Things you may not know about Horatio Nelson
Nelson's great-great uncle was the first Prime Minister of England.
MoreNelson’s mother’s grandmother was Sir Robert Walpole’s sister. Walpole was Britain’s first Prime Minister, who served in the reigns of George I and George II.
Horatio Nelson was also known as Horace Nelson.
MoreHe may have been named after his uncle Horace Walpole. His family always called him Horace and he signed many documents using this name.
He was a sickly baby and was baptised quickly because of fears over his health.
MoreHe was publicly baptised on 15th November 1758, having been privately baptised 10 days after his birth owing to fears about his weak health.
When he arrived at his first ship he paced about all day ignored by everyone.
MoreHis uncle was not on board when Nelson arrived to join his first ship, the Raisonnable. It wasn’t until the next day that it was discovered he was the captain's nephew and was to be midshipman.
Nelson was a life-long sufferer from seasickness.
MoreHe sailed the seas for more than 30 years and, in that time, he suffered from seasickness on pretty much every voyage.
He almost died trying to shoot a polar bear.
MoreIn 1773, whilst on a voyage to the Arctic, Nelson’s shot missed a polar bear and the animal turned on him. Luckily someone on the ship fired a cannon at that moment, causing the bear to turn and Nelson had a lucky escape.
When he was 17 he had a vision that he would be a hero during a serious illness.
MoreIn 1776, he was on a voyage in the Indian Ocean when malaria first struck him down. Whilst returning to England on the Dolphin, during his delirium, he had a vision of a radiant guiding orb and a premonition that he would become a hero.
He suffered many illnesses on his voyages but always wanted to return to sea.
MoreIn San Juan, in 1780, Nelson suffered from dysentery, yellow fever and food poisoning all at once. The food poisoning had come from drinking water into which the fruit of the Manchineel tree had fallen. The fruit looks like a small apple and has a sweet smell and a pleasant taste, but can be deadly. On returning to Britain Nelson, almost without use of his limbs, insisted on being carried immediately to the admiralty to apply for another ship. He told one of his relations, “this they readily promised me thinking it not possible for me to live”.
Nelson's first love was Mary Simpson.
MoreHe met 16 year old Mary in 1781, in Quebec, and fell so passionately for her that he nearly disobeyed his Navy orders to stay with her. Then, in St. Omer, in 1783 he met clergyman’s daughter, Elizabeth Andrews, whom he hoped to marry but Miss Andrews turned down his proposal. He also became close to Mary Moutray, the Antigua dockyard commissioner’s wife, before meeting Frances Nisbet in 1785 whom he married, at Nevis, in 1787. Other love interests included opera singer Adelaide Correglia, who became his mistress whilst he was visiting Leghorn in 1796 and, of course, Emma Hamilton whom he began an affair with in 1798. The affair with Emma would last for the rest of his life.
When Nelson married Frances, the Prince William Henry (later King William) gave the bride away.
MoreIn November 1786 Nelson was joined in the West Indies by Prince William Henry, now captain of HMS Pegasus. The prince served under Nelson and, finding the date of Nelson’s wedding, gave the bride away on 11th March 1787 at Montpelier, Nevis.
Nelson was a bit of a 'spin doctor'.
MoreAfter the press failed to report his role in the successful campaigns in Corsica in 1794, Nelson was keen to ensure this did not happen again. During his career, if he did well in a battle or other situation, he would write to people he knew at the newspapers to make sure they got his version of the story. For example, after the battle of St. Vincent when all the men were equally praised by the Admiral, Nelson sent his own account to his friend, Captain Locker, for publication in the press and it was Nelson’s heroics that captured the public imagination.
His stepson saved his life.
MoreWhen Nelson got his appointment to the Agamemnon in January 1793, Josiah Nesbit, Frances's son, joined him as midshipman. He probably saved Nelson life by applying a tourniquet to his shattered arm preventing blood loss when Nelson was shot, although Josiah did not turn out to be much of a commander and was eventually paid off by the Navy in 1800.
His method of command was known as 'the Nelson touch'.
