Who was Nelson?

The Nelsons came to Burnham Thorpe (Norfolk) in 1755, the Reverend Edmund to be the rector of Burnham Thorpe, Burnham Ulph,  Burnham Sutton and Burnham Norton.  The Nelson’s had 11 children and Horatio was the sixth.  The Rectory, where the family lived, was ¾  mile away from the church and situated close beside the small but swiftly-flowing river Burn from which the seven Burnham villages take their name.

It was in Burnham Thorpe (Norfolk) in 1758 that Horatio Nelson was born

Nelson attended several schools First he went to Norwich Grammar School, in the Cathedral Close, there is a statue of Nelson which stands facing the school chapel, near the west end of the cathedral. 

Nelson then went to a school in Downham Market on the Norfolk- Cambridgeshire border. It is said that Nelson at this early age enjoyed ‘sailing’ and would encourage the younger boys to work the water pump so that he could sail paper boats in the stream of water from the pump.

Finally Nelson went to Paston Grammar School at North  Walsham. The school still has some memorabilia including a pencil box and a brick from the school wall  with "HN" carved into it.

Horatio’s mother died when he was 9 years old and Rev. Edmund Nelson employed a nurse to care for the younger children. 

The Nelson’s experienced financial problems and the children were ‘encouraged’ to fend for themselves from an early age.
Susannah, the eldest daughter, was first to leave.  She was apprenticed to a "reputable Milliner" in the town of Bath, Somerset, a long way from Norfolk. Reverend Edmund frequently visited Bath for long periods due to his ill-health (Bath was and still is famous for the ‘healing’ mineral baths). Susannah had three strokes of good fortune: a couple of  legacies  and her marriage at the age of 26 to Thomas Bolton of Wells in Norfolk, a prosperous corn and coal merchant.  The couple came to live in Burnham Market where their house is called Bolton  House to this day.  Susannah died in 1813.  Horatia, the daughter of Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton, came to live there with her uncle, Thomas  Bolton, after her mother's death. 

Then there was Maurice, five years older than Horatio; he became a clerk in the Navy Office.

William, one year older than Horatio, graduated from Cambridge and was ordained.  He it is who succeeded to the title after Nelson's death. William was pompous and arrogant.

Anne, the next child after Horatio, died at the age of twenty-one. 

The next child, Edmund, was hopeful of assisting in the Bolton business but  was hampered by ill-health and he died at 28.

There was another son Suckling (his mother’s maiden name), he did not seem to want to do anything and found it hard to work or concentrate. Eventually he took ‘Holy Orders’ but died at 35

George, another brother, died in 1766, aged 11.

Catherine, the baby of the family was a favourite of Nelson's.  Nelson wrote a letter to his brother William saying "My small income shall always be at her service and she shall never want a protector and sincere friend while I  exist".  Catherine was well provided for as she married George Matcham.

Nelson’s uncle Maurice was a captain in the Navy and Horatio asked his brother to persuade his father to let him join the Navy.

Captain Maurice's reaction is well known. "What has poor Horatio done, who is so weak, that he above all the rest should be sent to rough it out at sea ?  But let him come: and the first time we go into action, a cannon-ball may knock off his head and provide for him at once". (Captain Suckling)

In March 1771 Nelson travelled on his own to Chatham (Kent) to join his uncle’s ship Raissonable.  Nelson was just 12 years old.

The year on uncle Maurice’s ship gave  Nelson a good grounding in  seamanship

Captain Suckling (Uncle Maurice) suggested that Nelson complete a year in the Merchant Navy. Nelson joined a ship from the firm of Hibbert, Purrier  and Horton bound for the West Indies..

Nelson returned to the Royal Navy and the rest is as they say is history….

The last words Nelson uttered were "Thank God I have done my duty."

On 21st October 1805 Nelson destroyed the combined French and Spanish fleets off Cape Trafalgar but was himself killed.

His funeral was held on 9th January 1806 at St Paul's Cathedral

Nelson had always wanted to be buried in Burnham Thorpe, but had added … unless the King decrees otherwise...