Charles Ginn - Grenadier in the Napoleonic Militia d. 1800s

Charles Ginn here is a bit of a work in progress research wise.  Over the years I have got so far with my research, but it is not complete and I am frankly waiting for more information, particularly burial records to become available online.

Charles was a direct descendant of Robert Ginn (d.1587) mentioned in my post of 25th June 2012.  His more direct ancestry will be dealt with in more detail in later posts.

He initially moved with his brother Joseph and Benjamin to the Hertford area and is in the 1793 militia list for the Liberty of Brickendon with them.  He then joined up.

In 1793 Revolutionary France declared war on Britain. Britain was as unprepared as always and took steps to “embody” (i.e. raise) its regiments of militia for home defence. In Hertfordshire the Marquis of Salisbury raised the Hertfordshire [Hartfordshire] Militia at St Albans that same year. The emblem of the regiment was the rather literal one of a hart crossing a ford, insignia which represents my county to this day.

The Herts Regiment, the 44th Regiment of Militia, consisted of in excess of 500 officers and men. These were divided into some seven companies: a light and a grenadier company and five battalion companies. It is fair to say that the light and grenadier companies were the pick of any battalion, the former chosen for their fitness and agility, the latter for their strength. As a mark of their status the grenadiers wore tall fur caps with a brass plate rather than the regulation shako of the “ordinary” troops.

The regiment spent 1793 in Suffolk, returning to winter quarters in the Hertford district. It was at this time, in early 1794, that the regiment underwent an “augmentation” and Charles Ginn joined their ranks, effectively for the duration of the war. He was 18 years of age and was taken on as a “substitute”, that is he had taken the bounty in place of a “drawn man”.

Charles was initially placed in the “Colonel’s Company” (that of the Marquis of Salisbury) for initial assessment, this obviously being favourable as within a year he was transferred to Captain Chester’s Grenadier Company, where he was to spend the next few years. His eight year stay in the regiment would appear to have been unblemished by any offence.

The Hertfordshire’s’ were never idle, partly to reduce boredom and desertion, partly to offset the impact of billeting on the local population. Charles thus spent considerable time in Suffolk (Ipswich), Essex (Colchester and Chelmsford) and Kent (Dover and Ashford). He rarely visited his own county, though the regiment did permit two weeks’ leave a year.  Much of his time was spent in barracks, though at times the regiment was under canvas or billeted in town.

                                      The British Grenadier

It was not known until 2006 that Charles married Sarah Johnston (origins yet unknown) at Chelmsford in 1796.  They had William “the son of Charles Gin a soldier with the Herts Militia” the next year but he died whilst a babe in arms.  They had their second known child whilst the regiment was at Dover in 1799, Ann being baptised at St James the Apostle church there early  in that year.  What happened to her is a mystery.

In May 1800 the men were marched to St Albans, there to take part in the Royal Review of the Hertfordshire regiments of Militia, Volunteers and Yeomanry (the last two both part-timers) at Hatfield on 13th June of that year. There are a number of paintings of this event at Hatfield House and the accompanying illustration shows King George the Third taking the salute of Charles, his mates and the assembled regiments.

In September 1801 Charles & co were standing guard on the large French prisoner of war camp at Norman Cross, Hunts (near Peterborough) when word came thorough of a cease-fire with the French. The government of the day was desperate to cut the costs of the war and immediately began to stand down large numbers of men in the army and navy. In December the Herts Militia were moved to the Hertford district and when the Treaty of Amiens was signed were immediately disbanded (May 1802) Charles Ginn and several hundred others being paid off.

Charles and Sarah had their third known child (Mary Ann) baptised at Hertford St Andrews in 1802. 

Napoleon Bonaparte had no place for peace and in 1803 war began again with the British once again totally unprepared. The Herts Militia had to be raised with a new draft.

What happened to Charles and Sarah is a bit of a mystery.  I have speculated that they are the same Charles Ginn (Labourer) and Sarah who turned up in Lambeth and later Croydon in Surrey directly after 1802 (where they had further children) and then moved again, Charles dying when and where unknown.  My suspicion is strengthened by the fact that Charles was quite used to travelling around, that the Charles and Sarah in Surrey had a son Joseph (a family name by this time in this branch) and by the fact that no other explanation for the couple in Surrey has yet been found.  That said, it is speculation and though I employed a professional researcher in Surrey to follow it up, there was no result.  So what happened to them remains a mystery, awaiting further information to come online as I say- or maybe a reader of this blog could help me out as I suspect this couple have descendants.