Links to Walter Canning, William Cory, et al
RootsChat discussion, 2008–2014
Original discussion: RootsChat: William Henry Cory
Liverpool Annie reported finding a grave in a churchyard in South Carolina:
William Henry Cory
Born in Clapham, England May 2, 1831
Survivor of the famous charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, Oct. 25, 1854.
Served in Confederate Army 1862–1865
Died Jan. 29, 1893
She noted that she could not find a British soldier of this name and wondered whether he might have changed his name.
Source: Historic Marker Database entry for the grave/marker
Daisypetal found a probable birth/baptismal record in the IGI:
William Henry CORY
She noted that Newington was about 2½ miles from Clapham.
She subsequently identified what appears to be the same family in the 1841 census:
HO107/1063/6, folio 5, page 3 — St Mary Newington, Brighton Place
The 1851 census was also identified:
HO107/1573, folio 357, page 31 — Lambeth, 3 Kingswood Place
Daisypetal added that in 1861 the family, apart from William and Henry, was living in Clapham:
RG9/368, folio 235, page 16
She suggested that William might have been in the army in 1861, given the Crimean War, or might already have been in America.
Liverpool Annie found a possible Confederate record:
William H. Cory — Confederate Infantry
4th Battalion Virginia Infantry, Local Defense (Naval Battalion), Company C.
She noted the apparent connection with the Navy and wondered whether he might have served at Balaclava in the Navy.
Daisypetal drew attention to a genealogy discussion at GenForum:
GenForum: Cory family discussion
Later in the thread she quoted a Confederate record:
William H. Cory (Confederate)
Source given: Index to Compiled Confederate Military Service Records.
A new contributor, DMC1973, revived the subject on 18 January 2014.
DMC1973 claimed that William Henry Cory was their ancestor and offered an explanation for the absence of a Victoria Cross record. They stated that the family had refused to return the supposed Victoria Cross to England, despite people allegedly travelling from England to obtain it for registration. They also mentioned a sabre which, according to family tradition, was connected with Cory.
The contributor further stated that another branch of the family, the Verdier family of France, had married into the Cory family of Clapham, and that the medal and sabre were believed to remain with descendants.
They also claimed that Cory was buried in St Helena's Cemetery, South Carolina, where they said members of the family were buried, and described the Verdier family as having controlled trade in and out of South Carolina and having developed a highly regarded variety of cotton. They said that houses associated with the family still stood as museums.
Moderator's note: the moderator removed the name of a possibly living person in accordance with RootsChat's policy on publishing information about living people.
Ambly welcomed DMC1973 and suggested that the new post might be intended as an addition to an earlier 2008 discussion.
Ambly found an important contemporary source:
William H. Cory of Wandsworth wrote a letter to The Times, 10 February 1857, in which he stated that he had been in the Light Cavalry Charge at Balaclava.
He signed the letter:
“William H Cory late 11th (P.A.O) Hussars”
This is potentially significant because it provides a direct contemporary statement connecting a William H. Cory of Wandsworth with the 11th Hussars and the Charge of the Light Brigade.
Ambly also pointed to an article about Cory in:
The War Correspondent, vol. 24, no. 1, April 2006, published by the Crimean War Research Society.
Dundee supplied considerably more substantial evidence concerning Cory's later life.
She stated that the recipients of the Victoria Cross are very well documented and William Henry Cory is not among them.
She then identified a criminal prosecution at the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey).
According to The Times, 5 January 1859:
William Henry Cory, aged 27, clerk, pleaded guilty to two charges of forgery.
The prosecution described him as a young man who was respectably connected and who had conducted himself with considerable gallantry during the recent Crimean War. The prosecution alleged that after returning to England he had been engaged in a continuing series of forgeries.
The report stated that Cory had been travelling around the country lecturing on the Crimea and had gained the confidence of a gentleman near Croydon, to whom he had presented forged cheques.
Mr Robinson, speaking on Cory's behalf, said that he had behaved with great bravery at Balaclava, had also been at Inkermann, and had had a horse shot under him. He had gone to the Crimea as a volunteer during the Russian War and had subsequently been discharged.
Cory was sentenced to four years' penal servitude.
