Earl Nelson, ''of Trafalgar and of Merton in the

County of Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Are ...

'', is a title in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great ...

. It was created on 20 November 1805 for the Rev. William Nelson, 2nd Baron Nelson, one month after the death of his younger brother Vice-Admiral

Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought a ...

, the famous naval hero of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...

and victor of the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1 ...

of 21 October 1805 (during which he was killed in action). The title is extant, the present holder being Simon Nelson, 10th Earl Nelson, who has an

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

. The family seat of Trafalgar House in Wiltshire (also known as Standlynch Park) was sold in 1948 by Edward Nelson, 5th Earl Nelson.

History

The title was created on 20 November 1805 for

the Reverend The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctl ...

William Nelson, 2nd Baron Nelson, who was a son of the Reverend Edmund Nelson (1722–1802) and an elder brother of Horatio Nelson. The Nelson family had been settled in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

for many generations, and the Reverend Edmund Nelson was Rector of Hillborough and of Burnham Thorpe in that county. He married

Catherine Suckling Catherine Suckling (9 May 1725 – 26 December 1767) was the mother of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson. Catherine had eleven children of which Nelson was the third surviving son. Family and marriage Catherine was born on 9 May 1725 in Barsh ...

, whose maternal grandmother Mary was the sister of both The 1st Earl of Orford and The 1st Baron Walpole of Wolterton. Their fifth but third-surviving son was the renowned naval commander Horatio Nelson. After defeating the French at the

Battle of the Nile The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay; french: Bataille d'Aboukir) was a major naval battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the Navy of the French Republic at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast off the ...

in 1798, Horatio Nelson was raised to the

Peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself re ...

on 6 November 1798 as Baron Nelson, of the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest riv ...

, and of Burnham Thorpe in the

County of Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North ...

, with normal remainder to the heirs male of his body. In 1799, he was created Duke of Bronte (Italian: ''Duca di Bronte''), of the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...

, by King Ferdinand III of Sicily, which title he was given royal sanction to use in Britain. After defeating the Danish fleet at the Battle of Copenhagen in April 1801, Nelson was further honoured when he was made Viscount Nelson, of the Nile, and of Burnham Thorpe in the County of Norfolk, with normal remainder to the heirs male of his body, on 22 May 1801. On 18 August of the same year, he was created Baron Nelson, of the Nile, and of

Hillborough Hillborough is an area of eastern Herne Bay in Kent, England. The population is included in the Reculver Reculver is a village and coastal resort about east of Herne Bay on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. It is in the w ...

in the County of Norfolk, with remainder, in default of male issue of his own, to his father and the heirs male of his body, and failing them to the heirs male of the body severally and successively of his sisters Susannah Bolton and Catherine Matcham. Both titles were in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Nelson was killed at the

on 21 October 1805. Since he had no legitimate children, the barony of 1798 and the viscountcy became extinct upon his death. He was succeeded in the barony of 1801 according to the special remainder (and also in the dukedom of Bronte) by his elder brother the Reverend William Nelson, who became the second Baron. On 20 November 1805, the second Baron was created Viscount Merton, of Trafalgar and of Merton in the

, and Earl Nelson, of Trafalgar and of Merton in the County of Surrey, in honour of his late brother and with similar remainder to the barony of 1801. Both titles are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first Earl died without surviving male issue and was succeeded in the dukedom of Bronte by his daughter

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, wife of The 2nd Baron Bridport. The first Earl was succeeded in the British titles (according to the special remainders) by his nephew Thomas Bolton, the second Earl. He was the eldest son of the aforementioned Susannah Bolton, a sister of the first Earl and the wife of Thomas Bolton of Wells in Norfolk. The second Earl assumed the surname of Nelson upon succeeding to the peerages. He only held the titles for eight months and on his early death, the titles passed to his eldest son, the third Earl. He was succeeded by his third but eldest surviving son, the fourth Earl. He never married and on his death in 1947, the titles passed to his eighty-seven-year-old younger brother, the fifth Earl. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the sixth Earl, who was a lecturer in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

and

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

. Two of his younger brothers, the seventh and eighth Earls, both succeeded in the titles. , the peerages are held by Simon John Horatio Nelson, 10th Earl Nelson (born 1971), a great-grandson of the fifth Earl. He succeeded in 2009 and is the eldest son of Peter John Horatio Nelson, the ninth Earl. Two other members of the family also had distinguished naval careers. The Hon. Maurice Horatio Nelson (1832–1914), third son of the second Earl, was a

rear-admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

in the Royal Navy. His eldest son, Maurice Henry Horatio Nelson (1864–1942), was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the Royal Navy.