MoreHe based his command on love rather than authority, inspiring both his superiors and his subordinates with his considerable courage, commitment and charisma: dubbed 'the Nelson touch'.
He had a dry sense of humour - often at his own expense.
MoreA good example took place in 1800 at Great Yarmouth. Nelson and his entourage arrived amidst much public rejoicing and Nelson was offered Freedom of the Borough by the Mayor. When asked to take the oath, he placed his left hand on the Bible. Shocked, the official said, "Your right hand, My Lord!". "That," Nelson replied, "is at Tenerife."
One of the secrets of Nelson's success as a commander was that he brought his subordinates into his confidence.
MoreNelson shared his plans with his subordinates and discussed them in detail. Most senior officers just gave out orders, which could be misunderstood, but under Nelson, all his subordinates knew exactly what he wanted them to do, and they did it to the best of their ability because they felt that he had shown them respect.
Nelson gave rise to the saying ‘to turn a blind eye’.
MoreThe Battle of Copenhagen in April 1801 was fiercely fought. On seeing that no ground was being made, the British Commander-in-Chief, Sir Hyde Parker, signalled that the fleet should retreat. Nelson famously put a telescope to his blind eye and declared "I really did not see the signal." The rest of the fleet copied him in disobeying orders, the battle continued and the British were victorious. This led to the phrase still used today.
His affair with Emma Hamilton resulted in the birth of two children.
MoreHis daughter Horatia was born in 1801 and a second child, Emma, was born early 1803 but sadly died of chickenpox whilst only a baby. Nelson never saw her but was devastated by her death.
He was known for leading from the front and engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
MoreNelson often led boarding parties and would get involved in vicious hand-to-hand fighting. For example, in 1797, at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, Nelson led a British boarding party onto two of the Spanish ships to claim them as prizes. He attacked the San Josef and then the San Nicolas. Nelson's men fought so hard that it was not long until the two Spanish captains handed over their swords to him.
Nelson lost most of his teeth after contracting scurvy in 1782.
MoreWhilst they were voyaging over the Atlantic, Nelson and his crew came down with scurvy. They had had no fresh fruit or vegetables for some weeks. Scurvy attacks the gums and loosens the teeth. By the time he died Nelson had lost most of his teeth. Because of this, Nelson fought to eradicate scurvy from his ships in later voyages.
Horatio and Emma adopted their own child as an orphan.
MoreHoratia was christened on the 18th May 1803, after the death of Emma's husband, at St. Marylebone Parish Church. Emma and Horatio were the 'godparents'. Vice-Admiral Charles Thompson of Portsmouth dockyard agreed to be named as Horatia's father. Her natural parents then later adopted her as an orphan.
Nelson never wore an eye patch.
MoreNelson lost the sight of his right eye at the Siege of Calvi in Corsica in 1794, when a French cannon ball hit the ramparts in front of him, sending a shower of stones and sand into his face. The sand blinded Nelson in his right eye. There is no evidence that he ever wore an eye patch and his eye looked quite normal. All the portraits and accounts confirm this. After 1801, he did however wear a green eye shade above his eyes to shield the good eye from sunlight.
He wanted victory at any cost could sometimes be reckless.
MoreFor Nelson it was death or victory. At the Battle of the Nile in 1798, for example, he proclaimed, "Before this time tomorrow I shall have gained a Peerage or Westminster Abbey": that is he would either be rewarded for his victory or be a dead hero to be buried with honour. He would drive his ships so close to the enemy that the cannons were almost pushing through the sides of the other ship and he would pursue battle even when outnumbered or outgunned.
He ignored orders and took risks.
MoreAt the Battle of Cape St. Vincent (with only 15 British ships fighting 22 Spanish ships), Nelson did the unthinkable and on his own initiative ordered his ship, the HMS Captain, out of line and straight towards the escaping Spanish ships, which surrounded and fired at her. HMSs Excellent, Culloden and Blenheim went to the assistance of the surrounded ship. The action that ensued was fierce. HMS Captain was shot to bits but Nelson boarded and captured two Spanish ships. On another occasion at The Battle of Copenhagen he pretended he did not see a signal to withdraw and went on to secure victory.
