NELSON'S FIRST LOVE

Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson is one of England's famous folk heroes, the subject of many famous writers, as has famous mistress Lady Emma Hamilton.

However Lady Frances 'Fanny' Nelson, nee Woolward, Duchess of Bronte, was Nelson's wife and love for fourteen years. She was of good family, brought up in the rich plantation life on Nevis in the West Indies. In 1787 she married a unknown little naval captain. He was very unpopular locally, had no prospects, lived on his pay and was no 'catch' at all. Fanny was his loyal devoted wife - and his equally devoted widow - until she died in London in 1831 at age 70.

Most biographers of Nelson have failed to give her more than a glance, hypnotized as they have been by the dynamic sea captain and his mistress, but Fanny was handsome, highly intelligent, well read, spoke excellent French, dressed always a' la mode, painted watercolours and played the piano. She wrote entertaining letters, had a wide circle of friends, was presented at court and was a favorite with the Lords of the Admiralty and their wives. She lived a long and fascinating life in London, Bath, Paris and Devon. Although she failed to give Nelson a child, she did give him her son by her first marriage, Josiah Nisbet, to whom the Admiral was deeply attached.

This is the strange story of a mother and her son and their intimate relationship with England's greatest naval hero.