- Author
- Book reviewer
- Subjects
- Biographies and personal histories, Book reviews
- Tags
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- RAN Ships
- None noted.
- Publication
- June 2023 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
Nelson’s Lost Son. The recently published Nelson’s Lost Son is the second part of a trilogy by author Oliver Greeves. Part One, Nelson’s Folly, was reviewed in the December 2021 edition of this magazine and the author is currently working on a yet unnamed final volume.
Nothing has changed from the introduction to our previous review which says: ‘Most importantly it is written by a direct descendant of Lady Frances Nelson (previously the widowed Mrs Frances Nisbet). Skilfully drawing upon this family background, the author seeks to better explore the difficulties encountered by Horatio and Frances, but primarily sees these from the Nisbet perspective which is largely overlooked by contemporary authors.’
Nelson’s Lost Son is the story of Josiah Nisbet who was born on the small West Indian island of Nevis to Frances and Dr Josiah Nisbet on 1 May 1780. The island was part of a rich sugar plantation economy reliant on slave labour recruited from West Africa. In poor health, Dr Nisbet with his family returns to England where he dies. Short of funds, Frances returns to Nevis to keep house for her uncle on his Montpeller estate. It was here on 11 March 1787 that the young widow married Captain Horatio Nelson.
Horatio took Frances and his young stepson back to his family home in Norfolk, here he was on half-pay for five years before being appointed to command the 64-gun Agamemnon. Horatio and Frances never had children, possibly caused as a result of Frances having complications in childbirth, which led to unhappiness and caused a rift between them. As was common in the era of patronage involving family, friends and favours, Nelson took his 13-year-old stepson to sea with him as a midshipman.
Josiah received early promotion to lieutenant, served at the Battle of Cape St Vincent and was with his stepfather in his flagship the 74-gun Theseus at the Battle of Santa Cruz where Nelson lost an arm. Josiah probably helped save his stepfather’s life by staunching the flow of blood from his wound. He was rewarded by a Christmas present in 1798, when not yet 20 years-of-age, by promotion to post captain and being given command of the 38-gun frigate Thalia. This was most inopportune as Josiah was far too inexperienced for such a position and in a face-saving exercise the ship was paid off in 1800: this was virtually the end of Josiah’s naval career.
The above is all factual and well known to most Nelsonian buffs but now we return to the fictitious historical novel which gives us a merry romp with what might have happened to Josiah in those historic times. He becomes a spy working in a naval dockyard where the Admiralty is seeking to weed out corruption, then he is kidnapped and serves on a slave trader taking their precious cargo to the West Indies, and as you can guess he arrives back at Nevis. There are many more adventures including some amorous interludes with older and more experienced ladies, and an eventual reconciliation with his stepfather before the great Battle of Trafalgar.
Of course the real world situation was not like this and following his unhappy naval service Josiah finds his niche, becoming a successful businessman and settling at Exmouth in Devon where his mother comes to live. In 1819 Josiah marries a Welsh lady, Frances Herbert Evans, and they have seven children. Our esteemed author originates from this brood. Unfortunately, Josiah dies early at aged 50 on 14 July 1830 when on a business visit to France. He is buried close to his mother at Exmouth.
An absorbing story, part real life and part fiction. The Nelson story still intrigues us as a rich character with great leadership abilities who won great victories, but on the reverse side, he was a man also driven by ordinary passions who left his wife for a young mistress of dubious background. This led to a bitter breakdown not only in the relationship between husband and wife but also between father and stepson which unfortunately was never reconciled.
Reviewed by Arcturus