us. xii. NOV. 6, 1915.] NOTES AND QUERIES.
361
TREE FOLK-LORE : THE ELDER. There is
said to be a common belief in Huntingdon-
shire that babies rocked in elder-wood
cradles always die young. How has this
arisen ? It has been suggested that it arose
from the belief that the Cross was made of
elder-wood. Even so, what is the argu-
ment ? A. S. E. ACKERMANN.
DRAWINGS OF MALEFACTORS. Where is now the series of drawings of malefactors made by " Rainy Day Smith " for the Duke of Roxburghe ? Particulars of similar col- lections would be valued. J. ARDAGH.
NELSON MEMORIAL RINGS.
(11 S. xii. 233.)
SEVERAL communications have reached me in the guise of queries regarding my note on the mourning rings distributed to the relations and friends after the funeral of Admiral Viscount Nelson in 1806. One gentleman, who is the possessor of a ring, asks me how it is that the ancestor's name, from whom it descended to him, is not in the printed list ; while another correspondent begs me to " send the names of the sixty original recipients to ' N. & Q.' for the benefit of the many interested." I have therefore ventured to do so, adding a few notes of explanation, as No. 34988 Add. MSS. at the British Museum is not easily ac- cessible. But to those who may be really concerned in knowing who the first owners were, I would recommend the perusal of a series of interesting letters written by Mrs. (Susanna) Bolton and her daughters to Lady Hamilton, and printed in two volumes by the late Mr. Morrison for private circulation doubtless to be met with at the British Museum.
At the time of Lord Nelson's death (21 Oct., 1805) there were surviving of his nine brothers and sisters but three, namely, a brother, William (b. 1786, d. 1835), and two sisters, Susanna (b. 1753, d. 1813) and Catherine (b. 1767, d. 1842). The Rev. Wm. Nelson, Rector of Hil- borough in Norfolk, after his brother's death was created Earl Nelson, and given an estate in Wiltshire named Trafalgar, which descended, in 1835, to Mr. Thomas Bolton, his nephew. In the following list of names will be noted the Rev. William Bolton, a brother-in-law of
Susanna Nelson (Mrs. T. Bolton). His
son William married his first cousin
Catherine, daughter of T. Bolton, and,
entering the Navy, rose to the rank of
captain under the auspices of Admiral
Nelson. He was knighted, in order to
represent the latter at his installation of
the Order of the Bath, Nelson having been
ordered suddenly to join his ship. These
completed the immediate family circle,
with the addition of the aunts, Mrs.
Goulty (Thomasine Nelson) and Mrs.
Rolfe (Alice Nelson), together with
the latter' s son and grandson and
daughter (Mrs. Taylor). On his mother's
(Catherine Suckling's) side were Col.
Suckling, son of the " Uncle William " to
whom so many letters were addressed by
the Admiral in the earlier part of his
career ; and Mr., Mrs., and Miss Berney
of Norfolk.
LIST OF RINGS SENT OUT BY EARL NELSON AND MR. HASELWOOD, EXECUTORS OP ADMIRAL VISCOUNT NELSON.
Earl Nelson
Countess Nelson
Viscount Nelson
Lady Charlotte
Nelson
G. Matcham, Esq. Mrs. Matcham G. Matcham, jun. Thos. Bolton, Esq. Mrs. Bolton T. Bolton, jun.
Lady Bolton Sir Wm. Bolton
Miss Bolton Miss E. Bolton Miss A. Bolton Mrs. Nelson Mrs. Rolfe Rev. R. Rolfe Mrs. E. Rolfe
Rev. Taylor
Mrs. Goulty Mr. Goulty Col. Suckling Mrs. Suckling Mrs. Suckling
Robert Suckling,
Esq.
Mr. Berney Mrs. Berney. Miss Berney.
brother,
sister-in-law,
their son, d.v.p.
their daughter.
brother-in-law
sister.
nephew.
brother-in-law.
sister.
nephew, afterwards second earl.
niece.
Capt. R.N., her husband.
niece.
niece.
niece.
brother's widow.
aunt.
cousin.
cousin's widow.
cousin's husband.
aunt.
cousin.
cousin.
cousin's wife.
widow of Rev. J. T. Suckling.
(of Woodton, Nor- folk).
cousin.
