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James Plunkett and the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot soldiers (10)

Post 10

 James Plunkett and Agnes McIndoe Pollock 

When Granny  Delandelles wrote her diary she had the best interests of her family at heart, and was trusting in what she had been told by her Father and Mother. She was also relying on memory regarding a lot of her experiences as a child, before emigrating to Australia. The 1871 Scotland Census, sheds a very different light on some aspects of Granny's account of her parent's relationship, and her Mother's life before she met Thomas Dudgeon. It was the Victorian era that they lived in, and people went to extraordinary lengths to protect their reputation within both the family and society. Characters within a family were often romanticised as a cover up,  and this fabricated persona was inevitably handed down through the generations enriching the family’s story. Women were also extremely vulnerable,  often marrying for the security for their family, as the threat and onset of poverty had dreadful repercussions such as living in the Poorhouse.

Granny was told that Agnes Dudgeon nee Wales (Thomas's wife),  had died when Thomas met Granny's mother, Agnes McIndoe Plunkett, nee Pollock, and that consequently Thomas was a widower when Granny was born in 1868. To put it simply, that isn't true. The 1871 Census confirms that Agnes Dudgeon was still alive, in 1871. Thomas had been working in Paisley on a regular basis since 1864 at the Glover theatres, and  we can presume that his marriage to Agnes  fell apart either before or during that period. In 1871, Agnes Dudgeon,  is living by herself at 188 Cowcaddens Street, Milton, Glasgow as the Head of the house, aged 64. She died on 6th November, 1878, aged 72, 10 years after Granny was born to Thomas and Agnes Pollock.   Her  Death Certificate recorded the following information:-

Agnes Dudgeon, Married to Thomas Dudgeon, Theatre Scene Painter, died on 6th November, 1878 at 5 Cowcaddens Street, Glasgow. Her parents were Alexander Wales, Coachman (deceased), and Margaret Wales nee M. S. Drysdale (deceased). She died of Old Age, and Debility at 72 years. Thomas was present, witnessed the death, signed the certificate and signed it as Widower.
(1878. Deaths in the District of Blythswood in the Borough of Glasgow, p. 213).

James Plunkett:-

As Granny recalls in her diary, Captain James Plunkett was in the 29th Foot Regiment:-

It was told to me after my father's death .....that he had been in love with my mother's mother and his people would not let him marry her, but when his first wife died he went back to look for his old sweetheart and found she had died and left a family of boys and one girl who had married Captain James Plunkett of an old Irish family and he had been in the 29th Foot Regiment and had been killed in in India. She had a little daughter. She was only 19 when her husband was killed so my father persuaded her
 to marry him, though he was old enough to be her father, but his two girls by his first wife never forgave him for my mother was younger than they were. (Extract from Granny's diary)

 From the 31st August 1782, the Regiment was titled the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot following a royal warrant to confer county titles on all regiments that did not already have a special title. The details of James Plunkett's association with the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment differ with what Granny wrote in her  memoirs, however she couldn't be expected to remember his service record, even if she had been told the correct information. On the 28th February, 1859, the companies of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment, received their orders to come together at Shergati, India. On the 3rd May, 1859, the Regiment embarked on board either the "Clasmerden"  on the 3rd May, 1859 or the "Gypsy Bride" on the 16th May, 1859, arriving at Portsmouth, England, in 1859, on the 18th and the 29th September respectively. However, James Plunkett is not part of the returning regiment from India, as he is about to join them in England.

Four years earlier, on the 5th March, 1855, in a small village called Boyle nestled below the Curlew Mountains in Roscommon, Ireland, a 15 year old boy is preparing to enlist in the 93rd Roscommon Militia. James Plunkett, born to his proud Irish Father, James Plunkett Senior,  in 1839,  and a survivor of  the famous 1847 to 1849 Irish potato famine, is fulfilling a family tradition by firstly signing on as a volunteer with the 93rd Roscommon Militia. In 1855, the Militia records attached to the Chelsea Pensioner's documents, described him as a lad of fresh complexion, five foot five and three quarter inches in height and with light blue eyes.  His training with the Roscommon Militia was just a stepping stone for his entry into the regular army. In April 1858, he was granted permission to leave the 93rd Roscommon Militia to join the regular army on the provision that if he failed to be accepted he must return and complete his service with the 93rd.  He left the 93rd Roscommon Militia and Ireland on the 20th April, 1858, was attested at Portsmouth, England, and given the rank of Private with the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot on the 22nd April, 1858 after completing his training. Private James Plunkett then joined rank with the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot soldiers on their return from India, a battle hardened and war weary outfit very much deserving of some rest and recreation. One can only presume that this was an exciting, but also very anxious and eye opening experience for a young 19 year old, who had grown up  living in a country village in Roscommon, Ireland, and still inexperienced in the tragedies of war.

