Nelson & His World

The Diary of the Rev William Holland contains an entry dated 5 December 1805 in which he expresses his irritation that the dim locals of his Somerset village of Over Stowey have not put up the laurel for the 'Thanksgiving Day for Nelson's victory'. But the laurel was obtained and the service went ahead and 'I read the prayers sent by the Government.'

Does anyone know more about this 'Thanksgiving Day' or the form of the prayers 'sent by the government?' It must have been quite an undertaking to send the official prayers to every parish in the land.

Anna

I don't think the idea of a Thanksgiving Day was unique to Trafalgar.

I am pretty sure there was one for the Battle of the Nile (could be wrong?) and possibly other naval battles.

I believe it was a decision that came from the King through the Privy Council. The Archbishop of Canterbury set the order of service.

Collections were made for the Patriotic Fund.

I agree that it would have been a huge logistical exercise to disseminate that information to every church in the land - but the ingenuity and enterprise of the folks back then never fails to amaze me! (Oh, apart from the dim parishioners of Over Stowey that is!! )

MB

Here is the King's proclamation for a general thanksgiving, in the London Gazette (bottom of first column), in which he says he has directed the Archbishops and bishops to compose and disperse a suitable form of prayer to all churches, chapels and places of public worship, so they had a month to do it. Notice also the threat that any of his loving subjects who contemn or neglect to observe the day of thanksgiving may suffer such punishment as he may justly inflict...

I was right, there was a General Thanksgiving for the Battle of the Nile - on 29th November 1798.

Church services were obviously held - with the Volunteer brigades in attendance.

It would be interesting to know to what extent the general population got involved especially as they were held mid-week.

MB

It was obviously a big undertaking, but you have to remember that life was a little busy back thing. Don't get me wrong, people worked. A lot. But there were messagers that could get the information out. Just like now, the were a dissemination of knowledge.

I wonder if the prayers were printed in The Times newspaper a few days in advance of the planned ceremonies? It was usually read by the clergyman and other professionals in every town and village. It would be a convenient way of getting the information out.

Anna

I am pretty sure that there was nothing of that sort in the Times.

As Tony pointed out they had a month to organise the details and disseminate them.

There were, of course, mail coaches running the length and breadth of the country on a very regular basis - so not such a daunting task.

One thing has got me intrigued now. i.e. were the service details, prayers etc. unique for the Trafalgar thanksgiving? Or had they borrowed anything from the Nile thanksgiving?

As soon as time allows I will try and do a bit of digging and see what I can turn up.

As you know I tend to be as interested in what happened after Trafalgar as what went before!!

MB

I am grateful indeed to Mark the Indefatigable who, with his customary tenacity, has run to earth 'the form of prayer and thanksgiving' to mark the victory at Trafalgar and has sent me a copy. As most members know, I am, though not a churchgoer, a fervent admirer of the Book of Common Prayer for the beauty of its sonorous and inspiring language; so it was very satisfying to read the order of service which combined prayers from the BCP together with others specially written for the occasion. The service is short but dignified; majestic, even.

Apart from the introductory page, which records that the service is to give thanks for 'the late signal and important Victory obtained by His Majesty's ships in War, under the command of the late Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson', no other mention of Nelson appears in the service, which surprises me a little as I would have expected the inclusion of a prayer for the repose of his soul and, indeed, of the souls of all the dead. The tone is one of humility and gratitude to God for deliverance from 'an inveterate enemy'. The 'Prayer for the Safety of our Fleets' has echoes of the one used in the Royal Navy, though it also mentions the merchant fleet as well:

O Eternal Lord God, whose voice, mighty in operation, the raging seas and stormy winds obey; who in thy mercy guidest the mariner in safety through the trackless deep; receive we beseech Thee, into Thy gracious and almighty protection, the Fleets of Thy servant, our Sovereign, the vessels of our merchants, and the persons of all those who serve in them. Preserve them from the perils of the sea, from the efforts of the enemy, and from the dangers of disease in distant climates; that they may return in safety, and crowned, if it be Thy good pleasure, with success in their enterprises, to enjoy the blessings of their native land......'

The cost of the service sheet was 4d. I shall be happy to send a copy free of charge to anyone interested! Send me a PM.