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Thanks Ivy,

Yes I have the history of the 5th Royal Irish Lancers on www.royalirishlancers.co.uk/battle_honours.htm which is very interesting but I couldn't see anything on it about where they were stationed in England. From John Murray's war record, all it states is that from 07.12.1880 - 19.02.1885 he was "Home", and from 20.02.1885 - 12.06.1885 he was in Egypt. Then from 13.06.1885 until 06.12.1892 he was "Home" again, and I have no idea where "Home" was each time. I was going to write to an historian on the website for the 5th Royal Irish Lancers but, he said he couldn't say how long it would be before he could reply, and could take a few months, so I didn't write. I will try and have another look at the website though to see if there is anything else that might give a clue to where they were stationed in England, as well as (possibly) in Cirencester.

Thanks again anyway

Kind regards
Hilda

Just posting reply from Kiwijean:

" ........I will contact the Cirencester Historical Society and ask them about the Royal Corp of Transport".

Do bear in mind though that the military in the UK will have renamed their units very regularly. The Royal Corps of Transport is very unlikely to have been a unit in the 1880s (EDIT - formed in 1965 from amalgamation of two other units).

You may do better by tracing the regimental history of the actual unit he was serving in at the time.

EDIT - indeed, that was Sylvia's advice above.

Many thanks to all of you who wrote to me, and I will certainly take note of the information you sent me.

Kind regards
Hilda
:-)

There were various 'stabling' of troops around Cirencester at this time. The land around Preston was owned by the Chester-Master family, (still is) which housed some troops and horses.
also land further N at Wiggold which local 'legend' will also attest to a large stabling of troops and horses in the 'big house' stables and barns at this time. The amount of horse shoes and nails in the ground would attest to this!
The Bathurst family (who own the other half of Ciren) also have on the edge of 'The Park' in the center of town a large victorian 'Barracks', this is a huge building, but possibly on previous stables etc.
You can contact Cirencester Historical society for more info.

British Army Service Records 1760-1915 Transcription

First name(s): John

Last name: MURRAY

Calculated year of birth: 1859

Parish of birth: Not Known

Town of birth: Newport

County of birth: Shropshire

Age at attestation: 21 years

Attestation date: 7 December 1880

Attestation corps: 5th (Royal Irish) Lancers

Attestation soldier number: 2380

Discharge rank:

Discharge corps:

Discharge soldier number:

The National Archives reference: WO97 / 3532 / 110


Father - Thomas
Mother - Kate
Brother - Martin
Sister - Kate

Occupation - Groom

I think that might be RAF Lyneham as we were stationed there in the 70s we were R.C.T
The base was built in 1943

There is also R.A>F. South Cerney but I think that was built some time in the 1930's

" When my grandfather's sister was born in Cowley, Oxfordshire in April 1884, her father, John Murray (my gt grandfather) was working as a Groom in Preston, Cirencester, and as he was apparently in the 5th Royal Irish Lancers at that time, I am wondering where in Preston, Cirencester he was working. Could some kind soul have a look at the Electoral Roll for Preston, Cirencester in the year 1884 please to try and locate where John Murray was then"

The electoral roll has always been used to establish voters for a particular parliamentary seat. As a member of the military, he would have been moved around, and if he had a vote (and many at this time did not), it would, as said above, have been associated with his property (owned or rented, above a monetary value), most likely in Cowley in Oxfordshire, and therefore not associated with the Cirencester electoral rolls.

Preston is a small village in Gloucestershire on the south east of Cirencester, just north of the A419 (Cirencester to Swindon Road). Looking for barracks associated with Cirencester also brings up the village of South Cerney, which is the next village to the south of Preston.

Googling for Cirencester, the satellite view shows another built up area between Preston and South Cerney, not labelled as a village. Zooming in, the complex (just to the south of the A419) is labelled as belonging to the Royal Corps of Transport. If there has been continuity of use of the site since 1884, it may be this area where he was working.

Cowley Barracks the Regimental home to The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 1876 to 1957

Preston Oxfordshire to Barracks Lane Cowley is 1.4 mile

a clue

The Standard (London, England), Wednesday, June 24, 1885;

The High Sheriff of Oxfordshire entertained the County Battalion of Rifle Volunteers .
The regiment under the command of lt Colonel William Hall commanding 43rd Brigade Depot at the Cowley barracks near Oxford

Perhaps contact Cirencester Library via email to see if they can possibly help...

[email protected]

Linda

why not google the regiment??


My guess is that, if he was in the 5th Royal Irish Lancers, then he was a groom with that regiment ........ and therefore he was probably in barracks


so you need to look to see if you can find out where the Regiment was at that time, and / or whether there are barracks in Cirencester.





sylvia

When my grandfather's sister was born in Cowley, Oxfordshire in April 1884, her father, John Murray (my gt grandfather) was working as a Groom in Preston, Cirencester, and as he was apparently in the 5th Royal Irish Lancers at that time, I am wondering where in Preston, Cirencester he was working. Could some kind soul have a look at the Electoral Roll for Preston, Cirencester in the year 1884 please to try and locate where John Murray was then.

Many thanks
Hilda Jean Richardson