King's Own Royal Regiment Museum

King's Own Royal Regiment Museum The King's Own Museum tells the story of the regiment from 1680 to the 1960s

20/06/2026

🇬🇧 Flying the Flag for Armed Forces Day at Morecambe Town Hall!
👉 There will be another flag raising ceremony at Lancaster Town Hall at 11am on Monday, June 22, and all are welcome to attend.

🌍 Officers of the Abyssinia Campaign #3As part of our recent project to research and reinterpret the objects in our col...
14/06/2026

🌍 Officers of the Abyssinia Campaign #3
As part of our recent project to research and reinterpret the objects in our collection relating to the 1868 Abyssinia Campaign, we've been looking into the lives of the King's Own Officers involved in the expedition. This week we have the globe-trotting tale of...
🎖️ John Thomas Carruthers (1845–1896)
John was born on 17 July 1845 in Taganrog, Rostov, Russia, and was baptised at the British Chaplaincy in St Petersburg. Son of John Patrick Carruthers and Caroline Jane Frederika Lusitana Wiederhold, he belonged to a British expatriate family. John grew up in Russia alongside several siblings including Amelia Laura (born on 20 September 1846) and Ann Sophia Carruthers (born on 11 November 1848). A brother, William Henry Carruthers, was born in 1851, but the child died the following year in Grunau, Aleksandrovsk, Ekaterinoslav. Another brother, William Ernest Carruthers, was born in 1854 in Taganrog.
As a 19-year-old man, John began his military service as an Ensign on 2 February 1864. By 1869 he was fighting in the Indian Army. While serving in Bombay he was promoted to Lieutenant, then rose to the rank of Captain. He fought in Abyssinia. In 1878 John experienced the loss of his father, who died at the age of 76 in Taganrog. On 9 April 1879, John married Isabel Smith in Nuseerabad, Bombay, India. They had one child, John Harvey De Wiederhold, born on 2 October 1882.
By 1881, John was recorded living in St Peter Port, Guernsey. He died suddenly in Cheltenham at the age of only 51, on 21 December 1896, after a fall from a bicycle caused by syncope.
📷 The photo here shows the regiment's camp at Focada during the Abyssinia campaign. We don't have a picture of John Thomas Carruthers. Get in touch if you've got one to share!

👉 Find out more about the Abyssinia Project online at www.lancaster.gov.uk/sites/museums/kings-own-royal-regiment-museum
(If clicking the link doesn't work, just copy it into your browser.)
👉 Or visit the museum to see the new displays. Open 10:30-4pm every day except Weds & Thurs.

🏵️🎉This Friday is LANCASTER DAY - marking the 833rd anniversary of the signing of the town's first charter on 12 June 11...
09/06/2026

🏵️🎉This Friday is LANCASTER DAY - marking the 833rd anniversary of the signing of the town's first charter on 12 June 1193!

🎟️ Admission to heritage sites including our museum is FREE on Friday, and there are events going on all over town right through the weekend.

Highlights include...
📜 Two of Lancaster's earliest charters on display at the City Museum in Market Square (all 3 days).
⭐ Pop-up heritage displays on Friday in the education room at the City Museum (entrance on New Street).
💬 Talks at Lancaster Library, including a couple by our own museum staff... drop in at 10:30am on Friday to discover Roman Lancaster with Richard Whittaker, or join Carolyn Dalton at 3pm to learn about our Redevelopment Plans for the City Museum & King's Own Royal Regiment Museum.
🎵 Tours, music, vintage vehicles and more!

👉 See the full programme below or download it from https://lancasterbid.org/events/lancaster-day/
If clicking the link doesn't work, just copy it into your browser.

🌍 Officers of the Abyssinia Campaign #2As part of our recent project to research and reinterpret the objects in our col...
07/06/2026