Coat of arms

Arms were granted to Admiral Horatio Nelson and confirmed on 20 October 1797. Nelson's paternal arms (''Or, a cross flory sable over all a bendlet gules'') were augmented to honour his naval victories. After the Battle of Cape St Vincent (14 February 1797), Nelson was created a

Knight of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as on ...

and was granted heraldic supporters (appropriate for peers) of a

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

and a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adu ...

.Adkin 2007, p. 550 In honour of the Battle of the Nile in 1798, the Crown granted him an augmentation of honour

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The ...

ed ''On a chief wavy argent a palm tree between a disabled ship and a ruinous battery all issuant from waves of the sea all proper'', the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

motto ''Palmam qui meruit ferat'' ("let him who has earned it bear the palm"), and added to his supporters a palm branch in the hand of the sailor and in the paw of the lion, and a "tri-colored flag and staff in the mouth of the latter". After Nelson's death, his elder brother and heir William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson, was granted a further augmentation: ''On a fess wavy overall azure the word TRAFALGAR or''. This additional augmentation was not used by those who succeeded him in the earldom, including the present Earl Nelson.

Baron Nelson, First creation (1798)

* Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Baron Nelson (1758–1805) (extinct on his death; created Viscount Nelson in 1801)

Viscount Nelson (1801)

* Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Baron Nelson (1758–1805) (extinct on his death)

Baron Nelson, Second creation (1801)

* Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Baron Nelson (1758–1805) * William Nelson, 2nd Baron Nelson (1757–1835) (created Earl Nelson in 1805), elder brother of the aforementioned Horatio Nelson

Earls Nelson (1805)

William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson, 2nd Duke of Bronte (20 April 1757 – 28 February 1835), was an Anglican clergyman and an older brother of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson. Life Born in Burnham Thorpe, he was a son of the Reverend Edm ...

(1757–1835) * Thomas Nelson, 2nd Earl Nelson (1786–1835), nephew of the 1st Earl Nelson *

Horatio Nelson, 3rd Earl Nelson Horatio Nelson, 3rd Earl Nelson, (7 August 1823 – 25 February 1913), was a British politician. He was the son of Thomas Bolton (a nephew of Vice Admiral The 1st Viscount Nelson) by his wife Frances Elizabeth Eyre. On 28 February 1835 his ...

(1823–1913), eldest son of the 2nd Earl Nelson * Thomas Horatio Nelson, 4th Earl Nelson (1857–1947) * Edward Agar Horatio Nelson, 5th Earl Nelson (1860–1951) * Albert Francis Joseph Horatio Nelson, 6th Earl Nelson (1890–1957) * Henry Edward Joseph Horatio Nelson, 7th Earl Nelson (1894–1972) * George Joseph Horatio Nelson, 8th Earl Nelson (1905–1981) * Peter John Horatio Nelson, 9th Earl Nelson (1941–2009) * Simon John Horatio Nelson, 10th Earl Nelson (born 1971) The

is the present holder's only son, Thomas John Horatio Nelson, Viscount Merton (born 2010).

Line of succession

* ''Rev. Edmund Nelson (1722–1802)'' ** ''Susannah Nelson (1755–1813)'' *** Coronet of a British Earl

''Thomas Nelson, 2nd Earl Nelson (1786–1835)'' **** Coronet of a British Earl

''Horatio Nelson, 3rd Earl Nelson (1823–1913)'' ***** Coronet of a British Earl

''Edward Nelson, 5th Earl Nelson (1860–1951)'' ******''Hon. John Marie Joseph Horatio Nelson (1908–1970)'' ******* Coronet of a British Earl

''Peter Nelson, 9th Earl Nelson (1941–2009)'' ******** Coronet of a British Earl

Simon Nelson, 10th Earl Nelson (born 1971) *********(1). Thomas John Horatio Nelson, Viscount Merton (b. 2010) ********(2). Hon. Edward James Horatio Nelson (b. 1994) *******(3). Francis Edward Horatio Nelson (b. 1947) ********(4). William John Horatio Nelson (b. 1975) ****''Hon. Maurice Horatio Nelson (1832–1914)'' *****''Charles Burrard Nelson (1868–1931)'' ******''John Charles Horatio Nelson (1905–1994)'' *******(5). Anthony Burrard Horatio Nelson (b. 1935) ********(6). Thomas Antony Horatio Nelson (b. 1963) ********(7). Edward Maximilian Nelson (b. 1971) *********(8). Alfred John Horatio Nelson (b. 2005) ** Coronet of a British Earl

''William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson (1757–1835)'' ** Coronet of a British Viscount

(1758–1805)''

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson Earldoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant " chieftain", particu ...

Noble titles created in 1805 Peerages created with special remainders