
Elias and Andrew Durnford Royal Engineers orderly book, 1782-1795
Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
- The collection is open for research.
Summary
- Creator:
- Durnford, Elias Walker, active 1770-1794 and Durnford, Andrew, 1744-1798
- Abstract:
- The Elias and Andrew Durnford Royal Engineers orderly book contains copies of incoming and outgoing military orders and correspondence pertaining to the British Army's Corps of Royal Engineers in the late 18th century. Orders and letters from Major General James Bramham, Chief Engineer William Green, and others concern equipment, officers' pay, courts martial, and other military subjects.
- Extent:
- 1 volume
- Language:
- English
- Authors:
- Collection processed and finding aid created by Rob S. Cox, June 1998, and Meg Hixon, January 2013
Background
- Scope and Content:
-
The Elias and Andrew Durnford Royal Engineers orderly book contains 104 pages of copied incoming and outgoing military orders and correspondence pertaining to the British Army's Corps of Royal Engineers. Orders and letters from Major General James Bramham, Chief Engineer William Green, and others concern equipment, officers' pay, courts martial, and other military subjects. The correspondence is dated June 28, 1782-December 8, 1795.
The Durnfords' main correspondents, Major General James Bramham and Chief Engineer William Green, occasionally transmitted correspondence from King George III and Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond. The orders and letters often pertain to personnel-related issues, such as monetary compensation for lost baggage, officers' pay, command hierarchies, the creation of a Corps of Invalid Engineers, promotions, and hiring laborers in Canada and the West Indies. Others concern the maintenance of works and equipment and the relationship between the re-named Corps of Royal Engineers and other army units (pages 61-62). Lists relate to the reorganized hierarchical and pay structure of the Corps of Engineers (pages 22-24), items that officers should carry while stationed overseas (pages 2-3), and the distribution of engineers by seniority (pages 34-37) and by post (pages 37-40). At least two entries pertain to the court martial of Colonel Hugh Debbieg (November 2, 1784, pages 29-31; June 29, 1789, pages 73-79). Other entries address the court martial of Thomas Wheldale (May 25, 1791, pages 80-86) and the court martial of "Lieutenant Colonel Frazer" (September 10, 1792, page 91). Copied outgoing letters of Andrew Durnford include his acknowledgments of incoming correspondence (not present) and brief reports from St. George's, Bermuda.
- Biographical / Historical:
-
Elias Durnford was born in Ringwood, Hampshire, England, on June 13, 1739, the son of Elias Durnford. He joined the British Army's Corps of Engineers (later the Corps of Royal Engineers) in March 1759. After participating in the Siege of Belle Isle (1761) as an ensign and the Siege of Havana (1762) as a lieutenant, he was made an aide-de-camp and later served as chief engineer and surveyor-general of West Florida. Durnford lived in Pensacola and was lieutenant-governor of West Florida from 1769-1781. During the Revolutionary War, he commanded British troops against Spain, including at the siege of Mobile. He returned to England after the British surrender and was initially stationed in Newcastle. He went back to the Americas in the 1790s, when he participated in campaigns in Martinique, Guadeloupe, and St. Lucia. He and his wife, Rebecca Walker, married on August 25, 1769, and had nine children, including Elias Walker Durnford (1774-1850). Elias Durnford died in Tobago on June 21, 1794.
Andrew Durnford (1744-1798), Elias Durnford's brother, joined the Corps of Engineers in 1770 and also served in North America during the Revolutionary War. In 1779, he became an assistant quartermaster-general in West Florida, and from 1783-1796 he was stationed primarily in Bermuda, where he became the first mayor of St. George's. In 1772, he married Jemima Margaret Isaacson. In 1796, he was suspended after accusations of financial malfeasance, and he died on September 10, 1798, while awaiting his court martial.
- Acquisition Information:
- 1998. M-3481 .
- Processing information:
-
Cataloging funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). This collection has been processed according to minimal processing procedures and may be revised, expanded, or updated in the future.
- Rules or Conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Related
- Additional Descriptive Data:
-
Related Materials
Additional items related to Elias Durnford may be found in Manuscripts Division collections such as the Henry Clinton papers, Thomas Gage papers, and William Petty, 1st Marquis of Lansdowne, 2nd Earl of Shelburne papers.
Additional items related to Andrew Durnford may be found in the James Moncrieff papers.
The following volume and broadside pertain to Elias Durnford and the Durnford family:- By His Excellency Peter Chester Esquire Captain General Governor and Commander in Chief on and over His Majesty's Province of West Florida &c. &c: To Elias Durnford Esquire Surveyor General... [Pensacola, Florida: 1775?]
- Durnford, Mary. Family Recollections of Lieut. General Elias Walker Durnford... Montreal: Printed by John Lovell, St. Nicholas Street, 1863.
The Clements Library's Map Division has several maps by Elias and Andrew Durnford. Search the library's online catalog for more information.
Bibliography
Durnford, Mary. Family Recollections of Lieut. General Elias Walker Durnford, a Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Royal Engineers. Montreal: Printed by John Lovell, St. Nicholas Street, 1863.
Fabel, Robin. "Elias Durnford." Encyclopedia of Alabama. Alabama Humanities Foundation: 2007-2012. Online.
Hots, Susan. "Durnford." Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers. Volume 1: 1500 to 1830. Ed. Alec Skempton. London: Thomas Telford Publishing, 2002. 198-199.
