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Edmund Nelson (clergyman)
Encyclopedia
Reverend Edmund Nelson was an Anglican clergyman during the eighteenth century, most famous as the father of Horatio Nelson
.
on 19 March 1722, one of eight children of the Reverend Edmund Nelson and Mary Bland. The Nelsons were an old Norfolk
family and were moderately prosperous. Edmund was baptised on 29 March 1723 at the parish church at East Bradenham. Three of his siblings died in infancy, whilst Edmund himself had 'a weak and sickly constitution'. He was educated at a number of Norfolk schools before attending Caius College
, Cambridge. He attained a bachelor's degree, followed by a Master's, after which he left to become curate at his father's church in Sporle. He then worked under Reverend Thomas Page at Beccles
, and on his father's death in 1747, Edmund succeeded to the livings of Hilborough
and Beccles. During his time at Beccles Edmund met Catherine Suckling
, and married her on 11 May 1749 at Bath, Somerset. Catherine was the daughter of Reverend Maurice Suckling, and her grandmother had been the sister of Sir Robert Walpole
. The family therefore became distant relations of the powerful Earls of Orford
, and Catherine's immediate family, including her brother, Maurice Suckling
, provided important influence that would help the Nelsons' children in their early years.
The couple moved to Swaffham
after their marriage where Catherine bore Edmund three children. Two died in infancy; a third, Maurice, survived. They then moved to Sporle, where on 12 June 1755 Catherine gave birth to the couple's first daughter, Susanna. Also in 1755 Horace Walpole
offered Edmund the position of rector at Burnham Thorpe
. Edmund accepted and the two settled at the rectory. William
was born on 20 April 1757, and on 29 September 1758, Catherine gave birth to Horatio, naming him after their benefactor and the young Horatio's godparent, Horace Walpole. Horatio was a sickly child, and Edmund feared he would not live long enough to be baptised at the public ceremony arranged for 15 November. Horatio was baptised at a private ceremony on 8 October.
The last of the Nelson children followed, Ann on 20 September 1760, Edmund on 4 June 1762, Suckling on 5 January 1764, and Catherine on 19 March 1767. Another boy, George, was born in 1765 but died three months later. Edmund's wife, Catherine, died on 26 December 1767, leaving him with eight children. A grief-stricken Edmund buried her four days later in the church at Burnham Thorpe. He never remarried. Catherine's mother, Ann, died shortly afterwards. Maurice Suckling, Edmund's brother-in-law, visited the rectory to attend the funerals, and found Edmund heart-broken, and fearing for the future for his children. He had begun to call in favours with relatives to ensure that educations and positions could be found for them, and Suckling promised to do what he could for one of the boys, using the patronage available to him as a naval captain. Edmund himself wrote
.
Edmund eventually found suitable positions and schooling for all of his children, and when Nelson asked his father to write to Maurice Suckling and request a place for him on his ship, Edmund did so. Despite Maurice's apparent misgivings, he agreed to take Nelson into the service.
Edmund continued to make trips to Bath during the cold Norfolk winters, and Fanny often accompanied him while her husband was at sea. Edmund's declining health made him more and more dependant on Fanny, whilst he sought to act as her guardian while Horatio was away. The two enjoyed the pace of life at Bath, and became firm friends, with Fanny reading to him and providing companionship. Edmund wrote that
to visit the studios of Sir William Beechey
, and to ask if Beechey might come to take a sitting. Beechey replied that he would not, as he only travelled to the sitter in the case of royalty. But then he enquired who the sitter was, and on being told it was the father of Lord Nelson, declared 'My God! I would go to York to do it!' Edmund however remained dismayed by the breakdown of his son's marriage and wrote to Horatio on occasion to rebuke him for his neglect of Fanny. He did however visit Horatio at Merton Place, where he was living with William
and Emma Hamilton.
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
.
