INDEX PAGE TO THE 44TH REGIMENT OF FOOT (THE ESSEX)
To various Indexes of Police documents of the 19th Century
     HQ  INDEX - 1842       1842 - 1843 INDEX        1846 INDEX        1847 - 1848 INDEX
INDEXES, COMPILED FROM THE MUSTER BOOKS OF THE 44TH REGIMENT HELD AT THE PUBLIC RECORDS OFFICE AT KEW, SURREY, ENGLAND. WITH THE EXECPTION OF THE INDEX FOR THE RHQ IN ENGLAND DURING 1842, THE INDEXES ARE OF MEN RECRUITED TO THE REGIMENT OVER THE PERIOD FROM 1842 - 1843 AND 1846 - 1848. FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO FOLLOW UP ANY OF THE NAMES, THE FOLLOWING ARE THE PUBLIC RECORDS OFFICE REFERENCES FOR THE MUSTER BOOKS USED.

iNDEX OF RECRUITS 1842 - 1843 WO12/5672. INDEX OF RECRUITS 1846 WO12/5675.
INDEX OF RECRUITS 1847 - 1848 WO12/5675 AND WO12/5676. THE INDEX FOR HQ IN 1842 WO12/5672.

THE DATE ORDER IS ALWAYS DAY/MONTH/YEAR. AGE OF THE RECRUITS, WHERE GIVEN IN THE MUSTERS IS YEARS AND MONTHS, THUS 17 6 = 17 YEARS AND 6 MONTHS. PLACE RECRUITED IS WHERE THEY 'SIGNED UP' TO JOIN THE COLOURS. 

THE 'CATCHEMENT' AREA FOR THE ESSEX REGIMENT, LIKE ALL THE OTHERS, WAS FAIRLY WIDE SPREAD. IRELAND WAS AN IMPORTANT AREA FOR RECRUITING AS WELL AS LONDON, KENT, SURREY, AND THE MIDLANDS, TO NAME SOME.  THE INFORMATION GIVEN FOR THE RECRUITS CAN VARY, BESIDES THAT GIVEN IN THE INDEXES, HEIGHT IS OFTEN GIVEN AND SOMETIMES OTHER COMMENTS. THE OTHER POINT TO BARE IN MIND IS THAT NOT ALL THOSE WHO WERE RECRUITED ENDED UP JOINING THE REGIMENT. SOME FAILED THE MEDICAL, A FEW WERE FUGITIVES FROM THE LAW AND WERE TURNED OVER TO THE RELEVANT AUTHORITIES, SOME EVEN DIED BEFORE THEY WERE ABLE TO JOIN.

FOR THOSE WHO DID END UP JOINING THE REGIMENT BY USING THE MUSTER BOOKS YOU CAN FOLLOW THEM THROUGH THE YEARS, WHERE THEY WERE POSTED, RATE OF PAY, IF THEY HAD MONEY DEDUCTED FOR FAMILY, IF THEY GOT INTO TROUBLE AND OR WERE PROMOTED/DEMONTED. FOR THE IRISH RECRUITS AT THIS TIME IT IS A GOOD SOURCE FOR BEGINING A SEARCH FOR THEIR FAMILIES. THE AREA RECRUITED MAY NOT BE WHERE THEY WERE BORN, BUT THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE IT WAS. BY HAVING THE AGE, EVEN IF IT WAS NOT ABSOLUTELY ACCURATE, IT AT LEAST NARROWS DOWN THE TIME PERIOD.  IF THEY ENDED UP A CASUALTY AND WERE KILLED OR DIED THROUGH ILNESS, SOMETIMES THE NEXT OF KIN IS GIVEN,
INDEXES COPYRIGHT WJ EVES. 2001