Born at Newport, Shropshire, on the 23rd of January 1829, and christened there on the 1st of August 1829, the son of John Stanley and his wife, Sarah, nee Eyre.
Educated at King's College, London.
Assistant-Surgeon in the 33rd Foot: 24th of February 1854.
Assistant-Surgeon in the 17th Lancers: 24th of November 1854.
Assistant-Surgeon in the 3rd. Dragoon Guards: 19th of June 1857.
On to half-pay: 4th of March 1861.
Restored to full-pay (Staff): 21st of April 1862.
Surgeon in the 3rd Dragoon Guards. 1st of August 1863.
Surgeon (Staff): 5th of August 1864.
Births registered
Agnes Louis Stanley, March Quarter 1868, Shifnal.
Emily Lucy Stanley, March Quarter 1869, Pembroke.
Helen Stanley, March Quarter 1870, Portsea.
Surgeon in the 4th Foot: 4th of June 1867.
Staff Surgeon, 4th Foot: 4th of May 1868.
Surgeon in the 25th Foot: 14th of July 1869.
1871 Census
Tower House, Portsea.
St John Stanley, 42, Surgeon, born Newport.
Emily Stanley, 28, Loughborough.
Agnes L Stanley, 3, Shifnal.
Emily L Stanley, 2, Pembroke.
Helen Stanley, 1, Southsea.
Three servants are also shown.
Surgeon-Major of the 25th Brigade Depot: 19th of December 1873.
Brigade-Surgeon: 23rd of March 1881.
1881 Census
2 Effingham Lawn, St Mary's, Dover.
Emily Stanley, 37, Doctor's Wife, born Loughborough.
Agnes L Stanley, 13, Scholar, Shifnal.
Emily L Stanley, 12, Pembroke.
Helen Stanley, 11, Southsea.
Maude E Stanley, 8, Curragh, Kildare.
Two servants are also shown.
Hon Deputy Surgeon-General, and on to half-pay. 21st of February 1882.
Assistant Surgeon Stanley served the Eastern campaign of 1854-55, including the battles of the Alma and Inkerman (as Assistant Surgeon in the 33rd Foot) and with the 17th Lancers at the Siege and fall of Sebastopol. (Medal and Clasps.)
In 1991 an article appeared in the Crimean Research Society's Journal which recorded the contents of two letters he wrote from the Crimea. [Punctuation as written.]
"John Eyke, Esq.,
Stanton House,
Shiffnall, Salop.
Crimea,
Sept. 18th 1854.
My dear John,
We landed early on the morning of the 14th, the day was very fine at first but soon began to rain and continued to do so all day, we, our division, marched up the country till night, and then lay down on the wet ground with only a blanket and great coat, it continued to rain all night, we were very nearly drowned with it, and there was no wood to make a fire, and water is very scarce here and very bad, we have only our clothes we stand up in and 1 shirt and 1 pair of socks, and a tooth brush, there was no troops to oppose our landing, if there had been they would have made a mess of us, we have seen only a few Cossacks, who ran away at once, they had charge of a quantity of flour belonging to the Emperor, they were fired upon at a thousand yards and one was wounded in the foot and 82 loads of flour were captured, this is all that happened the first day, except taking the possession of a small fort where there is nothing in, and a gentleman's country house, it is a very nice house with a grand rosewood piano in it and lots of paintings and books and music left about and parasols, they were evidently in a great hurry to be off, they left an old housekeeper and an old man and another woman servant to look after things, the Rifles have got possession of this house and are quartered in it.
The French are the greatest plunderers you ever saw, they carry off all the turkeys and geese and fowls and pigs and sheep, and leave nothing for us, we are not allowed to plunder at all the consequence is we are nearly starved with hunger, the old woman at the house is very civil and I managed to get 3 bottles of claret and some bread and butter and onions, but some French officers moved all the brandy and champagne, the French are very civil to us and give us some of their plunder, they pull down the houses for firewood, and the Cossacks have burnt a good many villages.
The Cossacks fired upon our outlying pickets and killed one or two sentries, the second night was worse than the first for the dew was very heavy and it was most awful as we the Light Division have no tents, in the night there was an alarm that the Cossacks were down upon us, and all the troops were under arms, but they did not turn up, last night a shot was fired into our bivouac and went over my head and went about two inches off one of our officer's heads but nobody was hit, there was another turn out, but it was too dark to see and it was only a straggling Cossack, there is a very strong entrenched camp about a mile off but I don't know when the fight will come off, we lost nearly 30 men aboard the "Andes" of cholera and an officer, Martel, died on the passage from Varna of fever, you must not expect to hear often from me.
I must finish this or I shall be too late for the mail.
St. J.S.
Paper and ink is very scarce here you must excuse the scrawl. I received a Stafford paper and letters from you."
Another letter from St. John Stanley to Alfred Stanley, Esq., (possibly a brother) at the same address reads as follows:
"Camp before Sebastopol,
December 12th, 1854.
My dear Alfred,
I received your very short note and am not at all satisfied with the excuse that M. H. and L. tell me all the news, but I have nothing particular to write about, having written last mail everything goes on here pretty much as usual, the Russians made a sortie on the French last night, there was a great deal of musketry but nothing was done on either side.