When the 1861 Census was recorded, the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot, was stationed at North Camp, Farnborough, Hampshire in England.  James Plunkett is listed in the Census, as a soldier, the rank of Private, aged 21, born 1840 in Ireland, and still unmarried. The 2nd division of the (Worcestershire) Regiment, under Major Walker,  consisting of Nos. 2, 7 10, and part of No. 6, proceeded to Liverpool, and then onto Glasgow arriving on the 28th May, 1862.  ( I am presuming at this point, because of the Paisley connection, that James was enlisted with the 2nd Division of the 29th Regiment of Foot.) According to H. Everard, and articles in the Glasgow Herald, they were still in the Glasgow area in August 1863.

Annie McIndoe Pollock/Plunkett, would have been conceived in March-April 1863, to be born at the end of December, 1863.  It was common at the time for soldiers stationed in an area, to be billeted out to local families, and  this was the case with the 29th (Worcestershire) Foot Regiment, when the Glasgow Barracks were occupied by other soldiers.  This is possibly how James Plunkett and Agnes Pollock met, when he was billeted out in Paisley, whilst the Glasgow Barracks were occupied. The following excerpt discusses the movements of the 2nd Division of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot:-

The 2nd Division, under Major Walker, consisting of Nos. 2, 7, 10 and part of No. 6, arrived at Glasgow on the 28th (May, 1862), when Nos. 2 and 7, under command of Captain Chester, proceeded by rail to Paisley, where they were stationed till the 5th of June (1862), when they returned to head-quarters in consequence of the Renfrew Militia being ordered to occupy those barracks during their annual training. These companies returned to their former quarters on the 9th July.

The depressed state of the Scottish cotton and weaving industry and the unemployment which resulted during this period in history can’t be overlooked. During the 18th century,  Glasgow was the major Scottish port through which tobacco was shipped en route from America to Europe. During the American War of Independence from 1775 to 1783, and afterwards, the tobacco trade in Scotland declined, and Scotland’s economy suffered as a result. Economic investment in Scotland was diverted into cotton. In the 1860s, Americas political situation continued to adversely affect Scotland. The American Civil War from 1861-1865 resulted in the collapse of Scotland’s cotton industry, as supplies of raw cotton from America were cut off, reducing profits. Reinvestment in spinning suffered. The Cotton Famine forced the transition from textiles to heavy industry in Scotland with dramatic implications for the Scottish mill workers, the economy and Scottish society, leading to serious industrial and  political disputes which had continued to rumble from the 18th century. In 1856, there were 21,762 males and 53,806 females over the age of 13 employed in textile factories. There were still significant numbers of children under the age of 13 employed in textile factories in the second half of the century, with 1120 children under 13 recorded as working in 1856. (blog.findmypast.co.uk/articles/weaving-and-the-textile-industry). In 1857, 55 cotton-spinning firms were listed in the Glasgow Directory, and only 44 in 1864. (Fraser, W.H. and Maver, I., 1996).

On the 19th October, 1862, whilst the American Civil War was still raging in it’s second year, a large benefit concert took place at the Glasgow City Hall, with the intention that half the proceeds would be donated to the unemployed cotton mill worker operatives. Agnes may have been unemployed by this stage, this is difficult to confirm, and she could have been at the fundraising event. However in 1864, Agnes Pollock was presumably employed as a cotton mill worker in Calton, as recorded on  the 1864 Birth Certificate of her daughter, Annie McIndoe Pollock..
(Annie McIndoe Pollock's birth is recorded as being Illegitimate on 31st December, 1863 to Agnes Pollock, Mill Worker. 58 Struthers Street, Calton, Glasgow. Mother, Agnes Pollock. Her X mark (as signature) 

The benefit concert was organised by Signor G. Operti, a pianist, and was held under the patronage of the Honourable the Lord Provost of Glasgow, who was present along with Lieutenant-Colonel Farrington and officers of the 29th Regiment. The papers reported that attendance was disappointing given that it was for such a good cause. "The fine band of the 29th Regiment performed several military arrangements of some well-known compositions in good style, such as the overture to Zampa and Guillaume Tell, the finale of the latter being given with spirit and precision ". (Glasgow Herald, 20th. Oct., 1862.) By this time, it seems obvious that the Glasgow community would have been very aware that the 29th Battalion soldiers were in town.

