I possess a number of booklets published by the 'Lincolnshire Family History Society' - and is entitled 'Extracts from the Minute of the Board of Guardians Stamford Union Workhouse - Part Three 1844-1847 - by Anne Cole and Derek Paine (2008). This extract is from Page 33. 'Mr Wyles' - lives in South Witham - which is around 15 miles 'North of 'Duddington'!
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Just a few books that look interesting. The second in the list seems to be equating the 'Socialistic' Home Guard of WWII with the Local Militias that the UK raised from time to time - but these were not 'Socialist' in anyway and were dependent upon status and income. As only the socially trusted and prominent could serve - providing they could afford their own uniform, weapon and ammunition - and were wealthy enough to have 'leisure' time to drill! Some UK authors are adopting the anti-intellectual language of the US - referring to the time-span 1945-1991 as being the 'Cold War'. Up until Thatcher abolished 'Free' and 'Universal' Education in the UK (and began the privatisation of the NHS and dismantling of the Welfare System and Social Housing) - the UK had far more in common with the USSR than America - but what we are seeing is the attempted re-writing of history and the establishment of a preferred narrative. The philosophy underpinning the British Home Guard of WWII grew-out of the Soviet-backed International Brigades (comprised of volunteer workers - male and female - from around the world) that fought the Hitler-backed (Catholic) General Franco during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)! My suspicion is that Duddington might well have been in the 2nd (Soke) Peterborough Battalion on the Northants Home Guard between 1940-1942 - but was then transferred to the Huntingdonshire Home Guard (keeping its designation) between 1942-1944. This is premised upon data gleamed from the Northants Home Guard book you forwarded - but the even then the author states that this Unit was still considered part of Northants Home Guard even though it was officially associated with Huntingdonshire!
Northants Home Guard was comprised of 15 Battalions - with each Battalion being comprised of 3 Companies. Each Company was usually comprised of 3 Platoons. A Platoon should be comprised of around 30 men. Of course, these are ideal numbers not always followed due to local conditions. Incidentally, 3 Battalions usually form a 'Brigade' - with 3 Brigades forming a 'Division'. The book referenced below gives the exact designation of the King's Cliffe Platoon - although we do not know the exact number of the Platoon - which was part of 'A' Company of the 3rd (Oundle) Battalion of the Northants Home Guard. Oundle Divided into Six Companies The 3rd (Oundle) Battalion (Lt-Col FR Berridge) was well in step with the new regularization. It now divided into six companies, with the area reaching from Denford and Addington in the south to Easton on the Hill in the north, and from Lutton in the east to Brigstock and Deene in the west A Company (King’s Cliffe) was originally commanded by Major FJ Lenton, MC, who later became the Battalion’s second-in-command. He was succeeded by Major Simpson, a farmer, and a veteran of the 1914-18 war Chapter VII – The Battalions Reviewed, Page 75 Another interesting observation quoted below states that the 2nd (Soke Peterborough) Battalion of the Northants Home Guard also covered the King's Cliffe (and by implication - Duddington) area, Just what this means is open to interpretation - but it seems to suggest that some Home Guard Units 'overlapped' their defensive capabilities: Like other battalions, the 2nd also had its own special problems and responsibilities – among them being the Wittering, King’s Cliffe and Westwood aerodromes, the works of P Brotherhood & Co, the Royal Army Ordnance Depot at Walton, and the Wainsford viaduct on the Great North Road. Chapter VII – The Battalions Reviewed, Page 73 Quoted from: BG Holloway – Zone HQ Intelligence and Public Relations Officer (Editor) & H Banks A Company, (Northampton) Battalion (Collaborator), The Northants Home Guard (1940-1945) – A History of the Services of Men and Women of Northamptonshire Who in the World War of 1939-1945 Forsook Their Rest and Leisure to Rally in the Defence of the Homeland and Defiance of the Invader, The Naval & Military Press Lrd, (2019)
My mother - Diane Wyles - received the above photograph from an individual online. This person stated that her father served in the King's Cliffe Home Guard between 1940-1944 (that is during most of WWII). This confirms that King's Cliffe possessed a Home Guard Unit and strongly suggests that the nearby village of Duddington (situated 4.7 miles North of King's Cliffe) also possessed a Home Guard Unit! As of yet - we do not know the Platoon, Company or Battalion designation - but this is an ongoing research project and we will post all our resulting findings on this website! The soldier standing second from the left in the back row is one 'Jim Bollans' (the 'father' in question) - although we cannot ascertain whether this gentleman is a 'Private' or an 'NCO', etc. As the sun was shining brightly during the taking of the photograph - we have not been able to successfully enlarge and/or clarify the details of the cap-badge - which could give us the Battalion designation - but it could be the Northants insignia as follows:
