TheGenealogist has been extending its ever-growing Military records collection with a fascinating new record set for its Diamond subscribers: over 629,000 Chelsea Pensioner Records. 

The records feature high-quality scans of the document pages and boast more than 629,527 historic records for Chelsea Pensioners from 1702-1933. Many of these records are searchable for the very first time.

The records in this release include registers, admission books, ledgers and so on that relate to army pensioners and the payment of pensions to these individuals. The majority of the records relate to pensions payable by the Commissioners of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, to either in-pensioners or out-pensioners.

The Royal Hospital Chelsea from the Image Archive

The Royal Hospital Chelsea from the Image Archive

The bulk of the registers and admission books will give a researcher the name, rank and regiment, rate of pension, date of admission to pension, and residence of the army pensioner. Additionally, many of the records will provide a date and place of birth, a record of service and complaint or reason for discharge.

Chelsea Pensioner Records

Chelsea Pensioner Records

 

Chelsea Pensioner Records

Chelsea Pensioner Records

Above is the record for 101-year-old John McKay, a veteran of Waterloo and the Peninsular War, who is just one of the many Chelsea Pensioners found in this record set.

Image Source:

  • The Royal Hospital Chelsea from the Image Archive: The genealogist
  • Chelsea Pensioner Records: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk
  • Chelsea Pensioner Records: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk
  • Photo by Patrick Tomasso: instant images