By the 7th March, 1863, the 29th Regiment were all installed at the Glasgow Barracks, home of the 3d Lanark Volunteer Corps, prior to celebrations being planned later in the week for the marriage of H.R.H  the Prince of Wales with the Princess Alexandra of Denmark on 10th March, 1863.  On the 7th March 1863, Lieut.-Colonel Dreghorn, Commanding 3d Lanark Rifle Volunteer Corps in Glasgow, wrote to Major Hales Wilkie, commanding officer of the 29th Regiment. This followed on from the Magistrates of Glasgow and the Lord Provost offering 200 pounds  to the Volunteers, "for the purpose of regaling themselves on the occasion of the marriage of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales with the Princess Alexandra, on Tuesday next." Lieut.-Colonel Dreghorn then generously offered out of the donation, to Major Wilkie, for the 29th Regiment, a sum equivalent to one shilling for each man in the regiment who would also be expected to be present at the review on the Glasgow Green on the occasion of the wedding the following Tuesday. This offer was very gratefully accepted by Major Wilkie on behalf of the 29th Regiment. On the 12th March, Lieut.-Colonel D. Dreghorn, sent Major Wilkie the sum of 18 pounds, 16s., for the use of the 29th Regiment on the Royal occasion. (Glasgow Herald, 13th March, 1863). 
 
Photo: Uniforms of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot. Private: Full Dress; Officer: Undress – Blue Patrol,     Adjuctant; Drill Order, 1876. Watercolours from Everard’s book, “History of Thos Farrington’s Regiment”, painted theGrandson of Sir Joshua Reynolds, portrait painter to 18th century London Society. Photo of watercolour taken by         PaulineandNeil McNee with kind permission of  Mercian Regiment Museum as original published watercolours are now exempt from Copyright.

It was around the time of the Royal celebrations, that James Plunkett and Agnes Pollock were together and Annie McIndoe Pollock, was conceived. At this time, Royal Wedding fever was paramount in Scotland. Glasgow was embracing the Royal celebrations with no expense spared, the city was illuminated brilliantly by everyone, and Glasgow was one big party. We should remember that at this time, Thomas was also embracing the Royal celebrations in Glasgow with his Masonic brethren. On the day of the Royal wedding, The Lodge "Royal Order" met at half-past one at St. Mark's Lodge, and over cake and wine they toasted the health and happiness of the Prince and Princess with true Masonic enthusiasm. (G.H., March 11, 1863)

Unfortunately, all parties must come to an end. The 29th Foot Regiment left Glasgow on the 21st April, 1863 en route to Ireland, where they relocated to Dublin, and then marched to The Curragh on 27th April.
On the 21st of April, 1863, the 1st Division of the regiment, under Major Wilkie, on the 27th, the head-quarters, under command of Lieut.-Colonel Farrington, on the 4th May, the 3rd division under Captain Wm. Boycott, and on the 11th of May, the 4th division under Major Clarke, proceeded by the “Lord Clyde” steamer from Glasgow to Dublin, en route to the Curragh, where on arrival they were quartered in huts in C. Square. .  (Everard, H. History of the Farrington’s Regiment, 1891, p. 504). 
Private James Plunkett would have been unaware that following their affair, Annie Pollock was pregnant with his child.

Meanwhile, by the 1871 Census, Agnes McIndoe Plunkett, nee Pollock, (Granny's mother), born in Paisley, Renfrew, is living in Glasgow at 332 St. George's Square.  Her first born daughter, listed on her Birth Certificate in 1863 as Annie McIndoe Pollock, is later recorded in the 1871 Census as Annie McIndoe Plunkett, presumably due to Agnes's conceived marriage to (Captain) James Plunkett.  A record of this marriage has not been found, and despite the illegitimacy on Annie's Birth Certificate,  the surname change to Plunkett on the 1871 Census  confirms that Agnes considered Private James Plunkett to be the father.  However, it seems certain that they didn't marry. It also appears from the X mark in the signature box on Annie's  Birth Certificate, that Agnes couldn't sign her name, and was illiterate. As a textile mill worker in Paisley, that was normal. Perhaps she was able to read, however that is difficult to determine. Agnes came to refer to Annie's father as Captain James Pollock even though Worcester Military records confirm he was a Private and not an Officer, and as it was very important for a young woman in the Victorian Era to be considered respectable, she also told the family that they were married, a romantic story that continued through the generations to the present day.
The  evenings of the Scottish 1871 Census, either on the 2nd or 3rd April, recorded the following as the residents at home at 332 Georges Street, Glasgow:-

Agnes Plunkett - Wife - Married - Aged 26 - Born Paisley, Renfrewshire
Annie McI Plunkett - daughter - Aged 7 - Scholar - Born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Thomas Dudgeon, jnr. - Boarder - Aged 19 - Panoramic Assistant - unemployed (Thomas's illegitimate son)
Eleanor Dudgeon - daughter - Aged 3

(Ellen Dudgeon, "Granny"  is actually  misquoted as Eleanor in the census, an understandable mistake.)
Also note that Agnes is recorded as Agnes Plunkett, not Pollock or Dudgeon, despite there being no evidence of Agnes and James Pollock being married previously.

