The military history of Lieutenant
George Wilton late of His Majesty's Royal Western Regiment of Middlesex
Milita.
Somtimes known as the 2nd Provisional Battilion of Milita.
My thanks are due to the Bro's Vaugh for their deligence in researching this fellow.
This is a brief summary of what we know followed by the references of
the sources for all of this information and one thing is certain--He
did not serve at Waterloo and if he had of been honest about it in
the first place he would have saved a few people a lot of time and effort.
In these times an officer bought his commission in the army. There was
however one exception and that was if you joined a milia regiment,
in which case you did not have to your commission--may be he was paying
too much to Mary Brady!!
This is the last mention of
George outside of the Army List. To be absolutely truthful he drops out
of the Army List after 1819, but a George Witton appears to take his place
in the list (see below).
He first came to our attention when I found him in the 1815 Army List as Lieut George Wilton on half-pay in the 2nd Provisional Battalion of Militia, disbanded and reduced.
"Good Old
George": -
1. From a letter written by D T (nee Wilton) to A W's aunt Marguerite in 1976.
He fought under George III at Waterloo and was granted a pension + grant of 500 acres at Rectory Hill in Quebec.
2. S
D 5/gt granddaughter of George, from her aunt H M N H + mother D T.
"Captain Wilton served under Wellington at Waterloo in 1815 and in other
parts of the Empire".
3. George's
application for a Land Grant in British America pursuant to the General
Order of July 18, 1829. Prepared some time between 1829-31, no mention
of 42nd Regt;
a. Age
on 1st appointment to HM's service. 24 years.
b. Dates
of 1st appointment and each subsequent promotion. 15th
Oct 1812. 22nd Mar 1814
c. Regiments in which commissions
obtained. Royal West Middlesex Militia, volunteered into 2nd
Provisional Bn of Militia.
d. Full
Pay; Each Successive Rank. Ensign, Lieutenant.
e. Rank
while on half-pay. Lieutenant.
f.
Years
on Full Pay. 11 years 9 months.
g. Years
on Half Pay. 14 years 6 months.
4. Headstone
St Stephen's Cemetery, Rectory Hill.
"WILTON George 1783-1847 Lieutenant HM 42 Regt"
5. George's
memorials to the Governor of Lower Canada
The memorial of George Wilton, late Lieut on the half-pay of the 2nd
Provl Battl of Militia…
6. From
Andy Wilton, document source not found.
George arrived at battle of Waterloo 2 days after the conflict.
Research notes.
1. Official Army List 1814-1820,
and 1827.
In 1813 under title of 2nd
Prov Bn of Militia: - George Wilton, Ensign. Appointed 15th
Oct 1812.
In 1814 under title of ENGLISH
Half Pay, 2nd Prov Bn of Militia: - George Wilton, Lt. Placed
on half-pay in 1814.
He is also there in 1815,16,17 & 18. Gone in 1819, not in the index
either.
In the 1820 list there appears a George Witton in the same place that
George Wilton had been. Looking at two pages copied from the 1818 and
1820 lists we noted that this is not the only mistake made. For example
George Johnston above our man in 1818 becomes Galbraith Johnston in 1820,
and 8 of the men in the 3rd Bn listed below George have indecipherable
Christian names in 1818, so it isn't just doctors that have atrocious
handwriting!
George Witton stays in the
list until 1827, but has gone in 1833. Our guess is that he goes in about
1830.
2. WO 13/1460 - Militia Pay Lists, 2nd
West Middlesex Militia 1812
WO 13/1461 - Militia Pay Lists,
2nd West Middlesex Militia 1813
These give date of Commission as 15th Oct 1812, copy
of relevant page sent over to Alan.
WO 13/1462 - Militia Pay Lists, 2nd
West Middlesex Militia 1814 - 1821 - no George in the list, which is not
unexpected as we know from the Army list that he was now on half pay.
3. WO 4/514 War Office Out Letters -
Commissions 1805-10.
One mention of a Wilton, cancelling his application to a Comm in
24th Foot, dated 1810, copy sent over to Alan. Unlikely that
he is our George, we may never know who he is.
4. WO 25/3000 - Register of Warrants for
Retired Pay and Half-Pay 1830-52
No George.
WO 25/2999 - Register of Warrants
for Retired Pay and Half-Pay 1823-25.
No George.
There is no document in this
series that covers 1826-29. I think it unlikely that he would be in any
of these, as he was in the Militia and not a regular
regiment. The documents we do have on him come
from Home Office records and not War Office records.
5. WO 25/3017 - Payments made by Commissariat Dept on account of
Half-Pay on Foreign Stations 1818-32 No George.
6. WO 25/3232 - Permissions to Live Abroad (I forgot to
note the dates, but I assume they cover 1829-31) No George.
7. WO 25/62 - Commission Books 1811-13.
There are a whole raft of these documents in this series and dates overlap
on many of them.
Checked from start, Dec 1811 up to end of mid-summer quarter 1813. No
George.
8. HO 51/20 - Militia Commissions Correspondence
1812-1813
Letter SIDMOUTH to DUKE of
PORTLAND ref. Commission for George, in reply to letter of 15th
October 1812. This is a clerks copy of the original letter. Seen &
copied.
9. HO 51/28 - Militia Commissions Correspondence
1811-1814.
No George.
10. HO 51/48 - Militia Commissions Correspondence
1812-1813.
No George.
All three of the above HO
documents were all volumes containing clerks copies of 'Out letters',
there seem to be no copies of 'In letters', which is a shame.
11.WO 68- Militia Officer Records
1757-1925.
No records for 2nd West Middlesex.
The above document taken from the PRO London ref:- HO 51/20