Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 41.djvu/103

 ‘valley of death.’ Twenty minutes later, when the survivors of the ‘six hundred’ were coming in, Cardigan broke out in a complaint of Nolan's interference, but Lord Raglan checked him by remarking that just before he had all but ridden over Nolan's lifeless body.

Nolan was a most accomplished soldier—he spoke five European languages and several Indian dialects; he was a superb rider and swordsman, winner of some of the stiffest steeplechases ever ridden in Madras, and an enthusiast in all relating to his arm, with unbounded faith in its capabilities when rightly handled. He was the author of a work on ‘Breaking Cavalry Horses,’ an adaptation of Bauchir's method to British military requirements, an edition of which, revised by the author, was published posthumously in 1861, and also of a book on ‘Cavalry’ (London, 1851), which attracted a good deal of notice at its first appearance. But although a dashing, impetuous soldier, Nolan, in the eyes of most of the officers of the cavalry division, was ‘a man who had written a book,’ who was full of new-fangled ideas, and was too ready at expressing them.

 NOLAN, MICHAEL (d. 1827), legal author, born in Ireland, was admitted an attorney of the court of exchequer in that country about 1787, and was called to the English bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1792. In 1793 he published ‘Reports of Cases relative to the Duty and Office of a Justice of Peace from 1791 to 1793,’ London, 8vo. He practised as a special pleader on the home circuit and at the Surrey sessions, gained great experience of the details of the poor law, and some celebrity in the legal world as the author of ‘A Treatise of the Laws for the Relief and Settlement of the Poor,’ London, 1805, 2 vols. 8vo; 4th edit. in 1825, 3 vols. 8vo. As member for Barnstaple in the parliament of 1820–6 he introduced the Poor Law Reform Bills of 1822–3–4. He retired from parliament in March 1824 on being appointed justice of the counties of Brecon, Glamorgan, and Radnor. He died in 1827.

Nolan edited the ‘Reports’ of Sir John Strange [q. v.], London, 1795, 2 vols. 8vo, and was one of the joint editors of the ‘Supplement’ to Viner's ‘Abridgment,’ London, 1799–1806, 6 vols. 8vo. Besides the work on the poor laws he published: ‘A Syllabus of Lectures intended to be delivered in Pursuance of an Order of the Hon. Soc. of Lincoln's Inn in their Hall,’ London, 1796, 8vo, and a ‘Speech … delivered in the House of Commons, Wednesday, July 10, 1822, on moving for leave to bring in a Bill to alter and amend the Laws for the Relief of the Poor,’ London, 1822, 8vo.

 NOLLEKENS, JOSEPH (1737–1823), sculptor, second son of Joseph Franciscus Nollekens [q. v.], was born in Dean Street, Soho, 11 Aug. 1737, and was baptised the same day at the Roman catholic chapel in Duke Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields. After the death of ‘Old Nollekens’ in 1747, his widow married a Welshman named Williams, and settled with her husband in the Principality, placing the boy Joseph with the sculptor Peter Scheemakers, who, like the elder Nollekens, was a native of Antwerp.

Joseph is said to have been looked upon by the denizens of Vine Street, Piccadilly, where Scheemakers had his studio, as ‘a civil, inoffensive lad, not particularly bright.’ The latter part of this description is borne out by what we learn of him in later years. Indeed, in everything outside his artistic faculty Nollekens seems to have exhibited not only the ignorance due to a neglected education, but a perversity akin to imbecility. He had inherited from his father a passionate love of money, which displayed itself even in childhood. Yet the wife of his master said of him that ‘Joey was so honest, she could always trust him to stone the raisins.’ He took a sincere delight in modelling, his only other diversion being bell-tolling. The lad was attracted by the prizes offered by the Society of Arts, and, according to the books of the society, he was in 1759 adjudged 15l. 15s. for a model in clay of figures; in 1760, for a model in clay, a bas-relief, 31l. 10s.; and in the same year, for a model in clay of a dancing faun, 10l. 10s. Having amassed a little hoard during ten years of hard work, Nollekens determined to visit Italy. He started for Rome in 1760. His small stock of money being reduced to twenty-one guineas on his arrival, he sent to England a model, for which he received ten guineas from the Society of Arts; and in 1762 he was further encouraged by a premium of fifty guineas for a marble bas-relief of ‘Timocles conducted before Alexander.’ But the foundation of his future wealth was probably laid by his introduction