Lord Nelson's life in Norfolk village before his fame

In November 1787 Nelson returned to England from a three-year tour in the West Indies.

During that time he had created a number of powerful enemies as a result of his enforcement of the Navigation Acts, which required goods arriving in the British colonies to be transported in British ships.

The colonies were dependent on, and enjoyed much trade with, the recently independent United States of America and Nelson soon fell out with those trading with the Americans.

Although Nelson was supported in this action by the Admiralty, he found that some of the grievances against him had followed him from the Caribbean, and Nelson received a somewhat frosty reception from the Admiralty.

Hilborough Church (Image: Supplied) After a short spell at the Nore in the Thames estuary, Nelson’s ship, HMS Boreas, was paid off and Nelson wound up his naval affairs.

The First Sea Lord, Lord Howe, did not have a ship to offer Nelson and, as talk of war subsided, fewer ships were being commissioned.

Nelson was stood down on half-pay and would spend the next five years ‘on the beach’, that is becalmed on land with no navy posting, during which time he was constantly seeking a posting.

Nelson’s dream of glory was on hold. In 1799 Nelson wrote an account of his services and in this he noted, with some resentment which had clearly lingered for some time, that ‘I made every interest to get a ship, ay, even a boat, to serve my country, but in vain: there was a prejudice at the Admiralty evidently against me, which I can neither guess at, nor in the least account for’.

Upon the de-commissioning of the Boreas Nelson and his wife Fanny spent time in London and Bath after which, at the end of 1788, they moved to Norfolk, to live with Nelson’s father at Burnham Thorpe.

The Old Rectory at Burnham Thorpe  (Image: Supplied) They undertook this step with some apprehension, a feeling reciprocated by Nelson’s father.

He was concerned that, whilst he was keen to be re-united with his son, he was unsure about the suitability of the old rectory, and indeed rural Norfolk, as a home for Fanny.

On the way they stayed with Nelson’s sister Susannah and her family and thence on to stay with Nelson’s brother, William, and Nelson’s grandmother, at Hilborough Rectory.

These visits were Nelson’s first excursions into Norfolk for ten years.

After a brief visit to Nelson’s sister, Kitty, and her family - the Matchams – Nelson and Fanny finally arrived at Burnham Thorpe.

Francis 'Fanny' Nisbet, Nelson's wife (Image: Supplied) Although the winter of 1788 was one of extreme severity the reception they received was a warm one.

The Rector noted that Horatio was unwell and that ‘Mrs N. takes a large dose of the bed’.

Fanny stirred little from under her stout moreen (strong ribbed cotton) bedsheets!

Over the next months Fanny developed a fondness for the old parson, as the Nelsons gradually settled into a new social circle, which included occasional visits to the Walpoles at Wolterton and the Cokes at Holkham Hall.

At the end of 1790 the Rector moved out of the rectory, to give the newlyweds more room, and he settled in a cottage in nearby Burnham Ulph.

Rumours of war saw Nelson constantly seeking employment, travelling to the Admiralty in London, but to no avail.

The Nelsons, therefore, adopted the new social round. One of Nelson’s earliest biographers was the Poet Laureate, Robert Southey.

He noted that one of Nelson’s favourite pastimes was coursing. But shooting as Nelson practised it was far too dangerous for his companions with even Nelson claiming ‘shoot I cannot’.

An extract of Faden's map of 1783 (Image: Supplied) He tended to carry his gun at full cock ‘as if he were going to board an enemy’.

The moment a bird rose he would shoot without putting the gun to his shoulder.

The fact he once shot a partridge using this method is remembered by his family as being ‘among the remarkable events of his life’!

Apart from shooting, Nelson spent his time farming and managing a few sheep and caring for the garden of the rectory, all a far cry from the hustle and bustle of life in the navy.

However the arrival of Nelson in the village was most noteworthy, as evidenced by the inclusion of the rectory on a map of the county of Norfolk, prepared in 1793, in which the eminent cartographer, William Faden, identified the residences of socially important persons.

The rectory was identified as ‘Capt Nelson’.

Although this was a period of great frustration for Nelson, he was clearly reconnecting with Norfolk.

He would have travelled to London via Kings Lynn and there were no doubt frequent visits to Norwich.

It is also easy to imagine that he may have made visits to Great Yarmouth where ships of the Royal Navy were often moored.

Rev Nelson, Nelson's father (Image: Supplied) (Nelson’s connection to places in Norfolk and men associated with him will be explored in a future article.).

His affection for Norfolk and particularly Burnham Thorpe was evident.

A Fight for the Norfolk Poor

Nelson was to prove himself a true man of Norfolk, who had the interest of his fellow county-men at heart.

Remembering that Nelson was on half-pay at the time (supplemented by small stipends from Nelson and Fanny’s families) he was very aware of the problems faced by the poor labourers of the county who farmed and worked on the land.

Nelson’s view was that there was a strong relationship between masters and servants, where servants remained loyal to masters who, in turn, were obliged to look after them.

He pleaded the case of poor labourers in a letter to the Duke of Clarence.

The Duke of Clarence, the future King William IV, had served with Nelson in the West Indies, where Nelson had chaperoned the Duke, and the two became friends.

In his letter Nelson pointed out that the labourers ‘are really in want of everything to make life comfortable …. but much has arose from the neglect of the country gentlemen’.

Accompanying his letter was a detailed analysis of the income of a fully employed labourer, with a wife and three children, which illustrated the problems faced by the poor.

That Nelson was concerned about the conditions faced by the labourers illustrates his care and compassion for his fellow men, regardless of their social station, a philosophy he carried forward throughout his naval career.

When Nelson and Fanny eventually left the Rectory at Burnham Thorpe they put a labourer and his wife into the house as caretakers.

Nelson clearly loved Burnham Thorpe, although he found it quiet and provincial, a strong contrast to the excitement and rigours of the life to which he had become accustomed and craved.

His love of and attachment for the place and his family never left him.

In May 1804, from his cabin on HMS Victory, he wrote to the Reverend Allott in Rappoe in Ireland.

In an emotional reminiscence he said ‘I remember you most perfectly from Burnham and I shall never forget the many little kindnesses I received from your worthy brother with whom I was always a great favourite.

Most probably I shall never see dear dear Burnham again but I have satisfaction in thinking that my bones will probably be laid with my fathers in the village that gave me birth … ’. History, of course, had other ideas!

By 1792 the situation in Europe was changing.

The French had overrun the Rhineland, sweeping aside the Prussian and Russian armies in the process, and invaded the Netherlands. Britain was back on a war footing.

At the beginning of January 1793, Nelson was appointed to command HMS Agammemnon and by the end of that month, the French King was executed in Paris.

At the beginning of February, France declared war on Britain.

Nelson’s frustrating wait was over and his dream of glory rekindled.

How that panned out is a story for another day.

But, as Nelson had predicted, he would never see Burnham Thorpe again.

Did you know?

As a result of his victory at the Battle of the Nile Nelson was awarded the Duchy of Bronte, an estate in Sicily, by the king of Naples and Sicily.

The estate came with an hereditary abbotcy so Nelson also became Abbot of Maniace.

Nelson, a religious man, thus became the only non-Roman Catholic Abbot in the world!

The Nelson Society

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The Nelson Society is a registered charity the aim of which is to raise awareness of Admiral Lord Nelson and his navy.

Are you a Norfolk Man or Woman?  Are you looking for a gift idea for Easter? “Give your friends or family a year’s membership of The Nelson Society. www.nelson-society.com.