A THIRD updated post on the GUTRIDGE family

My recent post on Mary Anne Gurtridge has been updated further. I've been working with Steve Hodge and Margaret Guider to solve the origin and makeup of the GUTRIDGE family of the 11th Regiment. Based on my previous entry a lovely colleague Gillian spent some time looking at Tasmanian records and has provided the death entry of William GUTRIDGE, and later marriage of his widow to another member of the 11th Regiment of Foot in Launceston.

MARY ANN GUTRIDGE
In my last post our main information:
- Mary Ann's death certificate in Gundagai in 1877 listed her age at death as 54, and place of birth as Gibraltar. The 11th regiment were stationed in Gibraltar from 1816 to the end of 1820. Mary's father was given in her death certificate as William GUTTERIDGE, soldier.
- the transcript of the entry of marriage for Mary Ann GUTRIDGE to William HODGE of the 11th Regiment on the island of Santa Maura (the Ionian Islands) on April 15th 1832.

Apart from anecdotal evidence that Mary Ann's father was in the 11th, the fact she was a young woman on Santa Maura indicates she was travelling with the 11th Regiment of Foot.

Mary's baptism in Gibraltar is still being sought.


JOHN GUTRIDGE
We haven't found any 11th Regiment records relating directly to William (senior), however there were clues that there were other children. The Chaplain's returns index for the period lists the death of a John GUTRIDGE.

Ionian Islands, Chaplains Returns deaths:
John Gutridge, Cephalonia, 11/35

The regiment were station in the Ionian islands (Corfu, Cephalonia, Zante, etc) from 1828-1838. This death certificate has now been ordered.


WILLIAM GUTRIDGE (Jun)
The 1841 census shows the 11th Regiment to be stationed at several barracks in Devonshire, and individual members of the regiment were afield visiting family - for example my ancestor William HODGE and his family were in Barnstaple at the time.

Inspection of the census for Mount Wise barracks at Plymouth showed a William GUTRIDGE.



Image edited for ease of viewing:
Willm Gutridge, 25 (born abt 1816), Corporal 11th Regt, born Ireland

This William Gutridge is too young to be Mary Ann's father, but given the rarity of the name and the fact that many offspring joined their fathers regiment, it was considered likely to be William Gutridge's son. Prior to Feb 1816 the 11th Regiment was stationed in Ireland, so his birthplace also fits reasonably well.

There is no indication of a wife elsewhere in the barracks census. Inspection of the UK BDM civil register indexes revealed few marriages for a William GUTRIDGE, including one in 1843 in Daventry, Northamptonshire, in the district where the 11th were stationed at this time.

Name: William Gutridge
Year of Registration: 1843
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun
District: Daventry
County: Northamptonshire
Volume: 15
Page: 365 (click to see others on page)

Also on the page was a Caroline BOLTON.

The local parish for the barracks is Weedon Bec, and a query on the rootschat.com forum elicited a kind look-up from the user Sandy ('seahall') confirming that our William Gutride of interest married there:

Weedon Bec Parish Church
Page 44, No. 88 After Banns
3 Apr 1843
William GUTRIDGE, of the parish (Weedon Barracks), full age, bachelor, private XI regt of foot, father William, sergt XI regt of foot
to
Caroline BOLTON, of the parish (West End, Lower Weedon), full age, spinster, dressmaker, father John, employed under government
William signed his name and Caroline her mark
Witnesses: F Hodge, Sergt. 11th Regt. and Mary Ann Hodge

This is exciting as it not only confirms William as being in the eleventh, it states his father as William (which matches with Mary Anne) and suggests he MAY still have been in the regiment as sergeant in 1843, though of course he may have been deceased at that point. The indexes do not hold Chelsea Pension documents for William Gutridge (senior), so it seems likely he served till he deceased. Mary Ann is also present as a witness at the wedding, confirming they are siblings.

From Weedon, the eleventh regiment served:
May 1843 - Ireland. Tto Dublin and to Kilkenny with company's at Waterford, Carlow, Wexford) then from Feb 1844 in Athlone.
Aug 1844 - to Chatham Barracks, Brompton (near Gillingham, Kent).
The regiment remain in Brompton till they departed for Australia on boats from Jan - Jul 1845.

