Peter John Horatio Nelson, 9th Earl Nelson (9 October 1941 – 28 March 2009), was a British police officer and peer. He was the oldest son of Captain John Nelson, and grandson of Edward Nelson, 5th Earl Nelson. He inherited the title in 1981 on the death of his uncle, George Nelson. Lord Nelson was born at

Sherborne Sherborne is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in north west Dorset, in South West England. It is sited on the River Yeo (South Somerset), River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The parish include ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

and was brought up in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

on his father's poultry farm and in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

. He was educated at

St Joseph's College, Ipswich St Joseph's College is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private school for day and boarding pupils between the ages of 2 and 19 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. With usually 550-600 pupils on the roll, the College is located ...

. He was an apprentice in the RAF and in agricultural college. He later joined the Metropolitan Police serving as a CID officer. He later served in the Hertfordshire police. He retired in 1983 at the rank of

detective sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage from the Brit ...

. A 1981 interview with Lord Nelson stated:

"“If there were an estate to inherit, I would never be doing this”, Lord Nelson admits of his work as a police officer. “But that’s the way the cookie crumbles, as they say in America.” He adds philosophically, “Everyone has two names, and I’ve got a few more. There’s nothing I can do about it. I am now the Rt. Hon. Earl Nelson.” Peter’s wife, Countess Maureen, is a 33-year-old assistant to an accountant. Deborah, 7, now has a vague sense that she’s a lady; and Simon, 10, knows that he’s a viscount. “The first day back at school Simon got teased”, says Peter. “But the second day he was a hero when I appeared on a children’s news programme.” Peter, a longtime student of his ancestor’s exploits, gives occasional lectures on the Admiral’s life. As the third-ranking nobleman in his county, the Earl has also inherited a heavy schedule of charity events, but won’t sit in the House of Lords: “It’s not compatible with my police work.” Still, some ambiguity pervades his role at the station house. “Address me as always”, he reassured his superiors. But he is aware that while they outrank him professionally, they fall well below him socially. “It’s difficult for me to divorce my other self at work”, he says. “But I know it’s a hereditary title - it wasn’t given to me because I’m the savior of mankind. It won’t change me overnight. At least I hope it doesn’t."Steffi Fields, 'The Hero of Trafalgar Passes His Title (and Little Else) to a Bloke Named Peter Nelson'
- ''
People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'' 21 December 1981

Lord Nelson, as part of the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given royal assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

, lost his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. He served as chairman of Retainacar (now Retainagroup), a company specialising in car security systems and as president of the Royal Navy Commando Association and of the Nelson Society. The 9th Earl Nelson is survived by his son Simon John Horatio Nelson, the 10th Earl.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Peter, 9th Earl 1941 births 2009 deaths People educated at St Joseph's College, Ipswich Earls Nelson Metropolitan Police officers

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...