Dundee also identified an earlier, fuller report in The Times, 10 December 1858, concerning the case.
She then found a licence for Cory's early release from Portland Prison, dated 28 February 1862:
The National Archives: William Henry Cory — licence for early release
Dundee believed that Cory could be found in the 1861 census at Portland Prison, Dorset, recorded as “W.H.C.”, clerk, aged 29.
Dundee suggested that DMC1973 might have been confusing the Victoria Cross with the Southern Cross of Honor, a Confederate veterans' decoration.
The RootsChat material is interesting because it brings together several apparently independent pieces of evidence:
The 1831 baptism and the 1841 and 1851 censuses provide a plausible British identity for a William Henry Cory, born 2 May 1831, son of William and Sarah Cory.
A William H. Cory of Wandsworth wrote to The Times in February 1857, explicitly saying that he had participated in the Charge of the Light Cavalry at Balaclava and signing himself “late 11th (P.A.O.) Hussars.”
The 1858 Old Bailey report independently describes William Henry Cory, aged 27, as having served in the Crimea, behaved bravely at Balaclava and Inkermann, and had a horse shot under him.
Those two contemporary sources therefore provide unusually strong evidence that a William Henry Cory did claim—and was publicly described as having—Crimean War service.
The 2014 contributor's family tradition concerned a Victoria Cross, but Dundee pointed out that William Henry Cory does not appear among the documented recipients.
That distinction is important. The evidence in this thread supports a Crimean War veteran who participated in the Charge, but it does not establish that he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
The Old Bailey material provides a remarkably useful chronological link:
Crimean War → return to England → public lecturing on the Crimea → forgery prosecution in 1858 → four years' penal servitude → Portland Prison → early release in 1862.
That makes the identification of the man in the later American records an especially interesting question.
The thread also produces a William H. Cory in the Confederate forces, specifically:
4th Battalion Virginia Infantry, Local Defense — Company C.
However, the RootsChat material does not by itself prove that the Confederate soldier and the Crimean veteran are the same man.
I would be cautious about the title “CORY – WILLIAM CORY – ROMANCER.” The material certainly gives grounds for investigating whether Cory embellished aspects of his military career, but it would be better, at least for a historical research page, to distinguish documented facts, family tradition, and later claims rather than calling him a “romancer” as an established fact.
The really intriguing part is that the thread seems to have uncovered three potentially connectable identities:
Establishing—or disproving—that they are the same individual would be much more valuable than the Victoria Cross story alone.
RootsChat discussion — 2008–2014
Original discussion: RootsChat: William Henry Cory
William Henry Cory
Wow, I have seen a lot of crazy stuff written. This is my ancestor. The reason there is no record is because we have refused to give the Victoria Cross back to England. There have been people who have come all the way from England to take it so they can register it and my family has always said No Way. There is also a saber they want and again our family said No Way. I have always been told that is how they have kept track or something.
I believe that (*) has the saber and actual Victoria Cross. This is a person on the other side of the family as the Verdiers from France married into the Corys from Clapham.
He is buried in St. Helena's Cemetery where everyone in my family is buried. Everyone in that particular cemetery are all interrelated because their social class prevented them from marrying other people of a lower social class. The Verdier side controlled all trade in and out of South Carolina and invented a special cotton that was revered all around the world. The houses still stand as museums in South Carolina.
Moderator Comment:
Edited in accordance with RootsChat policy of not publishing details of living people here, or details of people who may still be living. This is to protect all concerned from spam, identity abuse, internet abuse, etc.
Hi DMC1973
Welcome to Rootschat!
It sounds as if you are answering or adding to an existing topic about this gentleman... maybe this one from back in 2008?
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=297411.0
Cheers
AMBLY
William H Cory of Wandsworth had a letter in The Times of February 10 1857 in which he states that he was in the Light Cavalry charge at Balaclava, and signs off "William H Cory late 11th (P.A.O) Hussars".
There's an article about him in this publication:
The War Correspondent, Vol. 24, No. 1, April 2006
Rootschat has a very strict policy which prohibits posting details of living people. It would probably be best if you remove the name of the person you mentioned in your post (click on modify button) - I certainly wouldn't be happy to have details of the whereabouts of a valuable family heirloom in my possession spread all over the internet (search engines pick up Rootschat posts very quickly).