Whie I have not ascertained the state of regiment records/reports relating to BDM in Ireland at this time, the local parish church records for Chatham Barracks are available at www.medway.gov.uk - Gillingham, St. Mary Magdalene CMB 1558-1967. One has to read through each scanned page. Among the baptisms and marriages recorded there is the birth of a daughter for William and Caroline:



Edited for display on web page.

Baptisms solemnized in the parish of Gillingham in the County of Kent
Diocese of Canterbury in the year
When baptized: March 9th, No. 1942
Child's Christian name: Emily
Parents Christian Names: William and Caroline
Surname: Gutridge
Abode: Brompton
Quality Trade or Profession: Private 11th Regiment
By whom performed: JL Garden, Curate

So William and Caroline had at least one child for departing for Australia - not GUTRIDGE entries exist in parish burials for this period. Interestingly, William's sister Mary Ann HODGE nee GUTRIDGE also had a daughter at Brompton

While William's movements are not known, his young family would have accompanied him to Australia. The eleventh served all over the Australia colonies, but served initially in Van Dieman's Land (VDL). There are no GUTRIDGE (or variation) spellings in NSW, however the Tasmania BDM indexes reveal the death of a William HODGE:

Tasmania Death indexes
GUTRIDGE William
No parents named
2 Jun 1847 33 years
Registered Launceston Reg#732/1847 Ref RGD35



732
2 Jun
William Gutridge
Male
33 years
Private 11 Regt
Liver Complaint
W Hughes, Corporal 11 Regt Informant
3 June

The age gives a birth date of 1814, which matches well with the 1841 census data. There might even be a headstone. What of William's wife Caroline? There is a marriage entry the following year in Tasmania for a Caroline GUTRIDGE:

Tasmania marriage index
GUTTRIDGE Caroline 25 years
BROWN Charles 25 years
10 Jan 1848
Reg Place Launceston Reg# 2007/1848



1848 Return of Marriages in the District of Launceston in Van Dieman's Land

Number: 169
When married and where: 10th January 1848, Trinity Church, Launceston
Husband
Name an surname: Charles Brown
Age: 25 years
Rank: Bandman 11th Regt
Signature and Description of Parties: Charles Brown (signed)
Wife
Name an surname: Caroline Guttridge
Age: 25 years
Rank: -
Signature and Description of Parties: Caroline Guttridge (her mark)

Name of Clergyman: Revd Thomas Reiby
When registered: 10th January 1848
Signature: Thos Reiby (signed)

Married in the Parish Church of the Holy Trinity according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the United Church of England and Ireland by Banns. Thos Reiby Minister.

This Marriage was solemnized between us
Charles Brown
Caroline Guttridge x her mark

In the Presence of us
Nicole Crowe
John Richards Clerk

So Caroline married back into the 11th Regiment, marrying a bandman. Several of my ancestors were band members in the 11th (William Smith, Sebastian Hodge) and perhaps William Gutridge was also. Marrying a member of the 11th would have kept Caroline and any children with the 11th, rather than being abandoned in Van Dieman's Land.

In 1861 the 11th Regiment had returned to England and were stationed in Devon. The 1861 census reveals that not only were Caroline and Charles BROWN still with the regiment, Caroline and William Gutridge's daugter Emily is still alive (aged 16), and listed with the surname BROWN. Furthermore, Caroline had two children with her second husband:

Brown, Charles, soldier, married, 37, Private, born Devonshire (not known where)
Brown, Caroline, wife, married, 38, -, Northampton Weedon
Brown, Emily, daughter, -, 16, -, Kent Chatham
Brown, Jane, daughter, -, 12, -, N S Wales Sydney
Brown, William, son, -, 8, -, N S Wales Sydney

NSW BDM shows both the births of Jane and William:
V18481438 34A/1848 BROWN JANE CHARLES CAROLINE
V1853941 39A/1853 BROWN WILLIAM A CHARLES CAROLINE

The fate of the family following this is not determined, however the regiment subsequently travelled to India.

------

I still have no direct documentary evidence of William GUTRIDGE senior. There are a lot of things on the 'to do' list based on the above questions.

I also think that indexing of parish records during each period of elevent regiment residence would aid greatly in helping to piece together descendents of families. The Mediterranean region falls under the chaplains returns, however Ireland may prove to be a significant challenge.