Waterloo 1815 (Charles M’Larnon, 3rd Bat. 1st Foot. or R. Scots.) fitted with steel clip and straight bar suspension, edge bruising and contact marks, otherwise better than good fine £1,800-£2,200

Purchased Spink, January 1980.

Charles McLaren (McLarnon on Royal Mint roll) was born in the Parish of Drumore, County Antrim, and attested for the 1st Foot at Belfast on 7 August 1807, aged 16, a labourer by trade. Having attained the age of 18 on 7 August 1809, he served for 30 years 64 days, including 2 years for Waterloo. At some point after Waterloo, likely in 1817 when the 3rd Battalion was disbanded, he transferred to the 2nd Battalion and served in the East Indies from 30 April 1821 to 24 October 1831, and was finally discharged at Fort George on 11 July 1832, having served ‘Ten years and one hundred and twenty eight days in the East Indies and at the Battle of Waterloo’, and ‘intends to reside and draw his pension at Drumore in the County of Antrim.’

‘The Regimental Board is of the opinion that his General Character as a soldier is good - The Board having recorded the above character of Private Charles McLaren, owing to his general good character for twenty five years in the Regiment during which time his name appears 5 times only in the Defaulters Book, and those times not for offences of a very serious nature, deem it necessary to remark that in the year 1830, he was charged with the Commission of an unnatural Crime, for which he was tried before the Supreme Court of Indicature at Madras and acquitted.’

Sold with 7pp copied discharge papers where his name is generally spelt ‘McLaren’ but on one page in particular it is also given as ‘M’Larnen’ and MacLarnen.’