Nelson FAQ's

About Nelson

When was Nelson born?
Where was Nelson born?
How many brothers and sisters did Nelson have?
What were Nelson's brothers and sisters called and when were they born?
Where did Nelson go to school?
How old was Nelson when he first went to sea?
What did Nelson's father do for a living?
Did Nelson ever get seasick?
Which eye did Nelson lose?
Which eye was Nelson blind in?
Did Nelson ever wear an eye-patch?
How did Nelson lose his arm?
How tall was Nelson?
I heard Nelson had a dog? Is this true and if so, what was it called?
Who shot Nelson?

When was Nelson Born?
Nelson was born on 29th September 1758
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Where was Nelson Born?
Nelson was born in the small village of Burnham Thorpe in Norfolk, England.
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How many brothers & sisters did Nelson?
Nelson had ten brothers and sisters altogether, but unfortunately three died at birth or in infacy. He was the sixth child in the family.
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What were Nelson's brothers and sisters called and when were they born?
Edmund - born 1750 - died in infancy (a later son also had this name)
Horatio - born 1751 - died in infancy (the first child called Horatio)
Maurice -born 1753 - died 1801
Susannah - born 1755 - died 1813
William - born 1757 - died 1835
Ann - born 1760 - died 1784
Edmund - born 1762 - died 1790
Suckling - born 1764 - died 1796
George - born 1765 - died 1766 (died in infancy)
Catherine - born 1767 - died 1842
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Where did Nelson go to school?
Nelson attended the Royal Grammar School in Norwich but changed to Pastons in North Walsham at the age of nine following the death of his mother.
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How old was Nelson when he went to sea?
Nelson first went to sea at the age of 12, with his uncle Maurice Sucking in The Raisonnable.
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What did Nelson's father do for a living?
Nelson's father, the Reverend Edmund Nelson, was the rector in the village of Burnham Thorpe in Norfolk, England.
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Did Nelson ever get seasick?
Yes, Nelson was very seasick, especially in the early days of going to sea.
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Which eye did Nelson lose?
Nelson did not actually lose his right eye, but the sight was badly damaged. The damage was caused when sharp splinters of stone flew up from a wall on which he was standing when it was hit by enemy fire. This happened during the Siege of Calvi in July 1794.
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Which eye was Nelson blind in?
Although the sight in Nelson's right eye was very damaged he was not totally blind in it. He could detect light and shadow but no more than that.
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Did Nelson ever wear an eye patch?
Nelson never wore and eye patch but he did use a shade which could be worn built into the brim of his hat.
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How did Nelson lose his arm?
Nelson's right arm was seriously injured at Santa Cruz, Tenerife. He was hit by grapeshot (musket balls about the size of ballbearings) in the elbow.
His arm was then amputated (cut off) midway between his elbow and shoulder by the ship's surgeon.
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How tall was Nelson?
Nelson's height was been calculated as 5' 6" (1.68M).
This was worked out partly from family records but mainly from the size of his uniform.
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I heard Nelson had a dog? Is this true and if so, what was it called?
Yes, Nelson did have a pet dog when he lived in Merton, London, with Lady Hamilton.
The dog's name was Nileus.
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Who shot Nelson?
Nelson was shot by a crew member of the French ship Redoubtable who was in the ship's rigging when Redoubtable and Victory were locked together fighting. The man's name is not recorded - he was not captured - but it has been suggested it was Robert Guillemard.

Midshipman Pollard is credited with firing into the rigging and bringing the sniper down although marines in Temeraire (on the other side of Redoutable) were also firing at the tops of Redoubtable so it is impossible to say with any certainty who actually shot the sniper.

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