Nelson & His World

Just glancing through some documents and I found this little gem in Naval Chronicles Vol 7. where there is some uncertainty about Nelson taking the title Bronté.

--- --- --- AN old veteran, upon reading the failure of the attack at Boulogne, signed Nelson and Bronte, thus addressed his messmate : " I say Ben, do you know who this Bronte is, that Nelson has got hold on ?" " No," replied the other, " I don't ; all I can say is, that I think he is a d___d fool, begging his pardon, for taking a Partner, for depend upon it nobody will ever do so well as Nelson himself; you see this last business, tho' I dare say every thing was done that could be done without him had he gone in, the boats, the chains, and all would have come out along with him !" Joined by a third, it was long debated who Bronte could be, at last determined that he might be a Soldier Officer ! who was to assist in any descent upon the enemy's coast ; but nothing could exonerate the Hero of the Nile (in the opinion of these honest fellows}, for taking a Partner"

It reminds me of my own innocence, many moons ago when first reading about HN. I actually thought Nelson Bronté came from Howarth and had a few sisters who were handy with quills, a misapprehension soon put right when I started reading beyond the 'The Story of Nelson' Lady Bird edition.

Mike

I love that story! E Hallam Moorhouse quotes it in her book 'Nelson in England' but it's good to have another source.

I have read - but can't remember where, that Rev. Patrick Bronte adapted his Irish name in honour of Lord Nelson, Duke of Bronte. His name was originally Patrick Prunty.

'The Pruntys (or Prunties) of Haworth'? Doesn't have the same ring, does it?

The Bronte children were obsessed with the Duke of Wellington and read and wrote about him incessantly; but Nelson must have had an influence too - as an adult, Branwell, the dissolute brother, wrote a long (300 line) poem in honour of Nelson - an extract is included in the birthday anthology - coming soon!

Swiftsure/Tycho,

The story of the Irish clergyman, Patrick Prunty, adopting the name of Bronte appears in 'A Portrait of Lord Nelson' by Oliver Warner. He says that it was a Greenwich pensioner who thought that Nelson had taken a partner.

From his amusing account the veteran would seem to have believed that all would have gone to plan had Nelson accompanied the attack in the boats, such was the power of his name. He conveniently seems to have forgotten his Lordship's other failures, such as Tenerife and that no man, hero or otherwise, could contend against wind, tide - and the fact that the French boats were chained together!

Nelson also, apparently, had another use for the the name of his Dukedom - she was the name of one of his storeships when he was C-in-C Mediterranean in 1804. One can imagine him giving a wry smile whenever she hove in sight and one wonders how she was given the name!

Kester