Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 1.djvu/492

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. i. JUNE is, 1910.

third Lord Nelson. The close family con- nexion, lasting over so many years, made them absolutely reliable authorities on the Nelson history. They inherited precious heirlooms. As merry girls they were wont to dress up in his uniforms for private theatricals. They knew all the inner history of Lady Hamilton, and heard from the lips of those of Nelson's family who dearly loved her how fine a creature she was, and how they ' ' could not blame, they loved so much." I could give some rather thrilling reminiscences of theirs concerning Horatia ; but the object of my present note is simply to record what one of these ladies, yet living whose husband, Major Girdlestone, was the great-nephew of the first Lord Nelson wrote to me when returning ' Old Norfolk,' a book which revived old memories. She wrote :

"It is strange to me to see how the old error about Nelson's birthplace is repeated in every book on Norfolk. He was not born at the Burnham Thorpe Rectory at all, but at Barsham, her father's place. This I Jcnoic."

In reply I begged her to tell me the grounds of her belief, and she not only gave them, T?ut distinctly added her permission to make them public, as she is, in all proba- bility, the only person now living to whom the real facts are known.

She said that her sister (who married another great-nephew of the hero, and lived at Burnham Thorpe for some years) told Tier that one day she was talking to Miss Bolton (daughter of Nelson's favourite sister) of the old church in whose register the baptismal certificate is recorded :

" She implied, of course, that the Rectory of Burnham Thorpe was his birthplace, as the Nelsons lived there. But Aunt Susie (Miss R. S. Bolton) laughed, and said : ' O yes, but it was not his birthplace, for his mother had a fancy to go to her father's house at Barsham, and there Nelson was born.'

" The Sucklings' place at Barsham is not far from Walsingham. How strange it seems to me that this mistake about where he was born should still be perpetuated ! "

As everything concerning our great sea- jnan must be of interest to those who revere his memory, perhaps you will permit me to add to these family recollections two interesting facts, out of many which have been handed down.

One is that the small sea-chest which Nelson used as a middy came to the brother - lin-law of my aunts, and was by him taken out to South Africa, where it was seen a few | years since in the house of Nelson's great

nephew, side by side with the Hibernian quarter of the royal standard which was flown from the Victory's mast, and which, sad to say, was used merely to drape the back of a piano ! In the division of the flag into quarters for the family this square had fallen to the emigrant's share.

The other curious fact is that within the last twenty years some prize-money was sent to one of my two aunts as part of Nelson's share of some disputed capture at, I believe, the battle of the Nile ! Y. T.

EDWARD VII. : " LE Roi CHARMEUR." Our late beloved King will ever be named throughout the world "Edward the Peace- maker." Who first gave him this title is not known it seems to have come to him by universal consent ; but to the Earl of Rosebery our thanks are due for an addition to this, a title, if one may so express it, of a more domestic nature. Lord Rosebery re- ferred to King Edward's character as it affected his subjects and those with whom he came in contact, whom he charmed by his winning personality, ' ' and to the resolve that wherever he went he would make friends for his country, and try to make others friends with each other."

Let us then add a second title to that of Edward the Peacemaker that given us by Lord Rosebery, Edward " le Roi Char- meur."- JOHN COLLINS FRANCIS.

REGIMENTAL COLOURS OF MANCHESTER VOLUNTEERS. MR. F. LEARY at 8 S. x. 315 asked several questions on this subject. The subjoined paragraph on the same topic is from The Manchester Guardian of Saturday, 23 April last :

" Some Old Manchester Colours. The standards of the Newton Heath and Failsworth Volunteers, which have hung for many years in the All Saints' Parish Church, Newton Heath, on each side of the chancel, have been cleaned and restored. These Volunteers were in existence so long ago as the year 1803. They were com- manded by Capt. Scholes Birch, of Failsworth Lodge, who raised them ; also Capt. Thomas Ogden, who afterwards was given a major's commission in the local militia on September 24, 1808.

" The standards were presented by the parish- ioners in the year 1808. The recipient acknow- ledged the gift in the vernacular, thus :

We receive 'em w' gratitude !

We '11 howd 'em wi' fortitude !

And when th' last rags are shot away

We '11 bring home th 'pows

For ye to give us new ones.

When the regiment was disbanded these colours were sent up to London and deposited in the