Porter, Whitmorth. History of the Corps of Royal Engineers. Volume 1. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1889.
Index- Inside front cover: Hull Office of Ordnance to Thomas Sherman detailing expenses to be paid to William Borden, Hull, 1787 December 31
- Page 1: Bramham, James LS extr. to Elias Durnford, London, 1782 June 28
- Page 3: Bramham, James LS Cy to Elias Durnford, London, 1782 July 10
- Page 4: Bramham, James LS Cy to Elias Durnford, London, 1782 October 23
- Page 4: Bramham, James LS Cy to Duke of Richmond, Greenwich, 1782 October 21
- Page 5: Bramham, James LS Cy to Elias Durnford, London, 1782 November 25
- Page 6: Bramham, James LS Cy to Elias Durnford, London, 1782 December 24
- Page 7: Bramham, James LS Cy to Elias Durnford, London, 1783 April 4
- Page 8: Bramham, James LS Cy to Elias Durnford, London, 1783 April 7
- Page 9: Bramham, James LS Cy to Elias Durnford, London, 1783 June 13
- Page 10: Bramham, James LS Cy to Elias Durnford, London, 1783 June 7
- Page 12: Bramham, James LS Cy to Elias Durnford, London, 1783 August 27
- Page 13: Bramham, James LS Cy to Elias Durnford, London, 1783 September 30
- Page 14: Bramham, James LS Cy to Elias Durnford, London, 1783 October 28
- Page 14: Bramham, James LS Cy to Elias Durnford, London, 1784 November 26, including General Orders dated 1784 November 23
- Page 18: Bramham, James LS Cy to Elias Durnford, Greenwich, 1784 March 2
- Page 19: George III LS Cy to Duke of Richmond, Court of St. James, 1784 July 21
- Page 28: Bramham, James LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1784 September 30
- Page 29: Bramham, James LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1784 November 26, including General Orders dated1784 November 2
- Page 31: Bramham, James LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1784 December 1, including Distribution of Engineers, dated 1784 November 29
- Page 41: Bramham, James LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1785 June 1
- Page 42: Bramham, James LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1785 July 25, including Minutes of the Office of Ordnance dated 1785 July 18
- Page 47: Bramham, James LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1785 September 1
- Page 48: Bramham, James LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1786 February 28
- Page 49: Bramham, James LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1786 March 4
- Page 52: Bramham, James LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1786 March 28
- Page 54: Bramham, James LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1786 July 4
- Page 57: Bramham, James LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1786 July 19
- Page 59: Green, William LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1787 March 15
- Page 61: George III LS Cy to Duke of Richmond, Court of St. James, 1787 April 25
- Page 63: Richmond, Duke of LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1787 October 10
- Page 65: Green, William LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1788 April 24
- Page 67: Green, William LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1788 June 26
- Page 68: Green, William LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1788 July 14
- Page 70: Green, William LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1788 November 5
- Page 72: Green, William LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1789 July 11, including Court Martial dated 1789 June 29
- Page 79: Durnford, Andrew LS Cy to William Green, St. Georges, Bermuda, 1789 December 8
- Page 80: Green, William LS Cy to Andrew Durnford, London, 1791 May 25
- Page 87: Durnford, Andrew LS Cy to William Green, St. Georges, Bermuda, 1791 August 28
- Page 88: Durnford, Andrew LS Cy to William Green, St. Georges, Bermuda, 1791 December 31
- Page 89: Durnford, Andrew LS Cy to William Green, St. Georges, Bermuda, 1792 July 9
- Page 90: Durnford, Andrew LS Cy to William Green, St. Georges, Bermuda, 1792 September 18
- Page 91: Durnford, Andrew LS Cy to William Green, St. Georges, Bermuda, 1792 September 10
- Page 92: Durnford, Andrew LS Cy to Lt. Phipps, St. Georges, Bermuda, 1792 December 31
- Page 93: Durnford, Andrew LS Cy to John Vidgen, St. Georges, Bermuda, 1792 December 31
- Page 94: Durnford, Andrew LS Cy to William Green, St. Georges, Bermuda, 1795 October 11
- Page 95: Long, Charles LS Cy to Gov. Hamilton, London, 1793 December 4, including copy of accountant regulations
- Page 101: Durnford, Andrew LS Cy to Andrew Hammond Bart, St. Georges, Bermuda, 1795 December 21
- Page 103: Durnford, Andrew LS Cy to Gen. Vaughan, St. Georges, Bermuda, 1795 April 7
- Page 104: Crew, R H. LS Cy to Mr. Teesdale, London, 1795 December 8
Subjects
Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.
- Subjects:
- Courts-martial and courts of inquiry--Great Britain.
- Formats:
- Orderly books.
- Names:
-
Great Britain. Army--Officers.
Great Britain. Army--Pay, allowances, etc.
Great Britain. Army. Royal Engineers.
Bramham, James, -1786.
George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820.
Green, William, 1725-1811.
Richmond and Lennox, Charles Lennox, Duke of, 1735-1806. - Places:
- Saint George (Bermuda Islands)
Contents
Using These Materials
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
The collection is open for research.
- USE & PERMISSIONS:
-
Copyright status is unknown
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
Elias and Andrew Durnford Royal Engineers Orderly Book, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan