Henry Horatio GILES [15593]

  General Notes:

Henry Horatio Giles - born "at the battle of the Nile" 1798 he went on to be Butler to Edward Hobson at Stoke Park, Bristol and subsequently aged 60 ish ran the Saracens Head Hotel in Bristol for near 20 years.

Unidentified Newspaper Report.
As Mr Henry Horatio Giles, the much respected house-steward of Edward Hobson Esq of Stapleton House, near Bristol, was on the evening of Thursday, the 8th instant, walking down the descent near the Bell Inn, on his way to the city, his foot slipped, and he unfortunately sustained a fracture of the small bone of the leg, with a dislocation of the ankle. He was conveyed in a fly to his own residence in Cecil Street, where he was speedily attended by Mr Clarke and Mr Evans under whose judicious treatment he is progressing favourably. Apropos of Mr Giles second Christian name he was born on board a Man of War of which his father was Purser and Nelson commander, who acted as godfather to the "ocean child" giving him his name.

  Research Notes:

Quotes from Nelson and his World.
http://www.nelsonandhisworld.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=266
Horatio Giles Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:14 am
I gave a talk on Lady Hamilton yesterday and afterwards a member of the audience told me that she was researching her family history, in the course of which she had acquired a copy of a Census Return in which one of her ancestors was entered as 'Horatio Giles' and his birthplace was given as 'Battle of the Nile'. I doubt if the new arrival was listed on the muster rolls but I wonder if anyone, off-hand, knows anything about this. There are numerous reports of babies being born in ships - in his 1806 biography of Nelson, Frederick Lloyd records such a birth: 'his mother was a washerwoman aboard the Minotaur when the baby was born in the Bay of Leghorn.' He was named Horatio and Nelson stood sponsor. (Though this seems odd in view of Nelson's 'No women in ships' rule.) I told the lady that I knew some very clever chaps and that I would ask them if they had any information and/or lines of enquiry to follow. Can anyone help?
Last edited by tycho on Tue Nov 18, 2008 11:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:11 pm Posts: 1258 Location: England
Well obviously I couldn't resist digging into this one! And I'm glad I did because it is very exciting - a great story, and although not guaranteed to be true, it checks out in varying degrees in three different ways. My first search turned up a little boy born on board HMS Romulus during the Battle of the Nile, and christened Owen Nile Reardon Smith, so that was no good. However this webpage: contains an extract of the 1861 census for the Saracen's Head Hotel, Temple Gate, Bristol as follows:
Quote: Henry H. Giles, head M 62, hotel proprietor, born at the Battle of the Nile, English (1st August 1798) Charlotte Giles, wife M 45, hotel proprietor, Cambridge Biddy C. Giles, dau U 2, Somerset Bristol It also lists the following as proprietors: Quote: 1858 - 77. Henry Horatio Giles 1877 - 87. Charlotte Giles Is that the information your contact already has? The BMD index has the following death for 1871: Quote: Name: Henry Horatio Giles Estimated Birth Year: abt 1798 Year of Registration: 1871 Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar Age at Death: 73 District: Bristol County: Avon, Gloucestershire Volume: 6a Of course I did worry that he was a pub landlord (or hotel proprietor), as "born at the Battle of the Nile" just sounds like a great story to tell your customers, and you can write what you like on a census form! Fortunately four of the ships at the Battle of the Nile have an alphabetical index to their muster books (which is unusual), and it turns out there are two candidate fathers in those four ships, both named Henry Giles, one in the Alexander (entry 488, Henry Giles, from Windsor, Ordinary Seaman, age on entry: 33), and one in the Bellerophon (entry 1044, Henry Giles, from Carlisle, Coxswain, age on entry (1796): 24). Without needing to look any further, it is the Bellerophon that checks out. In the Gentleman's Magazine July-Dec 1860 on p.210 in obituaries, we have: Quote: At Portsea, aged 89, Nelly Giles. She was on board H.M.S. " Bellerophon," Capt. H. Darby, at the Nile, and in all subsequent engagements under Nelson, and was a most useful nurse to the sick and wounded. Three days after the battle of the Nile Nelly gave birth to a son. The Government awarded her a pension of £17 per annum for life. The Bellerophon of course suffered the heaviest casualties in the British fleet, with 49 killed and 148 wounded. The Malton Messenger for 21st April 1860 puts her death in April 1860: Quote: Last Week, Nelly GILES died at Portsea, being nearly 90 years of age. She was one of the few surviving witnesses of the battle of the Nile, having been on board Her Majesty's ship Bellerophon, Captain H. DARBY, and in all subsequent engagements under Nelson. Three days after the battle Nelly gave birth to a son. The story also appears in 'Nelson's Friendships' by Hilda Gamlin, Vol 2: Quote: Another who merits a place in the record of sea-service is Nelly Giles, who was on the Bellerophon (Captain Darby) at the Battle of the Nile, and at all subsequent engagements under Nelson. Three days after the battle she gave birth to a son. She was a most useful nurse to the sick and wounded. In later life the Government granted her a pension of £17 a year as long as she lived. She ended her useful career in July 1857 at Portsea. It also appears in 'The College, the Market, and the Court', by Caroline Wells Healey Dall, p.164: Quote: There recently died, at Portsea, in England, a woman, ninety years of age, named Nelly Giles. She was one of the few surviving witnesses of the battle of the Nile; having been on board His Majesty's ship " Bellerophon," in the command of Captain Darby, and in all subsequent engagements under Nelson. During the action of the Nile, she was surrounded by heaps of slain and wounded ; and she nursed the latter tenderly, undismayed by the horrors of the scene. Three days after the battle, she gave birth to a son. The government, in consideration of her great attention to the sick and wounded, and of the assistance she gave the surgeons, awarded her a gratuity of seventeen pounds a year for her life. If Nellie Giles really did receive a government pension, there should be something to follow up there. Having written the above, I just did one final search on the IGI records. The result ties in with Henry and Nellie Giles, but throws a bit of doubt on the birth date - 3 days seems to have become 6 months: Quote: HENRY HORATIO GILES, Male Birth: 14 FEB 1799 Christening: 20 JUL 1800 Saint Thomas, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England Parents: Father: HENRY GILES Mother: ELEANOR Source Information: Batch No.: C062513, Dates: 1770 - 1812, Source Call No.: 0919726, Type: Film, Printout Call No.: 6901162, Type: Film, Sheet: 00 The birth date of 14th February 1799 is while the Bellerophon is still in the Mediterranean, and the christening is three months after she arrived back in England in April 1800. The IGI also shows Henry Horatio Giles marrying ANN JOYCE on 04 MAY 1818 at Saint Marys, Portsea, Hampshire, England A son HENRY HORATIO GILES has a Christening: 26 MAR 1847 Great Wilbraham, Cambridge, England Parents: Father: HENRY HORATIO GILES, Mother: CHARLOTTE It looks like Charlotte is a second wife - the christening at Cambridge ties in with her birthplace of Cambridge in the 1861 census above. A grandson (by another son) might be HENRY HORATIO GILES Christened: 10 OCT 1875 at Temple, Bristol, Gloucester, England Parents: Father: CHARLES GILES, Mother: MARY ELIZABETH So in summary, it looks like we have the father, Henry Giles, from Carlisle, born about 1772, coxswain of HMS Bellerophon at the Nile, the mother, Eleanor (Nellie) Giles, born about 1771, died in Portsea, April 1860, and the son Henry Horatio Giles, born HMS Bellerophon either 4th August 1798 or 14th Feb 1799, died in Bristol, 1871. The story may have improved with age, but it does seem likely that Nellie Giles was at least pregnant with Henry Horatio during the Battle of the Nile, and that he was born on board before the Bellerophon returned to England. If he was born on 14th February 1799, it is worth noting that Nelson had shifted his flag to the Bellerophon at Palermo on 1st February, and then to back to the Vanguard on the 12th (although Nelson himself might have been otherwise engaged). _________________
Tony

Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2008 6:30 pm Posts: 284 Location: England
What a wonderfully rollicking story. I'm enthralled! I hope your talk went well yesterday Tycho, and you'll undoubtedly take audience satisfaction to an even greater level with all this amazing background supplied by Tony. A valentines day baby? Yes, I suspect HN was 'thinking of other things much more interesting' to him at the time. Now, Henry Giles, coxswain of the Bellorophon and erstwhile father. He wasn't a noble-looking, tall, seaman by any chance? Thanks for a great read.

Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:06 am Posts: 2805 Location: mid-Wales
Tony!!!!! What can I say? I am rendered speechless (no easy task!) by the speed and efficiency of your research and by this wonderful, undiscovered story of Nelly the Heroine. Thank you so much for the time and trouble you have taken over this. As soon as I've finished this post, I'll pass on the details. Yes, the talk went very well. I enjoyed it, anyway! It was 'Ladies only' so I ended by passing round, and inviting the ladies to have a spray from a flacon of 'White Rose' by Floris - the scent that Nelson gave to Emma before he left for Trafalgar. Believe it or not, there was another lady in the audience last night who told me she was a collateral descendant of Sir William Beatty; and at the last talk I gave, a descendant of Lord Howe introduced herself. tycho Post subject: Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:11 am

Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:11 pm Posts: 1258 Location: EnglandOne point I omitted to mention is that Henry Giles was absent for the muster on 3rd August 1798 and subseqent musters in August and September (I only have the muster for Aug & Sep). But he is not marked as discharged or killed in the battle, which suggests a temporary absence. But at the moment we cannot be sure that he was on board the Bellerophon during the battle, even if Nellie was. He joined the Bellerophon from the Adamant as Able Seaman on 7 August 1796 and was promoted Coxswain on 30 October 1796. _________________
Tony

Sun Oct 15, 2017 6:47 pm Posts: 1 Hi guys Henry Horatio is my partners greatx6 grandfather and him and his sister have been blown away by this information. Ive been doing a lot of family tree research lately and it wasnt until I crossed paths with a lady on genes reunited a couple of weeks ago that i could take the family back further to Horatios father Henry. She had some notes on there that i frantically googled it all and found yr thread and tons of other info. Thanks for sharing this its amazing. I'm still on a mission to find out about Henry and Eleanor. Any more info? Eleanors maiden name was jennings b 1771 x
Clare

Henry married Sophia Louisa Wilhelmina SCHUNEMAN [30232] [MRIN: 5543]. (Sophia Louisa Wilhelmina SCHUNEMAN [30232] was born in 1799.)

Henry next married Charlotte Loftus LAW [30233] [MRIN: 10669], daughter of Ezekial LAW [33436] and Unknown, on 30 Oct 1861 in St James Bath SOM. (Charlotte Loftus LAW [30233] was born in 1817 in Lt Shelford CAM.)