🌍 Officers of the Abyssinia Campaign #2
As part of our recent project to research and reinterpret the objects in our collection relating to the 1868 Abyssinia Campaign, we've been looking into the lives of the King's Own Officers involved in the expedition. This week we have the sad story of...
🎖️ Thomas Burridge
Thomas entered the British Army as an Ensign on 5 November 1854. Within months, on 9 March 1855, he was promoted to Lieutenant from the rank of Quartermaster. During this early phase of his career, Burridge saw active service in the eastern campaign of 1854–1855, including operations in the Crimea and the Siege of Sevastopol. For his service, he was awarded the Crimea Medal with three clasps, as well as the Turkish Medal. He later rose to the rank of Captain on 7 May 1866.
Thomas took part in the British Expedition to Abyssinia. Shortly after the expedition’s victory, and only days after the death of Empress Tiruwork Wube, Burridge fell ill and spent several days in hospital. Upon returning to camp, he tragically took his own life. Described in Lieutenant Borrett’s letters as a man of notably gentle disposition, “good-tempered and excessively good-natured, never speaking unkindly of anyone behind his back”, who “proved himself – especially during the Abyssinian War”, his su***de reflected the ultimate and tragic effect of the psychological trauma that soldiers often experience in war. Thomas was buried the following evening at five o’clock, without military display or funeral honours. In a detail noted with sadness by his comrades, he was carried to his grave by dooly bearers rather than by members of his own company. A Court of Inquest returned a verdict of temporary insanity; however, some officers believed that alcohol may have been an underlying factor in his death.

👉 Find out more about the Abyssinia Project online at www.lancaster.gov.uk/sites/museums/kings-own-royal-regiment-museum
(If clicking the link doesn't work, just copy it into your browser.)
👉 Or visit the museum to see the new displays. Open 10:30-4pm every day except Weds & Thurs.

🌍 Officers of the Abyssinia Campaign #1 As part of our recent project to research and reinterpret the objects in our co...
31/05/2026

🌍 Officers of the Abyssinia Campaign #1
As part of our recent project to research and reinterpret the objects in our collection relating to the 1868 Abyssinia Campaign, we've been looking into the lives of the King's Own Officers involved in the expedition. We'll be posting the results here over the next few weeks, beginning with...
🎖️ Charles Edward Honghton Billing (1839-1875)
Pictured reclining at the bottom right of this group portrait, Charles was born in Dublin on 10 April 1839 and baptized in the same year at St Stephen’s Church. He was the son of Theobald Billing, a solicitor, and Diana Ball. He spent his childhood in Dublin, residing at 41 Upper Mount Street, growing up alongside one brother and two sisters. When he reached the age of 18 Charles embarked on military service, enrolling as an Ensign in the 4th King’s Own Regiment on 15 March 1857 and serving, the year after, as a Lieutenant in the fight against the rebellion of the Indian Mutiny campaign (1857-1858). After six years of military experience, on 8 August 1864, Charles gained the rank of Captain and, in the same position, fought in Abyssinia.
The 1870s were marked by personal tragedies for Charles: his father died on 24 March 1873 at the age of 85, and his brother Theobald on 3 October of the same year. Charles himself left the service in 1874 and died the year after, aged only 36.

👉 Find out more about the Abyssinia Project online at www.lancaster.gov.uk/sites/museums/kings-own-royal-regiment-museum
(If clicking the link doesn't work, just copy it into your browser.)
👉 Or visit the museum to see the new displays. Open 10:30-4pm every day except Weds & Thurs.

📢 TODAY at the Museum:PUBLIC CONSULTATION DROP-IN🕚 Friday, 15 May - 11am to 1pm - Lancaster City MuseumWe're working...
15/05/2026

📢 TODAY at the Museum:
PUBLIC CONSULTATION DROP-IN
🕚 Friday, 15 May - 11am to 1pm - Lancaster City Museum
We're working on plans for a complete redevelopment of the City Museum and the King's Own Royal Regiment Museum. Help shape the future by telling us what you'd like to see!
Come to the museum for a public drop-in session about our initial Redevelopment proposals. You can:
👉 meet the Architects and Exhibition Designers.
👉 see our initial thoughts on what we might do.
👉 let us know what you think.

❓ Can't make it in person? Tell us your thoughts online!
👉 https://arcg.is/1GfrLq1

Your voice really matters. Even if you don't have strong opinions on the proposals, taking part will help us get the funding we need to make this ambitious project possible.
🙏 Thank you!

