Joseph Snape was born 7th January 1793 at Ince (near Wigan), Lancashire, the sixth son of James, a weaver, and the former Betty Leigh.
He was recruited for unlimited service at Horton in the Manchester recruiting area 30th August 1808 by Ensign Kay for a Bounty of £5/5/- (Five Guineas), with 5/- bonus to the recruiting party.
Described age 16 – 5’10½, dark complexion, dark hair, grey eyes and a Crofter by trade
25th September 1808, he first joined the 2nd Battalion and was placed in 6th Grenadier Company, this would be due to his exceptional height for the time. The smaller men were placed in the Light Company – At this time the Battalion was barracked in Hull
In early 1809 the Battalion marched to Bury St Edmunds, where the Regiments Depot would be barracked.
Joseph Snape appears up to the 25th March to 24th June 1809 Muster Roll, when the 2nd Battalion were preparing to be part of the “Scheldt Expeditionary Force” to control sea access to/from Antwerp and preventing a perceived invasion on Britain by Napoleon’s forces.
Joseph Snape does not feature as any part of the 2/84th during its involvement in the campaign
He next appears 28th May 1810 as joining Captain Alexander McLachan’s Company who at the time were serving in Bombay (Mumbai).
There is no annotation on the September to December 1810 Muster to indicate that McLachlan’s Company went with the Expeditionary Force to the Isle de France (Mauritius), but January 1811 shows they were certainly on the transport Coromandell on its return.
5th April 1817, Joseph Snape married Ann Reed while stationed in Bellary, Madras.
16th November 1819 the now single battalion of 84th Foot returned home from India, disembarking at Sheerness and joined with the Depot Company. A large number of former 2nd battalion soldiers were serving as guards on the convict ships to New South Wales.
Thursday 7th February 1822, Joseph Snape, now a corporal appeared before a pension board suffering from a chest injury caused by a fall in Plymouth Docks and general ill-health, a consequence of service in the East Indies. He was discharged and awarded and Out-Pension of £-/1/2½d per diem having completed 13 years 5 months
28th December 1825 at Chatham in Kent, he enlisted for unlimited service with the New South Wales Royal Veteran Companies. This was officially raised in 1825 from veteran soldiers to guard prisoners in New South Wales and Tasmania. They were allowed to sail with their family and arrived in September 1826 on board Orpheus
9th Oct 1826 He married a second time a few days after arriving in Sydney to Maria Cox, nee Sims, a widow with a six year old daughter. He was listed as a widower and they married at St Philip, Church Hill, Sydney.
He served with the Veteran Companies as a private and 3 years 11 months as a corporal, being discharged 30th September 1831
The Royal Veteran Companies was disbanded after six years and the men were allocated land to settle in the Country
Joseph Snape took the opportunity and settled into his new life – 20th September 1836, Maria and Joseph Snape are turnkeys at the Parramatta Female Factory and his step-daughter, who is in possession of references from the Bishop of Australia, is about to become the teacher there.
29th August 1838, his step-daughter married Edwyn Henry Statham in Parramatta, New South Wales. Edwyn was the nephew of Henry Statham (Lieutenant 2/84th – see profile)
1st June 1839, he is registered as the Superintendent of the Female Orphan School in Parramatta.
Joseph Snape died from apoplexy at Lambert Grange, Parramatta the home of his son-in-law 26th January 1870 and was later interred All Saint’s Cemetery, Parramatta
Personal information supplied by family members