Catherine Suckling
Catherine Suckling | |
---|---|
Born | 9 May 1725 |
Died | 26 December 1767 Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk | (aged 42)
Nationality | British |
Spouse | |
Children | 11, including William and Horatio |
Catherine Suckling (9 May 1725 – 26 December 1767) was the mother of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson. Catherine had eleven children of which Nelson was the third surviving son.
Family and marriage
Catherine was born on 9 May 1725 in
The marriage was a good one for Edmund, for Catherine was related through her father to the poet Sir John Suckling, and through her mother to the powerful Walpole family, by now elevated to the peerage as the Earls of Orford.[1] She was a grandniece of Sir Robert Walpole, and the Walpoles' influence had helped her brothers Maurice and William embark on successful careers.[2]
Children
The couple moved to
Death and legacy
Catherine died on 26 December 1767 at the age of 42, leaving Edmund with eight children. A grief-stricken Edmund buried her four days later in the church at Burnham Thorpe.[5] He never remarried. Catherine's mother, Ann, died shortly afterwards. Maurice Suckling, Edmund's brother-in-law, visited the rectory to attend the funerals, and found Edmund heart-broken, and fearing for the future for his children. He had begun to call in favours with relatives to ensure that educations and positions could be found for them, and Suckling promised to do what he could for one of the boys, using the patronage available to him as a naval captain.[5] This saw the start of Horatio's successful career in the Royal Navy.
Horatio was nine when his mother died, but remembered her with fondness. He recalled a line from Henry V when he did so and said that it could be seen in the tears in his eyes.[6] He would also recall her hatred for the French.[6]
Notes
References
- Sugden, John (2004). Nelson - A Dream of Glory. London: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 0-224-06097-X.