Which of my ancestors was awarded this Lucknow medal?
QMy family has a medal for service in Lucknow in 1857. It was awarded to George House of the 90th Foot Battalion (Perthshire Regiment), and was handed down to my great grandmother, Mary House. Mary’s father was Thomas House (b1837 in Watchet, Somerset). He is listed as absent from the family home in 1871, but we have found a military record for a Thomas House, serving in India 1856–1879 (signed “House T George”). Strangely, the 1911 census for his Watchet home records a ‘George’ House there, with his occupation listed as 90th Foot pensioner. Are Thomas and George House the same person?
Beth Roberts
AThe image you sent shows the reverse of the Indian Mutiny Medal. It has two clasps: first, the Relief of Lucknow, November 1857, awarded to the second Lucknow relief force, and second, Lucknow, November 1857 – March 1858, awarded to troops involved in final operations leading to the surrender of Lucknow. I checked the database of the Families in British India Society ( search.fibis.org) for George House, and a transcription of the Indian Mutiny Medal Roll (British Forces) 1857–1859 confirms he was a private in the 90th Foot (Perthshire Volunteers). Military records on findmypast.co.uk show a Chelsea Pensioners’ deferred pensions entry for him from The National Archives’ series WO131; at the time of the Examination of Invalid Soldiers on April 1869, George – a shoemaker, born in Wellington, Somerset – was 33, so he was born c1836.
The census indicates that Thomas was born in Watchet (18 miles from Wellington) in 1837. However, in 1881 his birthplace is recorded as Williton. Could the writer of the WO131 record have meant to write Williton? They sound similar, and Williton is two miles from Watchet.
On the 1851 census, Thomas was a cordwainer’s apprentice in Watchet with his parents. A cordwainer is a shoemaker, so this fits in with WO131. The 1911 census also implies they are the same person.
Furthermore, the signature suggests that Thomas was his forename, but George was used as a middle name. This evidence indicates that while he was known as George, his official forename was Thomas. Emma Jolly