Dundee
The recipients of the Victoria Cross are very well documented and William Henry CORY is not amongst them.
After returning from the Crimean War he was sentenced at the Old Bailey to four years penal servitude for forgery.
"Central Criminal Court, Jan. 4." Times [London, England] 5 Jan. 1859: 11. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 18 Jan. 2014
"William Henry Cory, 27, clerk, pleaded 'Guilty' to two charges of forgery... The learned COUNSEL for the prosecution said it was a painful thing to have to prefer so serious a charge against a young man who was undoubtedly respectably connected and who had conducted himself with considerable gallantry during the recent war in the Crimea; but there was too much reason to believe that he had been carrying on a regular system of forgery since his return to this country, and the protection of the public therefore rendered it necessary to institute the present proceedings. The prisoner, since his return to England, it appeared, had been going about the country lecturing upon the Crimea, and he had ingratiated himself into the confidence of a gentleman in the neighbourhood of Croydon, to whom he had uttered the checks in question........Mr Robinson said that the prisoner had conducted himself with great bravery at Balaclava, and he was also at the battle of Inkermann and had a horse shot under him. He had gone to the Crimea as a volunteer during the Russian war, and at its conclusion he was discharged, and he had no doubt that since then he had got into difficulties, and this had led to the commission of these offences.....and he therefore felt it to be his duty to order the prisoner to be kept in penal servitude for four years."
A full account of the case details had previously appeared in The Times (London, England), Friday, Dec. 10, 1858; pg. 11; Issue 23173.
Licence granted 28 February 1862, for early release from Portland prison.
National Archives record: C10551462
I believe you will find him on the 1861 census at Portland Prison, Dorset as "WHC", Clerk, aged 29.
Debra
Dundee
DMC1973, I think you might be confusing the 'Southern Cross of Honor' with the Victoria Cross.
William Henry Cory
Here we go again ......... this grave was found in a churchyard in South Carolina! .... I can't find this soldier! (unless he changed his name!!)
Historic Marker Database — marker 5827
William Henry Cory Born in Clapham, England May 2,1831 Survivor of the famous charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, Oct. 25, 1854. Served in Confederate Army 1862-1865 Died Jan. 29, 1893
Hi Annie,
I found this on the IGI,
William Henry CORY
Birth: 02 May 1831
Christening: 03 Jul 1831 — Saint Mary, Newington, Surrey
Father: William CORY
Mother: Sarah
Newington is about 2.5 miles from Clapham.
Daisy
Now how come I didn't see that, Daisy?? ..... nice one!
Thank you!!
Daisypetal
This looks like him,
1841 — HO107/1063/6, f.5, p.3 — St Mary Newington
Brighton Place
CORY
1851 — HO107/1573, f.357, p.31 — Lambeth
3 Kingswood Place
In 1861 the family minus William and Henry are in Clapham, RG9/368 f.235 p.16, let me know if you would like this transcribed.
Daisy
I bet William is in the army for the 1861 .... the Crimean War was 1853–1856 ......!
or in America .. Civil War 1861–1865!!
Annie
I have him in the Civil War but no dates ..... !!
Cory, William H. — Confederate Infantry
4th Battalion Virginia Infantry Local Defense (Naval Battalion) (Navy Department Battalion)
National Park Service — Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
Cory, William H. 4th Battalion, Virginia Infantry, Local Defense (Naval Battalion) C
But now I see a reference to the Navy .... maybe he was at Balaklava in the Navy!!
Annie have you seen this,
GenForum: Cory family discussion
Daisy
I just sent an email, Daisy ... it's a few years old ... but it hasn't come back yet!!
Good luck with the email
Must go and sleep now... I think I'll be dreaming of the Charge of the Light Brigade
Daisy
This will send you to sleep!!
BBC — Tennyson's “The Charge of the Light Brigade”
Night!!
Found this on Ohio Susans post!! Nothing new but I thought I would post!!
William H. Cory (Confederate)
Enlistment:
Sources for the above information:
Index to Compiled Confederate Military Service Records