Nelson & His World

Just a bit of frippery here - but it has always intrigued me over the years how many people have been given the Christian names "Horatio Nelson" - and wondered if it affected their lives for better - or worse!

I have recently been doing some research in Navy Lists from the First World War and came across at least 4 officers with the names Horatio Nelson.

I wonder if they had nicknames and if so what? I imagine it was all taken in good humour.

But I am sure that if their behaviour or bravery was anything less than exemplary they would have been told in no uncertain terms!

Here is the most senior HN I came across - albeit in retirement by then.

A quick 'google' of Horatio Nelson Dudding brought up a link to a newspaper in New Zealand recording his death and noting that he was 'a descendant of Nelson'. Can this be so?


http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... --1----2--

Anna

That has really made my day!

I was so tied up in the other work I was doing it never occurred to me to look into the background of any of these modern-day HN's.

So was HN Dudding really related to his illustrious name-sake? I have no idea.

I can't recall the surname Dudding anywhere in the original HN's family tree but I could easily be wrong on that. I have a couple of places I can check and will make sure I do that before I "turn in" tonight.

You just never know what little mystery will be round the next corner!!

MB

PS Those online newspapers from Oz and NZ are a very useful free resource if any investigation takes you in that direction.

A lot of British newspapers (historical) are being added to the internet but most require a subscription or at the very least a visit to the library.

Well, no evidence yet that HN Dudding was directly related to Lord Nelson.

But somewhere out there in the mix was a Rev Horatio Nelson Dudding, and Admiral Dudding had a son who became Major Horatio Nelson Nugent Dudding.

Investigations continue . . . . . . . .

Below is Rev Horatio Nelson Dudding's record on the 1851 census.

He is aged 42 so was christened with those names in 1809. As were a lot of children in the few years after Nelson's death.

The names then seem to have passed into other branches of the family.

Still no evidence that there was any relationship to Lord Nelson, or otherwise.

I am sure I mentioned in a previous thread that there was a Birmingham family where the Horatio Nelson christian names passed through 3 or 4 generations.

Quite interesting. For me anyway.