He cared for the ordinary sailors and his captains (his "band of brothers").
More For example, just before the Battle of Trafalgar he came across a sailor crying. Nelson asked him what the matter was and the sailor said that he hadn't managed to write his letter to his wife in time before the boat with the Victory's post had left for home. Nelson immediately ordered the boat back to the ship and had the letter put on the boat. The 'band of brothers' was Nelson's name for the captains who fought under him at the battle of the Nile in 1798.
Nelson's body was pickled in brandy.
MoreWhen sailors died, they were usually buried at sea, otherwise the bodies would rot and cause disease. To keep Nelson's body for burial in London, it was put into a barrel of brandy and the alcohol preserved it until it was able to be taken back to England.
Nelson's coffin was given to him as a present.
MoreIt was made from the mast of Napoleon's warship 'L'Orient' which Nelson had sunk off the shores of Egypt in 1798 and was sent to him as a present by Captain Benjamin Hallowell, who had also been at the battle, with the wish that he would not need it for a long time. It is said that Nelson was so pleased with it that he kept in his cabin at all times. He was indeed buried in it at St. Paul's Cathedral.
Emma Hamilton was refused permission to attend Nelson's funeral.
MoreHis affair with Emma Hamilton was so disapproved of by the government that Emma was denied permission to attend Nelson's funeral and the instructions Nelson left to the government to provide for Emma and Horatia were not carried out; instead they gave honours and money to his brother.
One of Nelson's last wishes was that Horatia should take the name Nelson.
MoreHe left her £200 a year in his will and added, "I leave to the beneficence of my country my adopted daughter Horatia Nelson Thompson, and I desire she will use in future the name of Nelson only".
Soon after Horatio’s death Emma and her daughter spent 10 months in a prison cell.
MoreThis was the result of Emma's financial difficulties. Emma moved to France and when she died in January 1815, Horatia made the funeral arrangements with the British Consul and then returned to England disguised as a boy so as to escape arrest for the debts. Though Horatia soon learnt of her real father and agreed to his wish to take his name, she never knew that Emma was her real mother.
Horatio Nelson in brief
my greatest happiness is to serve my gracious King and Country and I am envious only of glory; for if it be a sin to covet glory I am the most offending soul alive. 
Horatio Nelson was the most famous admiral of the Napoleonic Wars who has been celebrated ever since as the greatest sea warrior in British history.
Although a small and sickly child, Nelson went to sea when he was just 12 years old. Despite persistent seasickness, his career flourished as he moved from ship to ship in the East Indies and the Caribbean, showing a flair for naval strategy. He became one of the youngest ever captains in the Royal Navy.
He saw active service in the American War of Independence, in the wars of the French Revolution and in battles in the East Indies, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, winning the hearts of the English people reading about his exploits.
Nelson was also one of the most loved leaders amongst the seamen of the Royal Navy and fought side by side with his crews during many of the battles. However, his personal life came to be as well known as his military career. His left his marriage to Lady Nelson, formerly Frances Nisbet, to live with his mistress, Lady Hamilton, and their child.
The most famous battles of Horatio Nelson's career, the Nile, Copenhagen and Trafalgar, came later in his career, when he was a senior commander. Nothing created the figure we recognise as Nelson, on monuments around the world, more than the Battle of Trafalgar. This was the greatest naval victory in British history. Before the battle Nelson sent a signal in semaphore to his fleet: "England expects that every man will do his duty." Nelson died in the battle; his last words were "Thank God I have done my duty." When the news of his death reached England, the king wept, as did thousands of ordinary citizens, who lined the route of his funeral.
Throughout his naval career, Nelson was wounded many times in combat, losing an arm and the sight in his right eye. As a person he could be vain, thoughtless and even, at times, reckless in his ruthless desire for recognition and glory. He showed little pity to those who crossed him. But he was also enthusiastic, eager and patriotic, as well as brave. He was noted for his ability to inspire and bring out the best in his men. His qualities, good and bad, set him apart from his contemporaries and are the reason that he is still remembered today.
Nelson Picture Gallery
Source documents