If clicking the link above doesn't work, just copy & paste it into your browser - facebook often has trouble with web links.
You can also get to the survey from our homepage at www.lancaster.gov.uk/museums


📢 PUBLIC CONSULTATION DROP-IN🕚 This Friday, 15 May - 11am to 1pm - Lancaster City MuseumWe're working on plans for a...
11/05/2026

📢 PUBLIC CONSULTATION DROP-IN
🕚 This Friday, 15 May - 11am to 1pm - Lancaster City Museum
We're working on plans for a complete redevelopment of Lancaster City Museum and the King's Own Royal Regiment Museum. Help shape the future by telling us what you'd like to see!
Come to the museum on Friday for a public drop-in session about our initial Redevelopment proposals. You can:
👉 meet the Architects and Exhibition Designers.
👉 see our initial thoughts on what we might do.
👉 let us know what you think.

❓ Can't make it in person? Tell us your thoughts online!
👉 https://arcg.is/1GfrLq1

Your voice really matters. Even if you don't have strong opinions on the proposals, taking part will help us get the funding we need to make this ambitious project possible.
🙏 Thank you!

If clicking the link above doesn't work, just copy & paste it into your browser - facebook often has trouble with web links.
You can also get to the survey from our homepage at www.lancaster.gov.uk/museums


TOMORROW at the City Museum, drop in for a new public talk courtesy of the Friends of Lancaster City Museum...🎖️ Indian ...
10/05/2026

TOMORROW at the City Museum, drop in for a new public talk courtesy of the Friends of Lancaster City Museum...
🎖️ Indian Troops in World War 1 - a talk by Bill Leigh.
Around 140,000 troops from British India were deployed to the Western Front in 1914–15 to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force. Arriving via Marseilles, they fought in harsh, unfamiliar conditions in Flanders, playing a key role in early trench warfare, notably at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. Despite initial success, their advance was halted by shortages and poor communication. Letters home highlight their resilience under extreme hardship. By late 1915, after heavy losses, the infantry was withdrawn, but their efforts were vital in stabilising the front and are commemorated at the Indian Memorial at Neuve-Chapelle.
🕐 Monday 11 May, - 1pm.
🎟️ Guests £3, Members Free.
🏵️ In the Education Room at Lancaster City Museum: entrance on New Street, opposite the Journey Social cafe.

Drop in to the City Museum next week for a new public talk courtesy of the Friends of Lancaster City Museum...🎖️ Indian ...
05/05/2026

Drop in to the City Museum next week for a new public talk courtesy of the Friends of Lancaster City Museum...
🎖️ Indian Troops in World War 1 - a talk by Bill Leigh.
Around 140,000 troops from British India were deployed to the Western Front in 1914–15 to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force. Arriving via Marseilles, they fought in harsh, unfamiliar conditions in Flanders, playing a key role in early trench warfare, notably at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. Despite initial success, their advance was halted by shortages and poor communication. Letters home highlight their resilience under extreme hardship. By late 1915, after heavy losses, the infantry was withdrawn, but their efforts were vital in stabilising the front and are commemorated at the Indian Memorial at Neuve-Chapelle.
🕐 Monday 11 May, - 1pm.
🎟️ Guests £3, Members Free.
🏵️ In the Education Room at Lancaster City Museum: entrance on New Street, opposite the Journey Social cafe.

📢 PUBLIC CONSULTATION DROP-IN🕚 Friday 15 May - 11am to 1pm - Lancaster City MuseumWe're working on plans for a compl...
03/05/2026

📢 PUBLIC CONSULTATION DROP-IN
🕚 Friday 15 May - 11am to 1pm - Lancaster City Museum
We're working on plans for a complete redevelopment of Lancaster City Museum and the King's Own Royal Regiment Museum. Help shape the future by telling us what you'd like to see!
Come to the museum on 15 May for a public drop-in session about our initial Redevelopment proposals. You can:
👉 meet the Architects and Exhibition Designers.
👉 see our initial thoughts on what we might do.
👉 let us know what you think.

❓ Can't make it in person? Tell us your thoughts online!
👉 https://arcg.is/1GfrLq1

Your voice really matters. Even if you don't have strong opinions on the proposals, taking part will help us get the funding we need to make this ambitious project possible.
🙏 Thank you!

If clicking the link above doesn't work, just copy & paste it into your browser - facebook often has trouble with web links.
You can also get to the survey from our homepage at www.lancaster.gov.uk/museums


Address

Market Square
Lancaster
LA11HT

Opening Hours

Monday 10:30am - 4pm
Tuesday 10:30am - 4pm
Friday 10:30am - 4pm
Saturday 10:30am - 4pm
Sunday 10:30am - 4pm

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