Nelson & His World

Discussion on the life and times of Admiral Lord Nelson
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 Post subject: Early Nelson biographies
PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 11:07 am 
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I'm hoping members can help add to a list I'm compiling of early Nelson biographies (particularly those who published - or had advertised) works before or soon after Nelson's funeral.

The biographies (or lives) I'm searching for could have been published in hardback book form, cheap chapbooks, pamphlets, magazines - anything goes.

I'm exploring this in relation to the offence that Nelson's family - the Earl - Lady Hamilton etc., - took at what was then appearing in print about Nelson's life. And whether their objections were justified, or might have been manifested for other (more proprietorial) reasons.

Any additions to my (currently small) list to date, would be gratefully received!

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 Post subject: Re: Early Nelson biographies
PostPosted: Sat Mar 09, 2013 8:46 am 
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Jacqui,
I noticed on Ebay the other day a copy of 'Ormes Graphic History of the Life, Exploits,and Death of Horatio Nelson':

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1806-ORMES-GRAPHIC-HISTORY-of-LORD-HORATIO-NELSON-BATTLE-of-TRAFALGAR-PLATES-/290871417984?ViewItem=&ssPageName=ADME%3AB%3AWNA%3AGB%3A1123&item=290871417984&nma=true&si=gCsxV1dv2eFH6cWtlw%252BWY6oMhuA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

The bidding has now ended, the item was sold for £155. If you scroll down the link it shows the original listing, with some good images of the item (which can be enlarged 'supersize link' under individual picture) .
The book is included by Michael Nash in a article he wrote for 'The Nelson Companion', and is described as one of the earliest full-length biographies of Nelson. The inclusion of Orme's (written by Francis William Blagdon) in Michael's top twenty, owes more to the quality of the plates, than the text, which he describes as poor.


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 Post subject: Re: Early Nelson biographies
PostPosted: Sat Mar 09, 2013 5:56 pm 
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Trimmer wrote:
The book is included by Michael Nash in a article he wrote for 'The Nelson Companion', and is described as one of the earliest full-length biographies of Nelson. The inclusion of Orme's (written by Francis William Blagdon) in Michael's top twenty, owes more to the quality of the plates, than the text, which he describes as poor.
At under 70 pages, "full length biography" seems to be stretching it a little, but perhaps he means it covers the full length of Nelson's life.

According to Eugene L. Rasor, 'English/British Naval History to 1815: A Guide to the Literature', Archibold Duncan's 'Life' was the first after Nelson's death, published in 1805, with a supplement on the funeral published in 1806. I have an undated edition which includes the funeral.

Apparently John Charnock's biography was first published in 1802, with a new edition published early in 1806.

I have two pamphlets by John Fairburn. One is the 35th edition of 'The Life of Admiral Lord Nelson', undated, but believed 1805. It has 40 pages, including one single page on Nelson's death, and ending with a copy of the Gazette Extraordinary for Strachan's action. The other is 'The Death of Admiral Lord Nelson', also undated, but including a plate dated January 1806. This includes updated replacement pages (including information obviously from Bourke and Beatty) for the last 5 pages of the previous pamphlet, and the page numbering then continues on from there, ending at page 70. It doesn't include the funeral, and I believe Fairburn published a further pamphlet covering this.

Another one published in 1805, which I haven't seen, is Thomas Tegg's 'THE LAST WORDS OF NELSON, containing the most authentic documents of the exact Manner, look, and serenity, with which the Great Naval Hero of Britain, passed through the Gate of Death, to the Regions of Immortality! Also, His Eulogium and Detail of the dreadful Action which placed him on the Pinnacle of Glory.'

There is a useful list, which you may already have, in Leonard W. Cowie, 'Lord Nelson, 1758-1805: A Bibliography': http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=WJ32 ... &q&f=false But some of the dates listed are incorrect.

I also have a copy of Frederick Lloyd's 'Life', listed as 1806, but mine is missing its title page.

The Naval Chronicle included an addenda to its 'Biographical Memoir' of Nelson early in 1806 (January's issue?), using information from Bourke and Beatty, and many publications (such as Fairburn) may have copied from this.

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 Post subject: Re: Early Nelson biographies
PostPosted: Sat Mar 09, 2013 8:45 pm 
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Jacqui

I have finally got round to adding my small contribution to this very interesting research project that you are embarking on.