We have almost ceased to fire upon Sebastopol, as the cannon in position are all worn out, and the roads have been impassable, but the French have been helping us up with them, and shall begin again shortly, the French took down to Balaclava yesterday on their ambulance mules 1100 of our sick, every body is beginning to grumble about the mismanagement of things at Headquarters, a Colonel went to Lord Raglan the other day and complained that his men have had no rations for three days, he called his secretary and asked if it was the case, it being found to be correct said it was very sad and ended the interview.
I am sure you enjoyed yourself very much in London I shall expect a very long letter telling me of all your procurings, if M.H. sends me any boots they must be immensely large in order to put two pairs of socks on, and to be able to sleep in them, lots of new ensigns have got the new uniform, it is a cross between a huntsman's and a postman's coat but I understand it is to be altered again, and that it is not to be worn at Balls and Levees etc. I suppose you will receive this about Xmas, and wishing you all a merry one and a happy new year, and believe...
Yours very affectionately,
St. John Stanley.
I had a letter from [?] at Scutari the other day, he says he shall leave the Service when he is well enough to get back to his Regt. in order to do so."
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Inkerman, Sebastopol and the Turkish Medal.
1891 Census
Urthig Road (the Court), Wrexham.
St John Stanley, aged 62, Surgeon General, Army, born Newport.
Emily Stanley, 48, Loughborough.
Agnes L Stanley, 23, Shifnal.
Helen Stanley, 21, Southsea.
Three servants are also shown.
Lived at one time at Kempsey, Worcestershire, and died at "The Court", Wrexham, Denbighshire, on the 4th of May 1894, aged 65 years.
1988: "The Court" has now been demolished and the area built on with private houses and flats.
Death registered
St John Stanley, 65, June Quarter 1894, Wrexham.
Extracts from "The Chronicle" for the 10th of May 1894 and the "Wrexham Advertiser" for the 12th of May 1894:
"Surgeon-General St. John Stanley, of "The Court", Wrexham, died quite suddenly on Friday night. The deceased officer had seen a great deal of service in both cavalry and infantry regiments. He was through the Crimean and other campaigns and served in, amongst other regiments, the Scottish Borderers for many years until recently, when he retired on pension. He was lately surgeon to the Depot of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Wrexham."
"The late Deputy Surgeon-General Stanley. — We regret to have to announce the death of Deputy Surgeon-General St. John Stanley, which took place at his residence, "The Court," Wrexham, on Friday at the age of 65 years.
The deceased gentleman entered the Army in 1854 and saw much active service. He wore the Crimean medal with clasps for the Alma, Inkerman and Sebastopol, as well as the Turkish medal. He retired in 1882 with the honorary rank of Deputy Surgeon-General and assumed medical charge of the troops in Wrexham until 1887.
The funeral took place on Tuesday at the Borough Cemetery, the body being carried over the field which separated "The Court" from Ruabon Road. His daughters, Agnes, Lucy and Ethel Stanley, sister, Mrs Eyke Beveldere and brother, E. Stanley, followed the cortege, which was led by Lieut. Colonel Henry Meridith, 45th Regiment, and troops of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, who fired a volley at the graveside. Sadly his widow, Mrs. Emily Stanley was too distraught to attend. [Then follows a list of friends, and wreath-senders.]"
He was buried in Wrexham Borough Cemetery under the name of John Stanley in Grave No. 02538, on the 8th of May 1894 at the age of 65 years.
His tombstone consists of a stone cross on a two tier base, the whole standing on a rough-hewn slab of rock:
The arm of the cross bears the words: "Thy will be done".
The top plinth: "In loving memory of St. John Stanley. Dep. Surgn. Genrl. A.M.D. The Court, who died May 4th 1894, aged 65".
The bottom plinth has the inscription: "Also in ever loving memory of Emily Stanley, wife of the above, who died June 1st 1915, aged 72. "For ever in the Lord."
Marriage registered
Agnes Louisa Stanley [daughter] to Arthur Ernest Evans, September Quarter 1896, Atcham.
1901 Census
Vronig Hall, Wrexham
Emily Stanley, 58, mother-in-law, widow, born Loughborough.
Agnes Louisa Evans, 33, Shifnal
[CP: Emily Stanley was living with her daughter, Agnes, and Estate Agent husband & their children, Dorothy and Edward.
Four servants are also shown.
__________
Betley House, Condover, Atcham, Oswestry.
Helen Stanley [daughter], 31, single, cousin, Southsea.
1911 Census
Belvidere, Shrewsbury
Emily Stanley [wife], 68, widow, sister-in-law, Private Means, born Loughborough.
Emily Lucy Stanley [daughter], 42, single, Private Means, Pembroke.
Four servants are also shown.
Deaths registered
Emily Stanley [wife], aged 72, June Quarter 1915, Wrexham.
Agnes L Evans [daughter], 70, March Quarter 1938, Wrexham.
Emily L Stanley [daughter], 80, December Quarter 1949, Wrexham.
Additional marriage, birth and death registrations, and Census information for 1861, 1871, 1881, and 1891 kindly provided by Chris Poole.