Dariᴎgold Wyles (d. 1688 CE) - Other Examples of this First-Name Spelt 'Daringold'! (29.9.2023)9/29/2023 On the East-facing base-wall of the Vestry of of St Mary's Church - Duddington - the names of a number of 'Wyles' ancestors are recorded. One woman carries the first-name 'Dariᴎgold' - spelt with a reverse 'ᴎ' by the stone-mason in 1688 CE - the year of her passing! When her name was transferred from the Wyles Tomb that used to occupy the area to the foot of the Vestry-wall around 1872 CE - the stone-mason retained this convention. This name appears in the English Records during the 16th and 17th centuries CE - and then disappears without a trace. Of course, it could be that the reverse 'ᴎ' simply refers to the Latin indication of a 'ee' sound - making the name 'Dariegold - but again, why bother which such linguistic gymnastics? Diane Wyles has proven a) that this name did exist in England during the 16th and 17th centuries CE, and b) most, if not all commentators, seems to spell the name as 'Daringold'!
Dear Merrill
Thank you for your very interesting email regarding Private Edward Vaught and my following article: 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot – Battle of Quatre Bras (1815) I have never seen an official 'Discharge' Document issued to Enlisted Men when leaving the British Army during the early 1800s - and I must thank you for sharing this with me. We will examine the text of this Document and see if we can extract any further data or conclusions - although you seem to have done a very good job. As you know, many of the men from this era were often recruited from over-crowded inner city areas and were usually 'illiterate' (partially or completely). Therefore, when issued with these 'legal' documents - they probably made the mistake of not attaching too much importance to them. I suspect these Documents granted certain legal rights and obligations on behalf of the British governmet, etc, to Veterans of the British Army. The designation of the 'East' Indies (India) and the 'West' Indies (Caribbean) seems a little vague - but can be explained. Of course, soldiers recruited in the UK were often relatively 'small' in number and transported all over the Empire to secure stability - and where necessary train 'Native' troops recruited into 'newly' formed Regiments of the British Army. This is the case with the West Indies and a very good historical assessment of the late 18th and 19th centuries is dealt with in Barry Renfrew's book entitled 'Britain's Black Regiments - Fighting for Empire and Equality'. The author discusses how 'White' British soldiers were brought over to the West Indies to 'train' 'Black' men (usually 'Slaves' or 'former' Slaves) who had volunteered to join the local British Army Units. I believe that these 'Slaves' were granted their 'Freedom' with Enlistment. Interestingly, components of the newly created West Indian Regiment were transported to the British colony of 'Sierra Leone' in West Africa - which I had no idea was part of the British Empire until I read the above book! On occasion, 'White' soldiers (recruited in the UK) are traversed through the area. This type of peripheral military data is often of interest to various historical researchers - as the professional (military) authors have gained access to difficult to find historical documentation. Within 'India', as far as I am aware, The East India Company was permitted to recruit and train a 'Private Army' which was commanded directly by the East India Company (and not the British government) - but was to be used only in the pursuance of British government business and political objectives (which 'mirrored' the business interests of the East India Company). The East India Company locally recruited ethnic Indians as private soldiers - and 'White' Officers from the UK (at least in the early days) - these 'Officers' were either recruited from retired British Army personnel or directly from University, etc. Even so, British Army Units (recruited from the UK and directly controlled by the British government) were still traversed through India on occasion. The following is what we think we can read from the 'Discharge' Document of Private Edward Vaught. He apparently could 'Sign' his own name - but does not seem to know his exact date of birth. The British Army authorities seem to be assuming that Edward Vaught was '18' in 1811 - which would suggest the birthdate was somewhere within the year of 1793: Colonel: Liet Gen Sir John Hamilton Bart Discharge: Edward Vaught (Private) Reason: Being affected with tape worms and being lame from an old (permanently hot) wound on right thigh - Charles Whyte (possibly Regimental ‘Doctor’ or ‘Surgeon’). On These Grounds - Demobilisation Process is Authorised: By Maj Gen Commanding - Dated 6th May 1828. Age: About 34 years Height: 5 foot 6 inches Hair: Dark Brown Skin: Dark Complexion Occupation: Labourer Character: Good British Army: 69th Regiment of Foot (Company and Platoon not clear) First Enlisted: Durham, Norfolk - 20th January 1812 - Age 18 - Limited Service. Re-Enlisted: Cannonne - East Indies. 