I feel that your starting point definitely needs to be back before Nelson's death.

i.e. I have always believed that the first ever "biography" of Nelson was a 10-page entry in a book called "Public Characters of 1798-9" published in 1799.

Then as Tony refers to: a "Biographical Memoir of the Right Honourable Lord Nelson of the Nile" was published in Volume III of the Naval Chronicle. And this was followed up by additional parts (addenda) after Nelson's death. I would have to check which volume/s they were in.

I got a bit interested myself in these "stand alone" biographies that were rushed out after Trafalgar (late 1805/early 1806) when I saw references to at least 2 that were published in Birmingham. I managed to track down copies and was allowed to make copies of them which I have here.

They are both "anonymous".

Anyway I was quite intrigued as to who had "knocked out" these biographies so quickly. Then I saw all sorts of similarities in the text and a light suddenly went on. i.e. a lot of it was identical to the information in the Naval Chronicle.

In other words they had been plagiarised from the NC. This ties exactly with the point made by Tony in the last line of his post.

Anyway this obviously miffed the guys at the NC as I found that they had published the following comment.

"We have endeavoured to collect from a variety of sources, every thing that has transpired relative to the late action, and have drawn up some addenda to the correct and full account which we gave of Lord Nelson's life in our third volume.
From this source has been drawn the many pirated accounts which have been published as original; and though we lament a want of candour, which could induce men thus to pillage our Chronicle without the smallest acknowledgement, we rejoice to find, that our work has rendered so essential a service to our country, and afforded information on a subject to which the public attention was so eminently directed."

So my feeling is that if you lined up 10 or more of these very early 70-100 page biographies, published under different titles, in different towns, and generally anonymously, you would find them to be pretty much identical and pretty much copied direct from the Naval Chronicle.

Just my "humble opinion" but definitely food for thought.

I have always assumed that the first "newly researched" and "full length" biography was the one by James Harrison published in 1806. Harrison had moved himself into Merton and picked the brains of Emma and her various contacts.

But Tony has got me thinking where John Charnock's biography fits into the chronology. I need to get my head round that.

That's all for now!

MB


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 Post subject: Re: Early Nelson biographies
PostPosted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 12:45 am 
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Mark, I omitted Harrison only because of Jacqui's previous research on him. Harrison started to publish his biography in weekly parts from early 1806, and moved into Merton half way through the project after he ran out of cash and Emma bailed him out.

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 Post subject: Re: Early Nelson biographies
PostPosted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 11:39 am 
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Tony

Thanks for that. I hadn't realised that Harrison's biography originally came out in weekly parts.

I remember seeing it advertised at the very beginning of 1806 and thinking "how did he produce these 900 odd pages in that ridiculously short time frame?"

Somehow I hadn't read the bit about "10 weekly instalments". That's embarassing!!

It was still pretty good going to have had it all done by the end of March 1806 - but more understandable.

Back to Jacqui's original query, as soon as I can find time I will scan the title pages of those 2 early "Birmingham biographies" I have and a 3rd "anonymous" one I have here which has a date of 1805


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 Post subject: Re: Early Nelson biographies
PostPosted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 5:42 pm 
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Mark, for more on the dates of Harrison's publication, see Jacqui's own excellent expanded article 'The Literary Assassins: The Spurned Servant, the Cowardly Cleric and the Insolvent Bookseller who Revealed Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton's Most Intimate Secrets', published 3 months ago in the 2012 Trafalgar Chronicle. The plan for 10 weekly parts was rapidly expanded to 20 weekly parts, and he was writing them as they were published. In terms of the final two volume book, only the first volume was completed during the first half of 1806. By August, his publisher was refusing to pay him until he completed the book, and he moved into Merton after that. The second volume can't have been completed until very near the end of 1806 at the earliest.

Jacqui's article is notable for building on her earlier revelations by providing conclusive proof for the first time that Harrison was also the author/editor of 'The Letters of Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton'. Her article is an excellent read, providing a wonderfully vivid picture of the murky world of betrayal surrounding Emma Hamilton.

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 Post subject: Re: Early Nelson biographies
PostPosted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:57 am 
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Trimmer, Tony, Mark - you are treasures. Truly!

