TAYLOR Charles
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- TAYLOR Charles
In 1755 the 51st Regiment of Foot was renumbered (from the 53rd). It received a county designation in 1782, as the 51st (2nd Yorkshire, West Riding) Regiment of Foot. In 1821 the regiment received royal status, becoming the 51st (2nd Yorkshire, West Riding, The King’s Own Light Infantry) Regiment. During the early 19th century the regiment served in the Napoleonic and Peninsular campaigns and served at Waterloo in 1815.
Between August and December 1837, six convict ships left Britain with 51st Regiment guards on board bound for New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land. The regiment continued to arrive in Australia as convict guards, and in larger numbers on troopships, during the decade that followed. Some of these ships are profiled on the Ships page. Arguably the most famous of the journeys made by 30 officers and men was on the ship Buffalo. That story can be read on the Anecdotes page.
In June 1840, a detachment of 145 officers and men arrived in Western Australia on Runnymede from Hobart; a further 46 men arrived on Eudora and Champion between 1841 and 1844. Thirty three 51st men took their discharge and settled in Western Australia; one of them was this man featured on the right.
The 51st in Australia left Hobart for India on Java in 1847. Its last port of call was on 15th March 1847 when the balance of the detachment in WA boarded Java on her way to Calcutta.

NAME: Charles TAYLOR | Name variations: None encountered. |
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Birth Date and Place | c. 1819 [deduced]. |
Baptism Date and Place | |
Marriage Date and Place | |
Spouse | |
Children | |
Occupations | |
Land Acquisition in WA | |
Death Date and Place | |
Burial Date and Place | |
Death, Funeral, Obituary Notices | |
Will and Probate |
BRITISH ARMY | |
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Regiment | 51st (2nd Yorkshire West Riding, The Kings Own Light Infantry) Regiment. |
Soldier No. and Rank | #1191 Private. |
Enlistment Date and Place | 14 Apr 1838 Chatham HQ. Age 19 years. Bounty paid to recruit £3 0s. 0d. [WO12-6200-246]. |
Physical Description | Height: 5 ft. 6 ins. |
Medals, Clasps and Badges | Good Conduct Badge and Pay 1d. per diem 1 Apr 1844 [WO12-6206-251]. |
Arrival Australia: Ship and Date | HMS Buffalo -Convict Ship. Departed Chatham, Kent 23 May 1839 for Quebec, Canada [WO12-6201-200]. Departed Quebec 28 Sep 1839; arrived Hobart, Van Diemens Land 11 Feb 1840 [DPS]. Re-joined 51st Regiment in Hobart 15 Feb 1840 [WO12-6201-169]. |
Arrival Western Australia: Ship and Date | Runnymede 25 Jun 1840 from Hobart [TROVE]. |
Military Postings within Western Australia | Dale 25 Jun 1840 to 31 Dec 1842. Perth HQ 1 Jan 1843 to 31 Mar 1847 inc. Garrison Duty Jan 1843 & Nov 1846; Regimental Duty Feb 1843. Perth HQ – Four days in Hospital during June 1843. [All sourcing from WO12-6202 TO 6208]. |
Courts Martial in Western Australia | None. |
Discharge Date and Place | 31 Mar 1847 Perth, Western Australia [WO12-6208-191 & 199]. |
Age at Discharge | c. 28 years [deduced]. |
Length of Service | c. 9 years [deduced] |
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
Dale military post was first established by seven troops from the 21st Regiment detachment in September 1839. Also posted at Dale in June 1840 with Charles Taylor were Corporal Thomas Suxspeach and Privates Joseph Spelling, John Usher, Michael Walsh, William Wheeler and John Williams. On the way to Dale they escorted two native prisoners to York – Doodjep and Bunaboy – who were tried in Perth for the murder of Mrs Sarah Cook and her infant daughter in September 1839. The aborigines were hanged on 30 Jul 1840 which is regarded as the Colony’s first legal execution and the only men to be hanged in York.