CLAYTON – John 80th Regiment – Enrolled Pensioner Force WA

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John’s Story – EPG Gazette October 2006

Name	CLAYTON – John
Regiment (s)	80th Regiment
Regiment Number (s)	1929
Date/Age/Place/Trade or Profession at Attestation	14th December 1842 / 18 years / Not yet known Silk Weaver
Description – Height Complexion/Eyes/Hair/Scars	6 Ft 0½ in Sallow / Hazel / Fair / Gunshot wound on outer part of left foot
Overseas Service/Duration	New South Wales – 1 year 1 month East Indies – 1 year 10 months
Length of Service	4 years 192 days
Rank/Date/Place of Discharge	Corporal / 22nd June 1847 / Chatham Kent England
Campaign Medals	None
Intended Residence at Discharge	Macclesfield Chester England
Pension Districts	1847 Stockport 1850 2nd Manchester 1858 Tilbury Fort 1858 – 1891 Western Australia
Pension Paid	1/3d per diem 1887 Increased to 1/8½d per diem for services to Enrolled Force
Date of Departure and Place England or Ireland	5th March 1858 Plymouth England
Ship and Date of Arrival Western Australia	LORD RAGLAN 1st June 1858
Date/Place of Birth	c1824 Hurdsfield Macclesfield Chester England
Date/Place of Baptism	Not yet known
Father Date/Place of Birth	CLAYTON Noah Occ stone mason B Bollington Cheshire
Mother Date/Place of Birth Marriage	WEBB Mary B Hurdsfield Cheshire M 8 May 1821 Prestbury Cheshire
Siblings	CLAYTON Matilda b 1822 Bp 22 December 1822 Hurdsfield Cheshire England M MALKIN Simon 19 April 1847 Saltersford-Cum-Kettleshulme, Cheshire England CLAYTON James b 1827 Bp 21 October 1827 Hurdsfield, Cheshire England CLAYTON Noah b 1829 Bp 20 December 1829 Hurdsfield Cheshire England
1^st Wife Date of Birth or Baptism	COTTRILL Elizabeth B c1823 Wincle, Cheshire
Date/Place of Marriage	4 April 1850 Macclesfield Cheshire England
Children by 1^st Wife	Elizabeth B1844 Congleton, Cheshire England
Father of 1st wife Date/Place of Birth	Not yet known
Mother of 1st wife Date/Place of Birth Marriage	Not yet known
Land Grants Western Australia	Albany Town lot P21 3 acres Title application 14 January 1885
Occupation after Arrival	On his marriage in 1850 his occupation was recorded as a police man. Appointed keeper of Mulberry farm Claisebrook Farmer 1875
Newspaper Articles	The Herald Saturday 10 October 1868 page 3 Corp Clayton stops prisoner from attacking the Controller General Inquirer and Commercial times Monday 4 October 1875 page 2 Appointment to Mulberry Farm Victorian Express (Geraldton, WA 1879-1894) Wednesday 4 June 1879 page 3 closure of the Mulberry plantation The Herald Saturday 26 June 1880 page 2 Sale of property at East Fremantle Eastern Districts Chronicle (York, WA: 1877-1927) Saturday 24 October 1891 page 7 death John Clayton Also The Daily News Monday 26th October 1891 page 2 Inquirer and Commercial News Wednesday 4th September 1891 page 4 Desertion of wife The West Australian Thursday 4th January 1894 page 4 Death Elizabeth Clayton The West Australian Wednesday 4th April 1894 page 3 Probate
Departure from Western Australia	Not applicable
Date/Place of Death/Burial	18 October 1891 York Western Australia 19 October 1891 York
Date/Place of Death/Burial Wife	3rd January 1894 age 71 Fremantle Western Australia Bur Skinner Street Cemetery Fremantle Western Australia
Will or Probate	SROWA Cons 3403/1891/1084 Will dated 25 September 1891 whereby John Clayton appointed James Burns, Saddler of Fremantle and William Fitzwilliam of Fremantle, tailor, as executors of his will. He directed that they and his wife Elizabeth be awarded £25 pounds each and a further £34/4/- be paid to his wife quarterly until her death after which the balance to be equally divided between his sister Mrs Matilda Malkin, widow of Simon Malkin, residing at 96 Vincent Street Macclesfield Cheshire and Emma Amelia Eaton of York Western Australia. John Clayton had been living with Mr W. Eaton, York, at the time of his death
Further Information	Discharge: Gunshot wound to outer part of left foot, many pieces of bone have separated and more must come away. 1841 Census HO 107/6 Hurdsfield, Prestbury Macclesfield Cheshire England. John age 15, occupation Silk Weaver is living with his mother Mary age and siblings Martha (sic Matilda) age 17, James age 12 and Noah age 10, all were born in the county. 1851 Census HO 107/2230 Clegg Street Manchester John age 25 , a Chelsea pensioner, born Macclesfield Cheshire is living with his wife Elizabeth age 28 born Wincle, Cheshire and a daughter Elizabeth age 7, born Congleton, Cheshire. As this child was born well before the marriage (1850) I feel that she was Elizabeth’s daughter from a previous relationship, she does not appear to have come with them to Western Australia. John Clayton held the local rank of Sergeant Clayton for much of his time in WA Purchased Swan Lot 330 40 acres East Fremantle at a cost of 10/- (ten Shillings) per acre 17 August 1861 On May 1, 1868 two convicts on their way from Fremantle Prison to join the Point Walter work camp stopped off near Bicton to commit a burglary at the home of J. Clayton, pensioner, for which they had six months added to their sentences. John Clayton was also the owner of the house in which a murder was committed in 1871. At the time John was working in Perth and he was awarded damages of two pounds for the period the house was under police investigation. In 1871 after a series of letter to the Editor in the various newspapers and advice from various agriculturists the State government decided to establish a sericulture industry at Claisebrook Mulberry plantation. John Clayton’s early experience as a silk weaver must have stood him in good stead as in 1875 Sergeant Clayton was put in charge of the operation however despite successfully showing a sample of silk produced by the local industry at the Paris exhibition in 1879 the Government decided to close the establishment down. The extensive garden adjacent to the Plantation was up rooted and the plants replanted at the Government gardens at the corner of Barrack Street and St. Georges Terrace Perth. On November 27 1893 Mrs Clayton wrote to the Resident Magistrate Fremantle asking for financial relief as the amount her husband had awarded her in his will was insufficient to sustain her in her state of health. She was living under the care of Mrs Joslin in South terrace Fremantle and the 12 shilling per week did not cover her necessities. While the Colonial Secretary and the Super Intendant of Poor house were sympathetic to her problems they had no power to increase the amount her late husband had allowed her nor did they feel she was in sufficient want to get poor relief. They suggested that she could seek entry into the Poor house and then her money would cover her board (1/- per day) and wants or she could approach the beneficiaries under the will to allow the amount to be increased.