13th March 1819 (aged 25 years) - Unlimited Service. East Indies 28th June 1817 - 24th February 1826. British Army: 69th Regiment of Foot (Waterloo) Duration of Service: 25th December 1811 - 28th May 1828. Total Years of Service: 16 years and 156 days. Signed: Charles Cuyler - Commander 69th Regiment of Foot - (Demobilisation Granted) 28th May 1828. With regards to Private Edward Vaught - the Discharge Document states his service could have been 'In East or W. Indies' - and that he served in these theatres between 1817-1826. However, as the 'time served' data column contains only a capital 'E' - I suspect this refers to military service in the 'East India' theatre alone - an assumption supported by the fact that there is no date entry attributed to a capital 'W' (or the 'West Indies' - a matter probably dealt with by a different form already printed with a 'W'. If a soldier had served in both theatres - then a form containing a pre-printed capital 'E' and 'W' would have been used). This seems like a 'medical' discharge as he had tape worms and an inflamed wound as you say. Oddly, it seems he joined the British Army on the 25.12.1811 - but his 'official' join-up is recorded as being the 20.1.1812 (under 'Limited Service'). He seems to have been considered '18' even in 1811 although 'both' dates are retained - with his Service being taken from the earlier of the two. As you can see, 'Drummers' and 'Trumpeters' were recruited - quite often boys as young as 8 or 9 years old at the time. His second 'Enlistment' was in India during 1817 when he about 24 years old (designated as 'Unlimited Service'). He was in India until the 24.2.1826 (around 33 years old) - after which he must have returned to the UK - where he was finally 'Discharged' on the 6.5.1828 (aged around 34 or 35 years old). As to whether Private Edward Vaught was at the Battle of Waterloo - it would seem to be the case from the 'Battle Honour' of 'Waterloo' being added to his Discharge Notes. Although the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 69th Regiment of Foot were amalgamated in 1816 - it seems that each part (or Division) of this Regiment retained its own distinct 'Battle Honours'. Whilst the 1st Battalion saw action in India and Java, etc - during the time period under discussion - the 2nd Battalion was the Unit of the 69th Regiment of Foot which fought at the Battle of Waterloo. I suspect that Private Edward Vaught enlisted in the '2nd Battalion' in 1811-1812 and was eventually deployed to Belgium during 1815 (where he would have been 22 years old). Perhaps this is where he picked up his leg wound. It would seem a musket ball or piece of shrapnel had embedded itself in his thigh - and after its extraction the wound was 'cauterized' - but never fully healed. If this is the case (as we cannot be sure), then it is remarkable that he continued to serve for another 13 years as a professional soldier in the British Army without complaint! Kind Regards Adrian Dear Adrian
I would like to thank you for contacting GenGuide and sharing your fascinating story. I created my website purely for information purposes only, acting as a free guide and resource to those researching their family history. Unfortunately, I am therefore unable to offer any specific help or guidance, apart from entries in GenGuide, For further guidance, I would strongly suggest that you contact local record offices/archives (search under ‘Find an archive’) and especially local family history societies who have expert volunteers with the time and local expertise to help with every aspect of family history research. Many archives and family history societies offer a free look up service but should also have a list of professional local researchers. It’s worth having a chat with a member of staff from the archives or local history society covering the area and see what they suggest. You are obviously an experienced researcher but I always recommend you search for a person in all records for all the main genealogy sites. Ancestry Findmypast My Heritage The Genealogist They all provide free accounts with the facility to search their records but not to see the full record unless you subscribe. If you find anything of relevance you can then visit your local family history centre or archive who would normally have a subscriptions to all but My Heritage. You might also consider contacting the local history society which may have information amongst their various projects about your ancestors. This option is often overlooked but can be incredibly useful in your research. It’s also worth posting your question on genealogy forums and also posting your enquiry on a local or specialist Facebook group. I also always suggest carrying out speculative searches for people in various catalogues and databases such as The National Archives Discovery catalogue, the London, Gazette and the British Newspaper Archive as you never know what might turn up. Don’t forget to also search for the name in the online catalogue for the local record office/archive covering the area where your ancestor lived. Thank you for your interest and hope you solve the mystery of the missing burials. Regards Peter Humphries Dear Sir