Early life and family
Edmund was born in CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
on 19 March 1722, one of eight children of the Reverend Edmund Nelson and Mary Bland. The Nelsons were an old Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
family and were moderately prosperous. Edmund was baptised on 29 March 1723 at the parish church at East Bradenham. Three of his siblings died in infancy, whilst Edmund himself had 'a weak and sickly constitution'. He was educated at a number of Norfolk schools before attending Caius College
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
, Cambridge. He attained a bachelor's degree, followed by a Master's, after which he left to become curate at his father's church in Sporle. He then worked under Reverend Thomas Page at Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
, and on his father's death in 1747, Edmund succeeded to the livings of Hilborough
Hilborough
Hilborough is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is south of Swaffham, west south west of Norwich and north north east of London. The village straddles the A1065 between Swaffham and Brandon...
and Beccles. During his time at Beccles Edmund met Catherine Suckling
Catherine Suckling
Catherine Suckling was the mother of Horatio Nelson. Catherine had 11 children of which Nelson was the third surviving son.-Family and marriage:...
, and married her on 11 May 1749 at Bath, Somerset. Catherine was the daughter of Reverend Maurice Suckling, and her grandmother had been the sister of Sir Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
. The family therefore became distant relations of the powerful Earls of Orford
Earl of Orford
Earl of Orford is a title that has been created three times. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1697 in favour of the naval commander Edward Russell, who served three times as First Lord of the Admiralty. He was created Baron Shingay and Viscount Barfleur at the same time...
, and Catherine's immediate family, including her brother, Maurice Suckling
Maurice Suckling
Captain Maurice Suckling was a Royal Navy officer who was instrumental in the training of his nephew, Horatio Nelson.-Seven Years War:...
, provided important influence that would help the Nelsons' children in their early years.
Swaffham
Swaffham is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,935 in 3,130 households...
after their marriage where Catherine bore Edmund three children. Two died in infancy; a third, Maurice, survived. They then moved to Sporle, where on 12 June 1755 Catherine gave birth to the couple's first daughter, Susanna. Also in 1755 Horace Walpole
Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford
Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford was an English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian and Whig politician. He is now largely remembered for Strawberry Hill, the home he built in Twickenham, south-west London where he revived the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors,...
offered Edmund the position of rector at Burnham Thorpe
Burnham Thorpe
Burnham Thorpe is a small village and civil parish on the River Burn and near the coast of Norfolk in the United Kingdom. It is famous for being the birthplace of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, victor at the Battle of Trafalgar and one of Britain's greatest heroes...
. Edmund accepted and the two settled at the rectory. William
William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson
William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson, 2nd Duke of Bronté was the elder brother of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson....
was born on 20 April 1757, and on 29 September 1758, Catherine gave birth to Horatio, naming him after their benefactor and the young Horatio's godparent, Horace Walpole. Horatio was a sickly child, and Edmund feared he would not live long enough to be baptised at the public ceremony arranged for 15 November. Horatio was baptised at a private ceremony on 8 October.
The last of the Nelson children followed, Ann on 20 September 1760, Edmund on 4 June 1762, Suckling on 5 January 1764, and Catherine on 19 March 1767. Another boy, George, was born in 1765 but died three months later. Edmund's wife, Catherine, died on 26 December 1767, leaving him with eight children. A grief-stricken Edmund buried her four days later in the church at Burnham Thorpe. He never remarried. Catherine's mother, Ann, died shortly afterwards. Maurice Suckling, Edmund's brother-in-law, visited the rectory to attend the funerals, and found Edmund heart-broken, and fearing for the future for his children. He had begun to call in favours with relatives to ensure that educations and positions could be found for them, and Suckling promised to do what he could for one of the boys, using the patronage available to him as a naval captain. Edmund himself wrote
As it has fallen to my lott to take upon me the care and affectation of double parent, they [the children] will hereafter excuse where I have fallen short and the task has been too hard.The concern that he might fail to do the best for his children remained with him all his life. He duly decided to send William and Horatio, or Horace as the boy preferred to be known at this stage in his life, to Norwich School
Norwich School (educational institution)
Norwich School is an independent school located in Norwich, United Kingdom. It is one of the oldest schools in the world, with a traceable history to 1096, and is a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.It is a fee-paying, co-educational day school and has one of the best...
