounslow Barracks, 11 January 1846.
(Click on image to enlarge)
His wife, Elizabeth Pope, went with the regiment to the Crimea.
Born at Abingdon, Berkshire, c. 1817?
Enlisted at London on the 2nd of October 1835.
Trade: Labourer.
No other enlistment details are shown.
[PB: Service 1835 — 1843?]
Embarked from England 25 06 1836 on the Royal Admiral, arrived Bombay, India, 22 11 1836.
Embarked from Bombay India 06 11 1841 on the Repulse, arrived England 28 03 1842.
[Source: Wendy Leahy, Shadows of Time. Notice the dates of the return voyage are slightly different from EJB's.]
Returned from India aboard the "Repulse" on the 27th of March 1843, having left Bombay on the 28th of December 1841.
"Absent", 2nd-3rd April 1845. Tried by a Detachment Court-martial at Trowbridge on the 9th of April 1845 and sentenced to 30 days' imprisonment, of which 18 were remitted.
His wife, Elizabeth Pope, went with the regiment to the Crimea.
Richard Pope was batman to Lord George Paget in 1854.
[PB: Does Paget mention?]
Died, "in the Crimea," on the 22nd of September 1854.
Next of kin: Wife, Elizabeth Pope, with the regiment in the Crimea.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasp for the Alma, but he is not shown on the Sebastopol clasp roll — having died before the qualifying date.
A medal with four clasps was sold at a Sotheby's auction from the "Lord David Kennedy" collection on the 21st of December 1896 and at Glendining's on the 24th of March 1908. (At this sale the catalogue states this the medal was impressed naming to "R. Pope. 4th Dragoons." and realised the sum of £1/13/0, 23rd of June 1910, 28th of June 1917, (from the "Dr. J.A McDougall" collection) and the 7th of November 1919.
[PB: Ambiguous punctuation?]
An impressed naming medal, with four clasps, was in a Sotheby's auction in May 1970.
A Crimean medal, with "officially impressed naming" [sic], and with the clasp for the Alma only, was offered in a Liverpool Coins and Medal's list in June 1979.
Died, "in the Crimea," on the 22nd of September 1854.
Next of kin: Wife, Elizabeth Pope, with the regiment in the Crimea.
Laurence Crider, In Search... (2004) writes in his entry on 868, James Bolton 4LD that Pope: "died by the Alma [not battle casualty]", but says nothing in his entry on Pope himself [online edition — info. may have been superseded in later editions. And on what did he base his statement?]:
"DB Charge" = "Died before the Charge". "Det 2nd & 3rd Mstrs" = "Detached April-June and July-September 1854" [exact meaning/significance?]
[PB, September 2018: Wendy Leahy emailed to say she is exploring the cause and circumstances of Richard Pope's death, speculating that he may have been the first 4LD casualty in the Crimea. The discussion is outlined here.]
His son Richard entered the Royal Military Asylum on the 30th of December 1855, aged 7 years 4 months. His father was shown as "Dead" and his mother, Elizabeth, as "Still alive." He is later shown as being "Delivered over to his mother and step-father, still serving", on the 14th of December 1859.
(See record of 868, James Bolton, 4th Light Dragoons, who married RP's widow Elizabeth in 1856.)
His widow (named as "Emma") received a pension of 2/6d. per week from the Brighton Pension District until her re-marriage to James Bolton.
[PB: When did Elizabeth die? 1869?]
James Bolton was living nearby with his two sons by Elizabeth, James 12 and John 10. Image and info from WL, September 2018.