I still haven't seen Maurice's article so don't know whether my current research push is duplicating research that has already been done by others. However, I continue to be fascinated by the Suarrow Yates story.
It is clear from the St Leonard, Padiham parish register that Souharrow, son of James and Elizabeth Yates, was born on 10 October 1807 and baptised at that church on 15 November 1807. His father's occupation was Smith and the birthplace was Pendleton.
Why the baby was named Souharrow remains conjecture, but it seems to me that the most likely explanation, especially in view of the later addition of Field Marshall to his name (as evidenced by his Army discharge papers in 1849), is that he was in fact named after the Russian Field Marshal Alexander Suvorov (variously spelled, including Suworow). This great Russian hero (see numerous Google entries) died in 1800, having come out of retirement in 1799 to fight against Napoleon's forces in Italy. Suvorov had never been defeated and was famed for writing his military manual The Science of Victory. Although he was already dead by 1812, his 'disciples' followed his tactics and turned the tide against Napoleon at the Battle of Borodino.
In an attempt to find out why James and Elizabeth might have decided to name their child after a Russian Field Marshal, I decided to see what I could find out about Suwarrow's father, James Yates. Might James have served as a soldier in the war against the French? As yet, I have no proof that I have found the correct James Yates. However, I have come up with a possible candidate (having first checked that there was no likely James Yates married or baptised at St Leonard's, Padiham).
I began by looking on Ancestry for marriages of James Yates to an Elizabeth in 1802 + or - 5 years, and found only three (of which two were in 1795): James Yates to Elizabeth Hall in Penwortham, Lancs (no occupation given for the father), and James Yates to Elizabeth Bull in Great Waltham, Essex (judged unlikely). The third possibility looks much more promising: James Private Yates and Elizabeth Davis, married 25 August 1799 at Kingstone, Kent England.
The marriage of James Private Yates and Elizabeth Davis can be found on both Ancestry and Find my Past, but only as an index entry, with no additional details. However Find my Past also has an image of their banns record (source: Canterbury Marriage Banns), confirming that he was in fact Private (his rank) James Yates. It also states that he was a Private in the 9th Regt of Foot, and that both he and Elizabeth were 'of this parish'.
Looking at the regimental history of the 9th Regiment of Foot (available online at archive.org), I found (page 38) that in the summer of 1799, the regiment's three battalions were encamped on Barham Down, (a few miles from Kingstone, where James married). In early September, two battalions of the 9th left for service in Holland, where they fought, together with Russian troops, under HRH the Duke of York, against the French and the Dutch. Little was achieved and the soldiers of the 9th withdrew after a few weeks to return to England.
I have spent quite a lot of time online trying to find more about this Private James Yates' army career, without success. It is hoped that a trip to the National Archives at Kew will turn up muster rolls to prove that James was in one of the two battalions that went to Holland. Assuming that he did indeed fight alongside Russian troops, it would not be surprising for him to have heard tales of the victories of the great Russian Field Marshal Alexander Suvorov and to have remembered them when choosing a name for his son in 1807.
With luck, the trip to Kew might also provide evidence of where James Yates of the 9th enlisted and where he was born, which might just bring this fascinating story back to Lancashire.
Ruth
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