I have found an entry for my husband's ancestor in the Bengal Artillery, in the muster rolls of the Bengal Army 1777-1783. In the column which shows the means by which they entered the service instead of the name of the ship, or "Dutch Service" etc it states "Country Ship". It shows that he was from Ireland, aged 43, enlisted in London in November 1769. Would it be likely that he has transferred from the HEIC's marine service of some kind - hence "Country Ship"? Regards Ainslie (Perth, WA)

Ainslie wrote: >I have found an entry for my husband's ancestor in the Bengal Artillery, in > the muster rolls of the Bengal Army 1777-1783. In the column which shows > the means by which they entered the service instead of the name of the > ship, > or "Dutch Service" etc it states "Country Ship". It shows that he was > from > Ireland, aged 43, enlisted in London in November 1769. Would it be likely > that he has transferred from the HEIC's marine service of some kind - > hence > "Country Ship"? > This ancestor almost certainly did not join the 'Country Ship' service in London. The likelihood is that he joined either the Company's Army or its Mercantile Service in London and then transferred service out in the East, eventually transferring to the Bengal Artillery. My suspicion is that the clerk who made the original entry in the Bengal Musters may have been overly pedantic whereas, in fact, the country ship may simply have brought him from another Presidency. Assuming that the surname is not too common, my suggestion is that you look in the army recruits' Embarkation Lists both to find him shortly after November 1769 and also to see the destination of that vessel. If he joined the Mercantile Service, you might find him in the Crew Lists of East Indiamen of the same period. Hope this helps Good Hunting! Peter Bailey Chairman Families in British India Society www.fibis.org