Antrim Militia 1799

[Richard Malone]

My GGGgrandfather, (also Richard Malone) enlisted in the 7th Company, Antrim Militia on 10th June 1799. I would like to know that when he Joined up, would he have signed the muster roll, or would he have had to give the name of his next of kin, Mother or Father ? The relevant documents are held by the P.R.O.N.I. in Belfast, but I am not near there. Is there any where that I may see T.1115/1A & B MILITIA PAY LISTS AND MUSTER ROLLS 1799-1800 PLEASE.
Sincerely,
Richard Malone

[Elwyn Soutter]

The PRONI prefix T means the document is a transcript, so presumably another copy is held somewhere but I can't say where. However as far as the PRONI copy is concerned, it's a paper document which is not on-line. You'll either need to go to PRONI yourself, or ask them to do a look up (they charge around £16 per 15 minutes but check the cost with them) or pay a researcher to look it up for you. I suspect those are your only options.

[Peter Goodey]

Pay lists and muster rolls were really just accounting documents - basically just names and rates of pay. You may also find enlistment and discharge dates and movements. I don't think you'll find what you're looking for there.

What you really need is his attestation which should provide a place of birth and approximate birth date. Discharge papers normally include the attestation. You'll be hard pressed to find next of kin details anywhere in military records for that sort of timescale.

This Research Guidance may help. Make sure you also look at the related guides.

[Richard Malone]

Hello Peter,
Many thanks for your reply, and valuable comments, which I take on board. I do have Richard Malones' discharge papers, but, unfortunately, there are no references at all to any of His relations. He was also married in the same Parish Church, as my Father and Mother, and, strangely, neither His nor His Wifes' Father or Mothers names are included in the document. I know everything in His regard from He transferred to the 64th Regiment 2nd Staffordshire on 1st February 1800 until his death, but the important issue being His relatives, and this information is hard to find

[Peter Goodey]

Unfortunately, there wasn't much detail given until later in the 19th century.

I'm not knowledgeable about Irish research but what I'd do in England, Wales and Scotland is to note the birthplace and approximate date of birth and then plough through the appropriate parish registers looking for a likely candidate. Perhaps that's easier said than done in the case of your man.

[Hood finder]

Hi Richard,

I wonder if you have come across Ballinderry, Antrim in your research? My GGG granfather, Edward Hood's Royal Artillery Attestation in 1815 puts his place of birth as Ballinderry – but we have been unable to trace any church record. We suspect it was a military baptism record made at the nearby Blaris camp. He attested at 'Lisburn' in 1815, after being discharged at Woolwich in 1814. We now also think his place of Attestation would have been Blaris, not Lisburn as such. Have you ever searched records of Lisburn Cathedral – which I understand had military connections?
We have been unable to find indigenous Hoods in the Lisburn/Ballinderry area, so think Edward must have been the son of a transient soldier. We have been unable to find a candidate in the Royal Artillery, so took a recent look at the Antrim Militia. I duly found a possible father, Andrew Hood who, like your relative, volunteered to the 64th Foot in January 1800 – and was killed at St Croix in 1801. I have found all this on muster records at the National Archives and hope that I may now be able to find Andrew in 64th Foot Description Books held.
Any thoughts you have would be appreciated, as would further detail about the remit of the Antrim Militia.

Kindest regards,

Mike Foy