Comments on: Family history research without the Internet http://www.dadams.co.uk/2008/12/01/family-history-research-without-the-internet/ "I don't celebrate the magical thinking that says one random point in the space-time continuum is somehow special" - Scott Adams (via Dilbert) Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:15:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Another Cotton http://www.dadams.co.uk/2008/12/01/family-history-research-without-the-internet/comment-page-1/#comment-17891 Another Cotton Sun, 31 Jul 2011 19:07:41 +0000 http://www.dadams.co.uk/?p=543#comment-17891 Hi - did you discover that John Cotton, the Beadle, was in the Middlesex Militia? One of his sons was born at Shorncliffe Barracks near Cheriton St Martins where the baptism register shows "s.m.m." after the father's name indicating the Middlesex Militia which is a bit like the Territorial Army (TA) today. There are plenty of records of the Middlesex Militia so you should be able to find out more about John Cotton and any other siblings or children who joined up as well. A militia force was raised from the civilian population of a county, in order to supplement the regular army in cases of emergency. In Middlesex they were called out at times of unrest. There were around 300 militiamen in Middlesex in 1802. During the Napoleonic Wars this number rose to over 2000 by 1808 and 12,000 by 1812. When they were embodied (ie called out) they tended to deploy the Militia away from its home county. The war with the US and France was taking place in the 1780s so the Militia were used to guard the coast to allow regular troops to serve overseas which maybe why John cotton served time at Shorncliffe Barracks near Folkstone. Records of the Middlesex Militia, comprising monthly pay lists for the Western Regiment and copy of court martial proceedings against the commander of the Westminster Regiment of the Middlesex Militia for misappropriation of pay. Extracted from the Bibliotheca Britannica: CAWTHORNE Col John Fenton - 1796 Letter to a retired Officer on the Opinions and Sentence of a General Court- Martial held at Horse Guards Nov 27 1795 and on many subsequent days for the Trial of Col J.F.C. of the Westminster Regiment of Middlesex Militia Lond. Debrett 4to 2s Could this be John Cotton who could have changed his name from Cawthorne after the Court Martial? The City of Westminster archives has a lot of militia material: http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/libraries/archives/ London Metropolitan Archives has a lot of docs relating to Middlesex Militia: http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=15813&inst_id=118&nv1=browse&nv2=sub The National Archives has a lot of docs relating to Middlesex Militia: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=O40384 Have fun! Hi – did you discover that John Cotton, the Beadle, was in the Middlesex Militia? One of his sons was born at Shorncliffe Barracks near Cheriton St Martins where the baptism register shows “s.m.m.” after the father’s name indicating the Middlesex Militia which is a bit like the Territorial Army (TA) today. There are plenty of records of the Middlesex Militia so you should be able to find out more about John Cotton and any other siblings or children who joined up as well.

A militia force was raised from the civilian population of a county, in order to supplement the regular army in cases of emergency. In Middlesex they were called out at times of unrest. There were around 300 militiamen in Middlesex in 1802. During the Napoleonic Wars this number rose to over 2000 by 1808 and 12,000 by 1812.

When they were embodied (ie called out) they tended to deploy the Militia away from its home county. The war with the US and France was taking place in the 1780s so the Militia were used to guard the coast to allow regular troops to serve overseas which maybe why John cotton served time at Shorncliffe Barracks near Folkstone.

Records of the Middlesex Militia, comprising monthly pay lists for the Western Regiment and copy of court martial proceedings against the commander of the Westminster Regiment of the Middlesex Militia for misappropriation of pay.

Extracted from the Bibliotheca Britannica:

CAWTHORNE Col John Fenton – 1796
Letter to a retired Officer on the Opinions and Sentence of a General Court- Martial held at Horse Guards Nov 27 1795 and on many subsequent days for the Trial of Col J.F.C. of the Westminster Regiment of Middlesex Militia Lond. Debrett 4to 2s

Could this be John Cotton who could have changed his name from Cawthorne after the Court Martial?

The City of Westminster archives has a lot of militia material:
http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/libraries/archives/

London Metropolitan Archives has a lot of docs relating to Middlesex Militia:
http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=15813&inst_id=118&nv1=browse&nv2=sub

The National Archives has a lot of docs relating to Middlesex Militia:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=O40384

Have fun!

]]> By: lynne johnston http://www.dadams.co.uk/2008/12/01/family-history-research-without-the-internet/comment-page-1/#comment-17060 lynne johnston Sun, 26 Jun 2011 13:17:35 +0000 http://www.dadams.co.uk/?p=543#comment-17060 Hi - i too am related to john cotton - did a recce too to chiswick church too on one of my sporadic visits to london and have had correspondence with Jane Watson - however was not as successful as you - though i did discover that one of our John's had been the beadle as well as clerk or warden whatever - the research team had been hit by some sort of bug! and subsequent attempts to get in touch failed - next time i am in london though i will try to get to chiswick library. Incidently i have a family prayer book of John Cotton and Sarah Denney with all the children listed - among them my greatx4 (i think or 5 maybe) grandmother Matilda Sarah who married a George Charles - and a Jonathan who was apprenticed to a Mr Brown and went to sea - will jpeg a copy of the page to you if you are interested? i have a tree on Genes Reunited too so if you get in touch via them i can open my tree to you - cheers Lynne ps i have a sort of cousin in devon - we are e-buddies from the genes reunited team and have been researching cottons for a couple of years - mostly because there is a family mystery about a certain sir cotton who secretly married a serving girl and they had children etc - there is an abundence of stuff on the court case brought by these children trying to inherit!!!! we have been trying to find a link from them to our cottons because a copy of a letter about the court case was inside the family prayer book!....... Hi – i too am related to john cotton – did a recce too to chiswick church too on one of my sporadic visits to london and have had correspondence with Jane Watson – however was not as successful as you – though i did discover that one of our John’s had been the beadle as well as clerk or warden whatever – the research team had been hit by some sort of bug! and subsequent attempts to get in touch failed – next time i am in london though i will try to get to chiswick library. Incidently i have a family prayer book of John Cotton and Sarah Denney with all the children listed – among them my greatx4 (i think or 5 maybe) grandmother Matilda Sarah who married a George Charles – and a Jonathan who was apprenticed to a Mr Brown and went to sea – will jpeg a copy of the page to you if you are interested? i have a tree on Genes Reunited too so if you get in touch via them i can open my tree to you – cheers Lynne ps i have a sort of cousin in devon – we are e-buddies from the genes reunited team and have been researching cottons for a couple of years – mostly because there is a family mystery about a certain sir cotton who secretly married a serving girl and they had children etc – there is an abundence of stuff on the court case brought by these children trying to inherit!!!! we have been trying to find a link from them to our cottons because a copy of a letter about the court case was inside the family prayer book!…….

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