.
Edmund eventually found suitable positions and schooling for all of his children, and when Nelson asked his father to write to Maurice Suckling and request a place for him on his ship, Edmund did so. Despite Maurice's apparent misgivings, he agreed to take Nelson into the service.
Later life
As his children left the home and went off to their new lives, Edmund remained at Burnham Thorpe. He lived a modest quiet life, but continued to follow the lives and careers of his children with interest. He had a modest income provided by his work as a parson, as well as several small investments and the legacy of his daughter Ann, who had died in 1784. In 1787, Horatio returned to England after serving in the West Indies, bringing with him his new wife, Frances Nisbet, informally known as 'Fanny'. Edmund had by this time come to prefer his seclusion, and did not look forward to the arrival of his extended family. Edmund's health was never particularly strong, and he suffered from 'paralytic and asthmatic' conditions. He took occasional trips to Bath to sample the springs. He wroteI am not now anxious to see them. Him for a day or two I should be glad of, but to introduce a stranger to an infirm and whimsical old man, who can neither eat nor drink, nor talk, nor see, is as well let alone.Consequently it was not until late 1788 that Horatio and his new wife arrived at the rectory at Burnham Thorpe. Horatio had spent a considerable amount of time attempting to obtain command of another ship, but finally recognised this was unlikely to occur in the near future, and bowed to Fanny's wishes to settle and start a household. Despite Edmund's initial reluctance to meet them, he found Fanny to be an enduring friend, and Horatio to be a dutiful and caring son. Edmund moved out of the rectory in 1790 to let the couple start to establish their own household. He settled in a cottage at Burnham Ulph, but made frequent visits to the couple.
Edmund continued to make trips to Bath during the cold Norfolk winters, and Fanny often accompanied him while her husband was at sea. Edmund's declining health made him more and more dependant on Fanny, whilst he sought to act as her guardian while Horatio was away. The two enjoyed the pace of life at Bath, and became firm friends, with Fanny reading to him and providing companionship. Edmund wrote that
[Fanny] truly supplies a kind and watchful child over the infirmities and whimsies of age.Edmund soon retired, passing on the parsonage to his son, the Reverend Suckling Nelson. As Horatio's fame grew Edmund followed his son's exploits, and soon came to be accosted by well-wishers on his walks around Bath. Fanny wrote
He is grown young. These blessings in his declining days cheer him.In 1800, with Horatio's fame continually increasing, Edmund sent Fanny to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to visit the studios of Sir William Beechey
William Beechey
Sir Henry William Beechey , English portrait-painter, was born at Burford, the son of William Beechey and Hannah Read ....
, and to ask if Beechey might come to take a sitting. Beechey replied that he would not, as he only travelled to the sitter in the case of royalty. But then he enquired who the sitter was, and on being told it was the father of Lord Nelson, declared 'My God! I would go to York to do it!' Edmund however remained dismayed by the breakdown of his son's marriage and wrote to Horatio on occasion to rebuke him for his neglect of Fanny. He did however visit Horatio at Merton Place, where he was living with William
William Hamilton (diplomat)
Sir William Hamilton KB, PC, FRS was a Scottish diplomat, antiquarian, archaeologist and vulcanologist. After a short period as a Member of Parliament, he served as British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples from 1764 to 1800...
and Emma Hamilton.
Death
Edmund was in declining health by early 1802. Fanny had travelled from London to be at his side, but Horatio remained at Merton Place, writing a letter statingI have no hopes that he can recover. God's will be done. Had my father expressed a wish to see me, unwell as I am, I should have flown to Bath, but I believe it would be too late. However, should it be otherwise and he wishes to see me, no consideration shall detain me a moment.The Reverend Edmund Nelson died later that day, 26 April 1802, at the age of 80. His son did not attend the funeral, held at Burnham Thorpe on 11 May, but did pay the funeral expenses. Edmund Nelson was described by a later biographer of Lord Nelson as 'kind, modest and generous...to be counted on in times of trouble.' He also possessed a dry sense of humour.