UK, Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Admissions and Discharges, 1715-1925

Historical Context

The Royal Hospital Chelsea was the administrative office for the British army and was responsible for distributing pension payments to British soldiers since the 1680s. While some pensioners surrendered their pension to the hospital and lived there (“in-pensioners”), many more lived outside the confines and received their pensions elsewhere (“out-pensioners”). This collection is made up of registers of the award of out-pensions of the Royal Hospital Chelsea to soldiers discharged from the British Army who had served for at least 12 years. Pensions for soldiers discharged from Irish units were admistered by the Royal Hospital Kilmainham near Dublin, Ireland.

This Collection

For each record, details may include a brief description of the pensioner together with age, place of birth, particulars of service and the reason for discharge.

The entries are made chronologically according to the date of the Pension Board which decided the eligibility of, and the rate of pension to be granted to, each man; this was generally the date of the soldier's discharge from the Army.

Note:This collection contains an index to records transcribed from the registers. To view images of the registers on Fold3.com, you will need an Ancestry All Access subscription.