I began with the theory that most of the lives, memoirs etc., were cobbled together in haste when news of the battle and Nelson's death arrived in England. The sort of stampede we see today when a major (saleable - to put it bluntly) 'name' passes away. Or 'to strike while the iron of public interest was hot' as I termed it in The Literary Assassins piece published in the Trafalgar Chronicle, so kindly mentioned by Tony.

Hence, perhaps, the plagiarism pointed out by the Naval Chronicle and the general poor quality of the productions themselves.

That seems to be borne out from the info you've brilliantly unearthed so far. Would it be presumptuous to attribute this initial rash of biographies to the opportunity to make some fast filthy lucre?

To clarify, I'm particularly interested in the reactions of those closely associated with Nelson (family, friends, colleagues and also the State) as these 'lives' emerged in the weeks, months (and sometimes) years after Nelson's death.

Were they execrable enough to cause offence? Was the content not what some stakeholders wanted to read? Were those who professed themselves disgusted exhibiting a proprietorial air - ie: wanting to control the flow of information to suit their own ideas/message? Perhaps some had their own plans and were simply unhappy about the competition.

Researching and writing The Literary Assassins brought forth a number of new leads, which is why I'm keen to explore the subject further and in greater detail:

1. The business of 'spinning' Nelson's death - and life - for personal or political reasons. It was interesting to learn that John Wilson Croker purchased Emma's letters from Nelson for the nation, acknowledging that great secrecy was required, using public money, and with the intention of keeping them out of the public domain. Not to mention destroying 'anything scandalous in itself or detrimental to the reputation of Lord Nelson.’

What might history have lost by such a transaction? What material didn't make it into Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas's hands, and subsequently into the archives of the National Maritime Museum?

Interesting too that three years after pointing the finger at Lady Hamilton’s ‘base attempts at turning a penny by the prostitution of so noble a name’ (ie: by selling her letters from Nelson for money,) Croker would have been perfectly aware at the time of his purchase that he was essentially buying the same letters from James Harrison and the liquidators of his bankrupt partner.

2. It's clear now that Lady Hamilton didn't wield the overwhelming influence over Harrison's 1806-7 biography that she has long been credited with. And that what influence she did have wasn't enough for her - too little and too late.

That leads directly to the biography she later worked on herself, the one that she did specifically commission Harrison to help with, and what happened to it? A surprising number of disparate clues to this completely unknown 'life' of Nelson by Lady Hamilton have cropped up since the first reference(s) to it were found for The Literary Assassins.

I certainly would have found Emma's take on Nelson's life of interest. How would she have handled her specified agenda to do Nelson justice, conflate falsehoods - she particularly referenced the Caracciolo business - counter (unspecified) villainy, weave herself and Horatia into the story without compromising them? How would she have revised the biographies already published - and how convincingly?

Extracting the threads of fact and fiction from that unfinished work would have been a privilege, and hugely entertaining!

So, it'll be fascinating to find out where further, targeted, research leads.

By the bye, some of the info and evidence gathered to date can be found in The Literary Assassins in the 2012 volume of the Trafalgar Chronicle. Essentially the piece places author's names alongside the two frequently cited notorious, anonymous books: The Letters of Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton (1814) and The Memoirs of Lady Hamilton (1815). Shameless plug I know, but hopefully there will be something of further interest for Nelsonians and historians alike - not least the questions of how/why/by whom Nelson's story has been written in the past - and how much can we trust it today?

The 2012 TC is a great read overall - some marvellous articles in there for anyone interested in Nelson and the age of sail.

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Jacqui


Last edited by Mira on Mon Mar 11, 2013 11:53 am, edited 3 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Early Nelson biographies
PostPosted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 11:28 am 
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Jacqui -

what a fascinating enterprise!

This is just a quick note on Frederick Lloyd's 1806 biography - one of the very earliest. It was printed in Ormskirk, not far from Liverpool, then the main port to America. As Michael Nash has pointed out, this was therefore the first biography to reach the United States where pirated editions soon appeared.


