The Chelsea Out-pensioners in the Early Eighteenth Century

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The Chelsea Out-pensioners in the Early Eighteenth Century

February 3, 2022 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

ORDINARY MEETING OF FELLOWS LECTURE

A Well-recorded people – The Chelsea Out-pensioners in the Early Eighteenth Century

by Andrew Cormack FSA

The lecture will be based on the research for my recent doctorate and the title, intriguingly, I hope, contrasts my research with that undertaken by many Fellows of the Society based upon archaeological discoveries of material culture for which, in many cases, there is no substantiating contemporary written record.  The extensive archives of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea provide a remarkable view into the lives of a section of the labouring classes who chose soldiering as their occupation.  Very little is known individually about these people, and they are generally considered as a mass because they were predominantly illiterate and therefore left no personal record of their experiences.  However, the Hospital recorded a great deal about them in terms of the length of their service, their age at enlistment and what had happened to them – wounds, injuries and illnesses – that brought about their discharge from the Army.  The talk also explains how a highly complex pension system was administered, what checks were made, how payments were dispensed and what fraudulent practices were attempted by recipients and those paying the pension; all of this in an age when the modern conveniences of banking and communications did not exist.

Once accepted onto the Chelsea Out-pension, discharged soldiers were still subject to recall by the War Office for garrison duty in the largely coastal fortifications in Great Britain -Tilbury, Hull, Tynemouth, Carlisle, Chester, Plymouth and the Channel Isles.  Many of these fortifications are now in the care of English Heritage and some have been the subject of archaeological investigation.  However, next to nothing is recorded about the men who were formed into Invalid Companies and were sent to garrison these posts, but they are traceable because they were all Out-pensioners of the Royal Hospital.

My research has opened up aspects of soldiering, the lives of the working poor from which soldiers were largely drawn, the notion of charity in the C18th and the difficulties of administering a scheme that covered the whole of the British Isles.  It provides essential background information for a thorough understanding of the Other Ranks (non officers) of the British Army of this period.


This event will be both in person at Burlington House and online. Please select the appropriate ticket below.

Attendance at Burlington House:

  • Open to anyone to join, Fellows and Non-Fellows.
  • Places in person will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • The event will begin at 17.00 BST. Please arrive in plenty of time.
  • Tea/Coffee for Fellows is served from 16.30 BST
  • Registration is essential for non-Fellows but we encourage Fellows to register as well.
  • Fellows must ensure they sign the guest book and sign their guests in.
  • All attendees should scan the NHS QR code available at the entrance. For further details on the Government guidelines regarding COVID-19 and track and trace please visit their website here.

The schedule for the evening if attending in person:

  • Refreshments for Fellows are served from 16.30 BST in the council room.
  • The meeting begins at 17.00 BST with the lecture starting at approximately 17.10 BST.
  • Lectures run for approximately 45min and are followed by a short Q&A.
  • Sherry is served in the Foyer following the lecture.

Attendance by Live Stream:

  • Open to anyone to join, Fellows and Non-Fellows.
  • The event will be live-streamed to YouTube here
  • The event will begin at 17.00 BST.
  • You will receive an email reminder with the link to join the day before the lecture.

Please help the Society continue to deliver our FREE online Lecture Programme by making a donation to cover the cost of upgraded IT and software. We would really appreciate your support. Thank you! 

If you have any questions, please contact us on [email protected]

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Details

Date:
February 3, 2022
Time:
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Event Categories:
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Venue

Society of Antiquaries of London
Burlington House, Piccadilly
London, W1J 0BE United Kingdom
Phone
020 7479 7080

Organiser

Society of Antiquaries of London
Phone
020 7479 7080
Email
admin@sal.org.uk
View Organiser Website