William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson, 2nd Duke of Bronte (20 April 1757 – 28 February 1835), was an Anglican

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and an older brother of

Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

Life

Nelson was born in Burnham Thorpe, into a family that had been settled 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 ...

for generations. His father, Reverend Edmund Nelson (1722–1802), was Rector of Hillborough and of Burnham Thorpe. His mother was Catherine Suckling, whose maternal grandmother Mary was the sister of

Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (; 26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the ''de facto'' first Prim ...

and of Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole of Wolterton. A younger brother was naval commander Horatio Nelson. Nelson was educated at

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 250 graduate students. The c ...

, matriculating in 1774, graduating B.A. 1778, M.A. 1781, D.D. 1802. He was ordained deacon in 1779 and priest in 1781. He became rector of Brandon Parva in Norfolk in January 1784, and went to sea that year as a naval chaplain on HMS ''Boreas'' (commanded by his brother the future Admiral), but obtained his discharge in October 1786 and returned to Brandon Parva. He became rector of Hilborough in 1797, and a prebendary of

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...

in 1803. William Nelson succeeded by a special remainder, which included his father's and sisters' male issue, to one of Horatio Nelson's baronies ('' Baron Nelson'', of the Nile and of Hilborough in the County of Norfolk, created in 1801) upon the latter's death at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...

on 21 October 1805, as well as to the dukedom of Bronte, of the

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...

. A month later, on 20 November 1805, in honour of his late brother's achievements, he was created Earl Nelson and

Viscount Merton A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is s ...

, both of Trafalgar and of Merton in the County of Surrey, again with a special remainder including the male issue of his sisters. He was reportedly an ambitious man, and used Nelson's mistress Emma Hamilton's generosity and hospitality when it served his purpose, including hosting his son Horatio at her home during the Eton school holidays, but cut both her and Horatia Nelson, Emma's daughter by Lord Nelson, off after Nelson's death. He did not respect his brother's wishes to look after Horatia. He moved to Trafalgar Park after Standlynch Park was renamed thus by an Act of Parliament in 1814. He died without surviving male issue, Horatio (recently made Viscount Trafalgar) having died at the age of 19 of tuberculosis in 1808, and all of his British titles passed to Thomas Bolton, the son of his sister Susannah. The Sicilian dukedom of Bronte passed to his daughter Charlotte, wife of Samuel Hood, 2nd Baron Bridport. There is a memorial to him in the crypt at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

Family

Nelson married firstly Sarah Yonge, daughter of Rev. Henry Yonge, on 9 November 1786. They had two children: * Charlotte Mary Nelson (1787–1873), 3rd Duchess of Bronte, married Samuel Hood, 2nd Baron Bridport * Horatio Nelson (1788–1808), styled Viscount Merton and Viscount Trafalgar After Sarah's death on 13 April 1828, at the age of 71, Nelson married the much younger Hilare Barlow, daughter of Admiral Sir Robert Barlow, on 26 March 1829.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, William 1st Earl Nelson Nelson, William Nelson, 1st Earl People from King's Lynn and West Norfolk (district) Nelson, William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson, William Nelson, 1st Earl Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge Horatio Nelson Earls Nelson Dukes of Bronte