My family - surnamed 'Wyles' - has lived in Duddington village for over 500 years and probably longer. Although we no longer live there - in 2009 I discovered this connection and have been engaged in a 12-year study of the Church in Duddington - St Mary's - and its graveyard as it contains many of my ancestors. Although I live in Sutton - South London - around twice a year we drive to Duddington and spend the day gathering historical and genealogical data. St Mary's Church and Graveyard St Mary's Church and I have been told, however, that the parish records for pre-1700s Duddington were destroyed by a flood and this lack of records has hindered my research. I have been further informed that there may be duplicate records made for the Bishop that cover births, deaths, marriages and baptisms for the 15th and 16th centuries (and perhaps earlier). If St Mary's still retains its parish chest - I would be very interested to learn if any of its contents refer to my Wyles ancestors. Of course, I have no way of knowing if this information is correct and would be very grateful if your could look into this matter on my behalf. Thank you for your time in this matter. Yours sincerely Adrian Wyles My view is that the general dictionary views of surnames are a mixture of localisms, broad definitions and speculations. Some surnames, such as those obviously involving a profession such as referring to a ‘Black Smith’, for instance, tell us nothing about the origination and location of a particular family but everything about what that vocation involves. This is not uncommon as a similar situation is found with ecclesiastical rank (such as ‘Bishop’, ‘Priest’, or ‘Monk’, etc) and military rank (such as ‘Sergeant’, ‘Marshal’ and ‘Captain’, etc). Other names involve a specific locality within a known geographical area, with those involving particular or outstanding physical characteristics (such as ‘handsome’, ‘Tall’ and ‘Beautiful’, etc), or types of outstanding characteristics (such ‘Trustworthy’, ‘Joyful’ and ‘Love’, etc). Surnames can even involve precious metals (such as ‘Gold’ ‘Silver’ and ‘Steel’, etc) and valuable stones (such as ‘Daimond’, ‘Sapphire’ and ‘Ruby’, etc). There are no set rules for the definition of a surname. Although many ancient surnames in China (which are all over two-thousand years old) are indicative of a specific geographical location – this is not always the case. One ethnic Chinese person I know carries the surname ‘Qiu’ [邱 - Qiu1] (pronounced ‘Yau’ in Cantonese). Over two-thousand five-hundred-years ago, ancestors from her family faithfully served the family of the Sage Scholar known in the West as ‘Confucius’ (born ‘孔丘’ or ‘Kong Qiu’). As a reward, this peasant family was elevated up the social ranks by being granted the surname ‘丘’ (Qiu) - which is the first-name of Confucius denoting ‘small bumps’ he possessed on the top of his head. However, in 1725 CE, the Yongzheng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty took exception to this history decreed that a naming taboo should be placed upon those carrying the name of Confucius, ordering each surname lineage to add the particle ‘阝’ (Yi4) to the right of the ideogram ‘丘’ thus creating the combination of ‘邱’- With ‘阝’ (Yi4) being a contraction of ‘邑‘ (Yi4) - which denotes a ‘town’, ‘district’ or ‘state’, etc. This was carried-out to remove direct association between the lineal descendants of the servants of the House of Confucius and Confucius himself – and instead change that history so as to associate it instead with the far-older personage of Jiang Ziya (姜子牙), a military advisor at the start of the Zhou Dynasty (1046 - 256 BCE) who would later found the powerful State of Qi (a place Confucius visted). The capital of Qi was a place named Yingqiu (营丘), located in present-day Shandong province. Some of Jiang Ziya’s descendants thus adopted Qiu (丘) as their surname. Many actual descendants of the servants of Confucius today, however, still remember their humble roots in the House of Confucius. As for ‘Wyles’ no one is sure of its exact origins. Dictionaries speculate that there could have been specific places named after local attributes all over the UK – with talk of ‘tricksters’ and ‘hunters of eels’ or a ‘special trap’ for capturing eels! (As in a ‘Wiley’ device)! I suspect that ‘Wyles’ might have many different (and unrelated’) origins and that we must carry-out our own genealogical research. Certainly, my paternal DNA, the known physical history of my family and the area within which they lived bear no resemblance to prevailing name-dictionary theories!
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AuthorAdrian Chan-Wyles - Last Male Descendant of the 'Wyles' Family of Duddington! Archives
November 2023
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