James Cavanagh (abt. 1781 - 1859)

Born about 1781 in Carrigallen, County Leitrim, Ireland

Descendants

Died 20 Mar 1859 at about age 78 in Oro, Simcoe, Canada West

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Mike Sainsbury [send private message]

Biography

James was born about 1781 in Carrigallen, Leitrim, Ireland.^[1]

The parish of Carrigallen, also known as Clincorick or Klincorick, is a boggy place. In the early 19th century the village contained about 100 houses.^[2] No church records survive to identify his parents, but James Cavanagh was born here in 1781.^[3] He may have been born into a family of weavers, as this would later be his occupation. The Cavanagh family of Carrigallen doesn’t seem to have been especially large; no Cavanagh burials in the earliest surviving records.^[4] The surname itself is widely distributed across Ireland. In the mid-19th century it was very numerous in all areas, with Kavanagh being the most common spelling.^[5]

In 1857 an Edward Cavanagh was listed on the Griffith’s Valuation for Carrigallen.^[6]

In adulthood, James stood five feet, seven inches tall. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and a "fresh" complexion. By trade he was a weaver.^[7] However, he spent much of his early adulthood as a private in the British Army.

1806-1813 Army Service (Age 25 – 32)

“It has been calculated the between 1760 and 1820, perhaps as many as one in six Irishman spent part of their lives in the ranks of one or other of the armed forces, and indeed it is possible that, given the stupendous demands of the Napoleonic wars, this proportion may have been higher. For many this involved a liberation from the shackles of the local community.”^[8]

On September, 8, 1806, when he was 25 years old, James joined the 2/66th Foot Regiment in Clonmel—about 240 km south of Carrigallen. Prior to April of that year, enlistment in the British Army was either for life, or a period of 21 years. However, this requirement had changed in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars to attract more recruits. James may therefore have enlisted for seven years under the new “limited service” rules, although some studies indicate most recruits continued to enlist for life.^[9] Recruits were given a bonus to sign up, and paid 1s per day.^[10] For income alone, army life was likely attractive.

James's regiment was on garrison duties in Ireland while the 1/66th was in India. To maintain fitness and morale, garrison battalions (consisting of 10 companies of between 80 to 100 men) moved frequently. After Clonmel the regiment moved on to Cashel and then Loughre.^[11]

In 1806 and 1807 limited service personnel were transferred from many regiments into Garrison Battalions. In James’s case, he was transferred from the 2/66th to the 3rd Garrison Battalion^[12] on August 1, 1807.^[13] The battalion spent the next six years stationed in Ireland (places unknown) until late 1812, when “developments in Europe had put Britain in a position to lay claim to Malta on a permanent basis.”^[14] The 1st Garrison Battalion was then re-formed and expanded to include “all the sergeants and rank and file of the Garrison Battalion whose service were not limited.”^[15]

On February 3, 1813, Sir Henry Bathurst, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, informed Sir Hildebrand Oakes, Civil Commissioner and Officer Commanding the troops in Malta, that “the Garrison Battalion of which seven companies are now embarking has been made up to about 1,000 Rank and File. A strong detachment is proceeding to join the 2nd Battalion/14th Regiment, and the increased proportion of British soldiers will enable you to send the remainder of the 44th Regiment to Sicily. You will make this detachment as soon as the last companies of the 3rd Garrison Battalion shall arrive at Malta. Your garrison will then be composed of 400 artillery, 90 artificers, 1,076 men of the 2nd Battalion/14th Regiment, 1,030 men of the 3rd Garrison Battalion, 1,010 men of the Sicilians and 250 men of the Provincials. A force sufficient for the security of Malta under the present situation of affairs.”^[16]

Malta, 1813 - 1815 (Age 32 - 34)

Seven companies of the 3rd Garrison Battalion, comprised of 20 officers, 50 NCOs, 16 Drummers, and 649 Privates^[17] under the command of Major Charley Bayley, embarked for Malta on 13 February 1813 aboard the HMS Regulus (509 men, 61 wives and 49 children) and HMS Melpomene (392 men, 25 wives and 24 children).^[18]

It was an inauspicious Battalion, described by Malta’s governor as being made up of “old men, worn out in the service, and generally inveterate drunkards, and men of all descriptions incompetent for service.”^[19]

They arrived as Malta began to grapple with the appearance of plague on the island:

“Measures already taken [to control the spread of the disease] did not seem sufficient and it became necessary to bring in further controls. The markets were closed down, shops shut up, all stray animals such as dogs, cats, pigeons, etc., were destroyed and it was under penalty of death for anyone to leave their house, except those involved in trying to combat the disease. Twice a day market carts went around the cities selling food at prices fixed by the authorities. Fifteen thousand persons were daily fed by the public and private charities. A number of galley slaves were promised their liberty, when the plague was over, provided they were prepared to carry the dead and dying to the hospitals or cemeteries, and a Pioneer Corps raised from the men in prisons, mainly Frenchmen for similar duties. The Civil authorities were overwhelmed and needed to be backed up by the military, but there were only about 1,400 British troops on the island to call on, the 2nd battalion 14th (Buckinghamshire) regiment, and seven companies of the 3rd Garrison Battalion [which had just arrived]…. The brunt of the hazardous duty therefore fell on men of the 14th (Buckinghamshire) regiment and the 3rd Garrison battalion, who were called upon to guard infected houses, and man the cordons that had been placed around the plague hospitals. They also had to furnish men to form foot patrols to walk around the city at variable times, to deter the inhabitants from breaking the curfew.”^[20]

“[Thomas] Maitland arrived on Sunday the 3rd October 1813, and took over control on the 5th. The newly appointed Governor took sterner measures to tackle the plague, which was still causing deaths throughout Malta, though it was already past its peak.”^[21]

“The newly appointed Governor took sterner measures to tackle the plague, which was still causing deaths throughout Malta, though it was already past its peak. By the 28th October he was able to write to Colonel Torrens: “Among the troops generally there has been little plague. The 14th regiment has conducted itself uncommonly well and has never been tainted in the smallest degree. The Sicilian regiment is in the same state. De Roll's is now healthy though it has been amongst them but the 3rd Garrison Battalion has had it, has it, and is likely to have it, owing to the miserable state it is in and which I am sorry to say I see little prospect of its ever getting rid of from the wretched condition in which I understand it to be in all points”^[22]

At the end of 1813 Maitland reported “Though the regiments here have been generally healthy there was one, No.3. Garrison Battalion in which in October the plague had crept and there were four or five men seized in the course of a day or two. I immediately determined to remove the whole regiment and send them to a Fort where there were no inhabitants on the other side of the harbour.”^[23] In 1814 the 3rd Garrison Battalion was therefore quarantined at Fort Ricasoli.

By the end of December, 1815, James’s period of service had expired. Standard service term was 12 years, with expectation of 6 "safe" years at home and 6 "interesting" years abroad "with the colours." Men could be transferred between the two battalions of the regiment, usually to maintain the strength of the active battalion, or out to other regiments, sometimes at their own request.^[24] Additionally, James was considered unfit for further service abroad because at some point around Christmas of that year, James injured his left hand when his firelock accidentally discharged. He was therefore ordered to the Army Depot on the Isle of Wight that his case may be finally determined.

“At the end of the year [1815], with peace finally secured in Europe, the British Army did not require so many men, particularly infantry, and so reductions were implemented. A mixed group of 175 invalids and men from the 10th and 14th regiments, and 1st Garrison battalion, whose time of service had expired embarked for England on the 29th December.”^[25]

Despite this injury, and the end of his required period of service, James continued to serve in home battalions or reserve units until 1826.

After his period of required service, however, he may have re-settled in his birth village, whose 1821 townlands census includes the following family in "Dwelling 11" of Townland number 43: Carrigallen called Clincorick:^[26]

By 1837, according to a list of commuted pensioners and discharged soldiers, James had emigrated to Upper Canada and was living in Penetanguishene:^[27]

James passed away in Oro Township, Simcoe County, Ontario on March 20, 1859. He was buried in the Catholic cemetery in Barrie. His son-in-law, Joseph McIntyre (1824-1898), witnessed the church register of this event.^[28]

Sources

1. ↑ WO 120/31. "Royal Hospital, Chelsea: Regimental Registers of Pensioners: Garrison Battalions and Companies."
2. ↑ A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837
3. ↑ "The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Registers & Service Records, 1760-1882; Class: WO 120; Piece: 31. Registers of Soldiers Who Served in Canada, 1743-1882" Name: Jas Cavanagh Total service: 15 years, 6 mo. Complaint: Wounded left hand Birth Year: abt 1781 Birth Place: Carrigellin, Leitrim Trade or occupation: Weaver Brown hair, blue eyes, fresh complexion. Regiment: 1st Garrison Battalion Date: 2 Jul 1816 Document Type: Regimental Registers of Pensioners.
4. ↑ Carrigallen RC burials, Dec. 1842 – Jan. 1857 searched. http://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634830#page/113/mode/1up
5. ↑ Sloinnte na hÉireann: Irish Surnames. Seán de Bhulbh, Comharchumann Íde Naofa, 1997.
6. ↑ Griffith's Valuation Record Information. Tenant: Edward Cavanagh. Landlord: John La Touche. County: Leitrim; Barony: Carrigallen; Union: Mohill; Parish: Carrigallen; Townland: Gortermore; Place name: Gortermore; Place type: Townland. Position on page: 31. Printing date: 1857. Act: 15 & 16. Sheet number: 34. Map reference: 18. www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation
7. ↑ See 1815 military papers sending him back to England for injury sustained and end of required service.
8. ↑ Jackson, A. Ireland 1798-1998: War, Peace and Beyond. https://books.google.ca/books?id=jzjmfa43JWkC&lpg=PA7&ots=vk-342-hK7&dq=ireland%201782%20to%201798&pg=PA9#v=onepage&q&f=false
9. ↑ Coss, E. J. (2010). All for the King's Shilling: The British Soldier Under Wellington, 1808-1814. p. 302. https://books.google.ca/books?id=ri247j82bPwC&lpg=PA302&ots=QUqfcHtbTW&dq=BRITISH%20ARMY%20limited%20service%20enlistment%20for%20life%201806&pg=PA302#v=onepage&q=limited%20service&f=false
10. ↑ TheWhuttle. Re: 35th Foot Regiment 1808-1821. 17 March 2007. http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=221164.0
11. ↑ 8 Sept., 1806. Attested. Joined 2/66th Foot Regiment, which was stationed in Clonmel from January to October, 1806. Regiment decamped to Cashel for November and December, then to Loughrea in in January, 1807. http://www.thewardrobe.org.uk/research/regimental-timeline/search/regiment:66th+Regiment+|+2nd+Royal+Berkshire/dateFrom:1803/dateTo:1808 . WO 12/7530, WO 12/7531. 66th Foot 2nd Battalion. 1806/1807.
12. ↑ It would be renamed the 1st Garrison Battalion in Malta in April, 1815. http://www.maltaramc.com/regmltgar/garrbn.html
13. ↑ According to this source, soldiers who were transferred out of the 2/66th Regiment of Foot went into the 8th Garrison Battalion, which had been raised at Birr beginning in late November, 1806, from limited service personnel (i.e., those who enlisted for a fixed term of perhaps seven years) in regiments that included the 2/66th. Brown, S. British Regiments and the Men Who Led Them 1793-1815: Royal Veteran, Reserve, and Garrison Battalions. http://www.napoleon-series.org/military/organization/Britain/Infantry/Regiments/c_Veterans.html
14. ↑ Patrick G. Staines. (2008). Governing Malta in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century -- Some Perspectives. Melita Historica, 15(1), 73-98. Retrieved from http://mhs.eu.pn/mh3/20086.html
15. ↑ Regiments of the Malta Garrison: 3rd Garrison Battalion. On British Army Medical Services and the Malta Garrison 1799 – 1979 [website] http://www.maltaramc.com/regmltgar/garrbn.html. Citing TNA:CO 159/4, (Dec 3 Feb 1813), Despatches from Secretary of State, 14 April 1810 to 24 November 1814, Bathurst to Oakes 23 December 1812.
16. ↑ Regiments of the Malta Garrison: 3rd Garrison Battalion. On British Army Medical Services and the Malta Garrison 1799 – 1979 [website] http://www.maltaramc.com/regmltgar/garrbn.html. Citing TNA:CO 159/4, (Dec 3 Feb 1813), Despatches from Secretary of State, 14 April 1810 to 24 November 1814, Bathurst to Oakes 23 December 1812.
17. ↑ A History of the British Army in Malta. http://website.lineone.net/~stephaniebidmead/Chapter123.htm
18. ↑ Regiments of the Malta Garrison: 3rd Garrison Battalion. On British Army Medical Services and the Malta Garrison 1799 – 1979 [website] http://www.maltaramc.com/regmltgar/garrbn.html. Citing TNA:CO 158/23, War and Colonial Department and Colonial Office Malta , Correspondence Secretary of State 1813.
19. ↑ Regiments of the Malta Garrison: 3rd Garrison Battalion http://www.maltaramc.com/regmltgar/garrbn.html
20. ↑ A History of the British Army in Malta. http://website.lineone.net/~stephaniebidmead/Chapter123.htm
21. ↑ A History of the British Army in Malta. http://website.lineone.net/~stephaniebidmead/Chapter123.htm
22. ↑ A History of the British Army in Malta. http://website.lineone.net/~stephaniebidmead/Chapter123.htm
23. ↑ 5th December 1813 in a letter to Viscount Sidmouth. A History of the British Army in Malta. http://website.lineone.net/~stephaniebidmead/Chapter123.htm
24. ↑ TheWhuttle. (17 March 2007). Re: 35th Foot Regiment 1808-1821. http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=221164.0
25. ↑ A History of the British Army in Malta. http://website.lineone.net/~stephaniebidmead/Chapter123.htm
26. ↑ A return of the population of the parish of Carrigallen. FHL film 1279295. Note 1. Page 163.
27. ↑ "Nominal List of Commuted Pensioners & Discharged Soldiers who Volunteer To Take Up Arms For Her Majesty - Penetanguishene U.C. 16 Dec 1837.....RG 5, A 1, Vol 180 # 1. Image 265 of 311 in the Finding Aid: https://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf001/p000002186.pdf
28. ↑ "Canada, Ontario Roman Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YWX-NBM?cc=1927566&wc=M6VT-43X%3A220998901%2C221017601%2C221059701%2C221059702 : 21 May 2014), Simcoe > Barrie > Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Flos Mission > Baptisms, marriages, burials 1854-1904 > image 10 of 63; Catholic Church parishes, Ontario. "March the twenty second one thousand eight hundred and fifty nine was buried in the Catholic grave yard at Barrie James Cavanagh, aged seventy five yrs. He was born in Ireland, + lived in the township of Oro. He died on the 20th of the month. Witnesses: Joseph McEntyre, John Smith, Michael Casey."