The thing that struck me about Lloyd's work is that Emma is almost totally erased from the picture. He mentions that Lord and Lady Nelson had dinner with the Hamiltons in London after he arrived home from Naples but there is not a breath of the scandal that surrounded them for years. Was this the first attempt to make a hero/saint of Nelson, a fitting exemplar for a burgeoning empire dependent on its navy for its growth and success? The 18th century was a strange period in the literary sense: there were the hagiographic biographies of the great and good that excised all sin that Lloyd's work typifies; and that can be found in lesser form in the effusive outpourings on official monuments and church memorial tablets; there were the speedily -produced scandal sheets, pamphlets and newspapers that survived on innuendo and malicious gossip; and once Emma simply could not be excised or ignored, there were the money-seekers you've pinpointed seeking to cash in on a lucrative product; and there were the gradiose literary exercises like Southey's work who was prepared to mould the truth to the requirements of the literary definition of tragedy - the great hero with the fatal flaw. All fascinating stuff - I think, with your insight and tenacity, you're the one to unravel all this convoluted material!

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 Post subject: Re: Early Nelson biographies
PostPosted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 5:27 pm 
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Mira wrote:
Would it be presumptuous to attribute this initial rash of biographies to the opportunity to make some fast filthy lucre?
Well, it certainly seems to have been a golden opportunity - the first of the two Fairburn pamphlets that I have is a 35th edition! And yet it still does not contain the updated pages produced with his second pamphlet which copied information from the January issue of the Naval Chronicle. Thus I assume he printed 35 editions within a couple of months!

The Naval Chronicle addenda to their Biographical Memoir of Nelson are in volume 14 (July-Dec 1805) and volume 15 (Jan-Jun 1806). These of course each consist of six issues that were first published monthly. The first addendum appeared in the issue for November 1805, and the second in the issue for January 1806. I don't know the actual dates they were published.

Mira wrote:
Were they execrable enough to cause offence? Was the content not what some stakeholders wanted to read?
Other than Harrison, I haven't noticed content which would have caused actual offence, other than inclusion of Nelson's will and codicils. Perhaps it was also the fact that so much was being produced as pamphlets, or in weekly parts, and with poor quality engravings.

Perhaps it's worth quoting Nicolas from his preface to the Dispatches and Letters:
Quote:
Before describing the present Work, it is desirable to take some notice of the various publications, professing to be Lives of Lord Nelson, which hare appeared:

I. "The Life of Lord Nelson," in the third volume of the " Naval Chronicle," apparently written by Dr. John M'Arthur, a Purser in the Navy, who had been Secretary to Admiral Viscount Hood, and who was personally known to Lord Nelson. For that work Nelson wrote, in October 1799, "The Sketch of my Life," which is now prefixed to his Letters. The Memoir was continued in the fourteenth, and concluded in the fifteenth, volume of the "Naval Chronicle," which valuable publication, as might be expected, abounds with Letters, Anecdotes, &c., of Nelson.

II. "Biographical Memoirs of Lord Viscount Nelson, with Observations, Critical and Explanatory. By John Charnock, Esq.," 8vo. 1802. This compilation was of no other value than that of containing such information of Nelson's early life as the Author's friend, Captain Locker, could contribute; together with many of the Letters from Nelson to Captain Locker, which form so interesting a part of the present Collection. It will be seen that the Editor has obtained access to the Original tetters; and he found that in no one instance had those Letters been accurately printed by Charnock. In many cases, important passages were omitted, because they contained Nelson's opinion of individuals; but most of the alterations were made with the intention of improving their style, in which absurd attempt much of the writer's spirit was lost, and his own natural and nervous words gave place to what was considered more genteel or more elegant expressions.

III. "The Life of Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson, by Mr. Harrison," two volumes 8vo., 1806.—This Memoir was written under the dictation of Lady Hamilton, with the view of supporting her claims upon the Government; and it is disgraced by disparaging, and unjust allusions to Lady Nelson. The work contains, however, some Letters, and a few statements not printed elsewhere; and though the Letters appear to be faithfully given, the statements, coming from so prejudiced a source, are extremely suspicious; and, if not without foundation, were, no doubt, very partially drawn. Alluding to the Author's assertion that he had been assisted by some of the Hero's " dear and intimate friends," the "Quarterly Review" observed, "It "seems as if these friends of Lord Nelson were in search *' of a writer who would undertake to justify the only cul'' pable parts of his conduct, and found Mr. Harrison a "fit person for their purpose."

