William Clitheroe was born 5th August 1789 at Cuerden, Lancashire, the son of Henry Clitheroe and Elizabeth nee Holland and baptised 9th August 1789 at Brownedge St Mary’s Bamber Bridge

A 19 year old spinner, he was enlisted into the 2nd Battalion 84th Foot on 1st August 1808 by a recruiting party led by Lieutenant St Clare.

On 2nd August 1808, he attested before a Magistrate at Preston for 7 year limited service and received a bounty of £6/15/-d; from here he went into barracks at Manchester where he would have received his necessaries and undergone basic drill training.

19th September he joined the 2nd Battalion at York and was placed in Captain Ferraby’s 1st Company.

Later the same month the Battalion was based in Hull and William Clitheroe was moved into Captain Tonson’s Company.

7th January 1809, the 2nd Battalion marched in three detachment’s from Hull to Colchester and Harwich from where they embarked on the ‘Expedition to the Scheldt’. he was in Captain Tonson’ Light Infantry; being one of the very few who did not succumb to ‘Walcheren Fever’.

On returning from Wacheren, he was in Captain Lane’s Company in Ireland, where he also received his £-/18/6 ¾d  Prize Money

He sailed with the 2nd Battalion to the Peninsula arriving at Passages 17th August 1813, where they were deployed covering  the siege of St Sebastian.

He was involved in two actions of Nivelle & Nive.

In the 1st Musters of 1814 he was hospitalised for 33 days in the Regimental Hospital perhaps as a consequence of the fever that had been decimating the Battalion forcing them to Hendaye to recover from their loses.

27th August 1814 he was with the 2nd Battalion when it sailed from Rentaria for Ireland; disembarking on the 8th & 9th September 1814 for Fermoy.

3rd August 1815 William Clitheroe re-enlisted for unlimited service in Ireland.

31st May 1816, he received £-/8/5/d Prize money for the Peninsula Campaign.

12th December 1817 on reduction of the 2nd Battalion, he was retained in the Depot Company and subsequently was a guard on one of the convict ships to New South Wales.

3rd March 1824 William Clitheroe died in Dublin; having served 15½  years with the 84th Foot York & Lancaster Regiment