Annie McIndoe Pollock's birth is recorded as being Illegitimate on 31st December, 1863 to Agnes Pollock, Mill Worker. 58 Struthers Street, Calton, Glasgow. Mother, Agnes Pollock. Her X mark (as signature) 

According to the Chelsea Pensioner's British Army service records 1760-1913, after his relationship with Agnes, James Plunkett went on to serve in Malta, Canada and the West Indies.  

The military records indicate that James went to Norton Barracks in Worcester, England in 1879, for discharge, which became effective on the 10th of July, 1880. He indicated that he would return to Boyle, Rosscommon as his intended place of residence.  On his discharge he is described as having fresh complexion, height 5 foot 4 and a half inches in height, hair light, trade labourer, scars none, eyes blue and 41 years and 9 months of age.  Finally, on his return to Ireland on the 25th November, 1881, he married Margaret Dowd, previously married,  maiden name McKeone, and both living at Knockavroe. James Plunkett's occupation is described as a Pensioner and his father as a weaver. Margaret Dowd's father is described as a farmer. Notes by Father John Kelly of Boyle Church on the Irish Family History Foundation Civil Marriage Records, indicate that both James and Margaret were Catholic and both their fathers were deceased. In the 1901 Census, Margaret Plunkett's daughter, Margaret Dowd from her previous marriage, is recorded as the stepdaughter, 18 years of age, not married, and born in County Roscommon. There is an inconsistency with the age of Margaret Dowd, as this suggests that at 18 years of age she was born in 1883 two years after the age of James and Margaret. Therefore she must have been at least 3 years older at that Census date. Inaccuracies with information supplied by families were very common. The Census of Ireland 1911, recorded James and Margaret living by themselves which would indicate that Margaret, their daughter, had either died or married.

Presumably, Thomas Dudgeon and Agnes Pollock, following her relationship with James Plunkett, met sometime between 1864 and 1867 at the latest. At the time of the 1871 Census, Thomas was working as a Theatre Artist in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England, to support his family living at 332 Georges Street,  Glasgow.

Acknowledgements :

In April 2015, Neil and I travelled to Worcester, England to visit the Museum of the Worcestershire Foot Regiment, to collect any additional information we could find to complete our research on James Plunkett. On our arrival we realised that the archival records were located at the 29th Worcestershire Foot Regiment Military Headquarters, and that the Museum had the address, Mercian Regiment Museum, Worcester WR1 2EE, in the City Centre. We were admitted into the Military Headquarters amidst tight security, by Mr. John Paddock, the current Curator of the Museum. We spent a very  interesting and rewarding couple of hours with Mr. John Lowles, who holds the rank of Colonel, and was the Curator of the Museum in 1993, then the Chairman until 2003, and is now a volunteer based at the Archival office of the 29th Worcestershire Foot Regiment. He holds an incredible amount of knowledge about the Regiment and Neil and I are very appreciative of how generously he gave up his time in answering our questions and filling in any gaps we had with our research. Such a modest and personable man, and yet so knowledgeable about the detail regarding the 29th Worcestershire Foot Regiment and where to find the information. We left the archives office confident that if we hadn’t found the information we needed whilst talking to John, it just wasn’t available.

We also had a good chat in the Records Office with Mr. Stan Jobson who is in residence, writing a book on the history of Norton Barracks in Worcestershire, for the Museum.  Construction of the Norton barracks  was completed  just before James Plunkett went there for discharge. The book is due for publication in June, 2015.
Details of Stan’s book as follows:
The Story of Norton Barracks: Home of the Worcestershire Regiment (by) Stan Jobson. Worcester?, Logaston Press, [2015]
ISBN 978-1-906663-92-6

Special thanks must be given to John Paddock, current Curator of the Museum, who, given the tight security at the time, admitted us into the Military Headquarters, and introduced us to John Lowles and Stan Jobson. He was busily preparing for an exhibition and numerous other things so we appreciate the time he gave us.

Bibliography:
1.     Everard, H. History of Thos Farrington’s Regiment subsequently designated the 29th Worcestershire Foot 1694 to 1891. Worcester, Littlebury & Company, The Worcester Press, 1891.
2.     Chelsea Pensioners British Army Service records, 1760-1913.
3.     Fraser, W. Hamish and Maver, Irene. Glasgow: 1830 to 1912. Glasgow, Manchester University Press, 1996.
4.     http://cinematreasures.org/
5.     Glasgow Herald, 13th March, 1863.
6.     Glasgow Herald, 19th October, 1862.
7.     Glasgow Herald, 20th October, 1862.
8.     Jobson, Stan. The Story of Norton Barracks: home of the Worcestershire Regiment. O0gaston Press, ????
9.     blog.findmypast.co.uk/articles/weaving-and-the-textile-industry (Accessed 19th May,2015.)


This article is Copyright (c) 2015 by Hope Pauline McNee

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