IV. " Memoirs of the Professional Life of Horatio Nelson, Viscount and Baron Nelson. By Joshua While, Esq." 12mo. 1806.—A booksellers' work made up for the occasion, and of little value: it contains, however, one or two Letters, and perhaps as many facts, not printed elsewhere.

V. " Orme's Graphic History of the Life of Horatio Viscount Nelson:" folio, 1806.—A volume intended }o illustrate a series of Engravings of Nelson's great battles. Neither the Memoir, which was written by Francis William Blagdon, nor the Plates, have any merit.

VI. "The Life of Lord Viscount Nelson. By T. O. Churchill." 4to., 1808.—A wretched compilation, intended as the vehicle of some equally wretched Engravings.

VII. "The Life of Admiral Lord Nelson, K. B., from his Lordship's Manuscripts. By the Rev. James Stanier Clarke, F.R.S., and John M'Arthur, Esq., LL.D., late Secretary to Admiral Lord Viscount Hood:" two volumes royal quarto, published in 1809, with numerous Plates, and since reprinted in octavo.—This is the standard Life of Nelson, and it has been largely used for all subsequent works. The Authors had access to the greater part of, but certainly not to all, the MSS. of Lord Nelson, then belonging to Earl Nelson; and a large body of Letters and Papers were sent to them by a great number of other persons, particularly by His late Majesty, and by a lady who possessed Nelson's interesting Letters to his Wife, before and after their marriage. The Memoir is principally made up of extracts from those Letters and Papers; but scarcely in any one of the numerous instances in which the Editor of this Work has had the opportunity of comparing the extracts printed by Clarke and M'Arthur with the original Letters or Papers, do those extracts entirely agree with the originals.

Dr. Clarke and Dr. M'Arthur seem to have been actuated by the same love of improving the Letters, which fell into their hands, as their predecessor Mr. Chamock; and though they, like him, thereby disregarded the first principle of Editorship, they are rarely open to the suspicion of having made the alterations from a worse motive than the desire to exhibit Nelson's productions in what, they considered, a fitting epistolary state; as if a Hero could never think, write, or speak naturally, but must always appear in full dress. Be the motive, however, what it might, the effect is, that no reliance can be placed on the literal fidelity of any one extract printed in their voluminous work.

VIII. "The Life of Nelson. By Robert Southey, Esq., LL.D., Poet Laureat." 12mo.—This, the most popular of all the Memoirs of Nelson, is an enlargement of its Author's article on Chamock's, Harrison's, Churchill's, and Clarke and M'Arlhur's Lives of Nelson, in the "Quarterly Review" for February, 1810. It first appeared as a separate volume in 1813, and has passed through numerous editions.

IX. "The Life of Nelson. By the Old Sailor." 12mo., 1838,—which is the fullest collection of facts and anecdotes relating to Nelson yet given to the Public. Every printed authority has been consulted, and much new information inserted from the innumerable scattered Notices in Magazines, the " United Service Journal," Professional Newspapers, &c.

X. "The Letters of Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton." In 2 vols. 8vo., 1814.—This work probably owed its existence to the distresses of the unfortunate 'woman to whom the Letters were addressed; and its appearance was justly and emphatically denounced in the "Edinburgh Review."1 Such parts of those Letters as are unobjectionable will be found in this Collection.

With the exception of some Pamphlets, of which the most important were written by the late Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Foote, K. C. B., respecting the capitulation of the Castles of Uovo and Nuovo, at Naples, and the fate of Caraccioli, the preceding List seems to contain all the Works relating to Nelson that afford any information of his character or services.

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 Post subject: Re: Early Nelson biographies
PostPosted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 6:46 pm 
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Tony

Thanks for the additional info. about Harrison. After many years that all makes more sense now.

Quote:
Other than Harrison, I haven't noticed content which would have caused actual offence, other than inclusion of Nelson's will and codicils. Perhaps it was also the fact that so much was being produced as pamphlets, or in weekly parts, and with poor quality engravings.

Right from when Jacqui made her post this was pretty much my own mind set. i.e. nothing that would cause actual offence. More just insensitive as regards the speed at which it was churned out.

It won't add anything as such but here is the title page of one of my 3 very early (copy) biographies. One of the ones published in Birmingham. There is no date printed on it but I have a copy of a newspaper advert for this book which is dated 23rd January 1806.

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