About Nelson

1758-1805

See Nelsons Last will and Testament here (Courtesy of The National Archives)

Horatio Nelson had a passionate belief in his ability to become a hero. His famous naval career began in 1771 when he was only 12 years old, and ended with his death at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. His victories and great courage caught the public imagination, and he was indeed considered a hero, both in his own lifetime and in the Victorian period following his death.

Almost 200 years later, he is still a character that arouses great interest. Nelson himself, his family and friends left a great many letters, diaries and other materials that give us the evidence on which to base a study of his life.

The period of Nelson's lifetime was one in which agricultural and industrial revolution and population growth led to enormous economic and social changes. The tremendous expansion of manufacture was to provide the impetus for British expansion into the world in a search for markets in which to trade its goods. The Royal Navy would thus assume a vital role in protecting British ships trading throughout the world, to the Baltic, India, the North American colonies and the West Indies.

Although overall a time of economic growth, there were also periodic slumps linked to the effects of war, harvest failure, and unemployment which led to social unrest and protest. Amongst the establishment there was therefore a great fear of the spread of ideas such as those of the French Revolution.

The period of Nelson's lifetime was one of many wars. He was born during the Seven Years War (1756-63) between Britain and France. The alliance of the French with America in the War of American Independence (1775-82) led to further war between the two countries. The Revolutionary Wars (1793-1801) marked a renewal of hostilities. The Napoleonic Wars (1803-15) followed the French attempt to extend their revolution across Europe. Britain was thus at war again, at times with Spain as well as France. These events provide the setting for the powerful hostility felt by Nelson towards the French throughout his lifetime.

Horatio was born in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, close to the North Sea coast, on 29 September 1758. He was the son of the Reverend Edmund Nelson. His mother was Catherine Suckling, who came from a far more influential family than her husband. Her grandmother had been the sister of George II's powerful minister Sir Robert Walpole.

In 1771, Horatio joined the HMS 'Raisonnable', a ship commanded by his uncle Captain Maurice Suckling, as a midshipman. As a 12 year old boy, he thus began what was to prove a lifetime's experience at sea. By the time he was 20, his ships had taken him to the Arctic, the East Indies and the Caribbean. These early experiences laid the foundation for his subsequent successful career in the navy and great victories against France, Spain and the Netherlands.

It was in the Caribbean that Nelson met his future wife, Frances Nisbet, a widow with a son from her previous marriage. Horatio and Frances were married in Nevis in 1787, and returned to Norfolk from the West Indies to begin their married life. However, the marriage was not to prove a successful or long-lasting one. The couple separated after Nelson began an affair with the real love of his life, Lady Emma Hamilton.

Emma, circa 1761-1815, was the daughter of a blacksmith from Cheshire. Her rise in society came after her marriage to the much older Sir William Hamilton, British envoy to Naples. Despite her humble origins, and earlier relationships, Emma was a great success in Naples society, and became well known for her performance of classical poses or 'attitudes'.

Nelson was injured by grapeshot at Aboukir Bay (Egypt) in the Battle Of The Nile an injury that meant that he had to have his right arm amputated - he was subsequently knighted. Above is the Medical report of that injury by surgeon James Farquhar - kindly provided by the The National Archives.

Nelson first met the Hamiltons in Naples in 1793 and Emma's hero-worship after his great victory at the Battle of the Nile in 1798 laid the foundation for their famous love affair. Their relationship caused a scandal both in the Mediterranean and later in London, when Nelson returned to England in the company of the Hamiltons. Nelson and Emma's daughter, Horatia was born in 1801. Her birth was kept a secret because her parents' relationship remained outside marriage, although Nelson regarded Emma as his wife in the sight of God.

Reproduced with the kind permission of the National Maritime Museum