Army Officer's Widows Pension

[Trevbet]

Can anyone help with suggestions for researching our Gt.Gt. grandmother's widow's pension. We are told that Kew researches into army records would not help much with finding out how much she was paid or how and when she was paid.
She did receive it for a long time as Gt.Gt.Grandfather died in 1834 (not in active service) and all the censuses from 1841 to 1871 show her as in receipt.

Grateful for any help,

Trevbet

[banned-dot]

There was some provision for the widows and dependants of officers killed in active service . For officer's widows with an income of less bthan �30 per annum, there were, from 1818, fifteen annuities available under the will of col. John Drouly. pensions to widows, children or dependant relatives might also be paid out of the Royal Bounty and the Compassionate Fund.
Available at the PRO Kew are:
PMG 9 Army Establishment, pensions for wounds 1814 - 1921
PMG 10 Army establishment, Compassionate list 1812 -1916
and bounty - includes Drouly Annuities for 1870 - 1882
PMG11 Army Establisment, Widows Pensions 1810- 1920
(includes Drouly Annuities for 1827-1870 and 1882-1920
WO23 /83-87 Registers -Pensions for wounds 1815 -1892
WO 23/88 -92 Registers - Widows' Pensions and
WO23 /105-113 Drouly Annuities 1815-1892
WO23 /114-123 registers- Compassionate List and Bounty 1858 - 1894
WO 24 / 804-883 Ledgers -Widows Pensions and Drouly
annuities 1713-1829
WO25 / 3020-3045 Pensions to widows of full pay officers 1735-1811
WO25 3069-3107 Registers of Warrants and Application Papers for widows' pensions and bounty 1807-1856
WO 25 3108-3125 Widows Pensions- Compassionate Papers, Misc papers, Registers and Indexes 1748-1851

It is worth noting that lists of names of those recievinbg Royal Bounty or Compassionate Allowances, during the period 1812-1820. are contained in House of Commons Journals. The 1818 list included reference to many killed at waterloo; for example, Anne Maria Currie was to recieve �150 per annum, from 19th June 1815, being the "widow of Lt Col Edward Currie of the 90th Foot, who was killed at waterloo; she being left with three children unprovided for".

[banned-dot]

Prior to 1842, pensions were distribued by local Officials, from 1842 59 districts were established by the army in England and 2 in wales, 12 in Scotland and 33 in ireland. the pension returns in WO22 go from 1842-1862 and you need to know where the soldier came from to id the district.

If he commenced his pension before 1842 you would look in the Chelsea Out pensioners admissions register WO 23/26-65 (1821- 1854)

From My Ancestor was in the british army - Michael J watts