William Cook enlisted into the 90th (Perthshire Volunteers - Light Infantry) Regiment at Carlisle in Cumberland on the 16 November 1837 aged 17 years 10 months. He served as a Private until his discharge on the 23rd July 1859 at Canterbury
During this time, he served at the Cape of Good Hope where he was involved in the 7th Kaffir War of 1846/47 followed by his service in the Crimean War of 1854-1856. He spent 9 years in Ceylon; 2 years at the Cape of Good Hope and 1 year at the Crimea. As a result of his service, he was awarded the following:
~ South Africa Medal 1846-47
~ Crimea Medal with Sevastopol clasp
~ Turkish Crimea Medal - issued by the Sultan of Turkey
The muster returns for December of 1855 show that he left the Crimea for England on the 24 November 1855 as an ‘Orderly on board ship’.
Private William Cook was awarded a pension on the 23 July 1859 and admitted to it on the 9 August at Carlisle. His Character and Conduct being described as Good and in receipt of Two Good Conduct Badges plus the Cape, Crimean and Turkish Medals. At the time of his discharge, he was stated to be a Weaver by trade and to have served for 21 years 20 days and was being discharged at his own request having completed 21 years of Service.
In order to see if there was a physical description of him, the admission to pension register was searched and his description was as follows:
William Cook, No.1297 was admitted to pension 9 August 1859 aged 39 years and was a ‘Weaver’ by trade. He had Grey hair, Grey eyes, a Fair complexion and his intended place of residence was St Mary’s, Carlisle.
A check in the last available Chelsea Hospital Out-Pensioner Registers of 1865 to 1875 indicated that he was still alive in that year with his pension being paid from the Carlisle Regimental District.
A search in the 1881 & 1891 Population Census returns found a strong possibility of a William Cook living at Caldewgate, Cumberland but since he did not give an occupation of ‘Pensioner’ there is no way to confirm or otherwise without purchase of certificates. However, although the 1881 census show him as a General Labourer, the 1891 census described him as a “Cotton Weaver, Retired’. It is therefore considered that the details are worth noting.
William Cook, head, 59 years born Carlisle, Cumberland - General Labourer
Mary Ann Cook, wife, 44 years born in Ireland
Margaret Ann Cook, daughter, 21 years, born Carlisle, Cumberland - Cotton Winder
Thomas Cook, son, 16 years, born Carlisle, Cumberland - Printer Compositor
William John Cook, son, 11 years, born Carlisle, Cumberland - Scholar
It is noticeable that the eldest child was born around 1859/60, which is the time that William was discharged to pension from the army.
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Image of Cook from a group photograph taken in the Crimea by Roger Fenton (attributed to) |
Acknowledgements:
This biography was researched by Patricia Martin and the original design and layout was by Katie Barclay, with photographic scanning by Joanne McPhie. The research was funded by the Trustees of the Cameronians.
