Nelson Memorial, Swarland: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

A relatively obscure memorial to Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, victor of the Battle of Trafalgar, is situated by the old A1 (the great road between Morpeth and Alnwick, according to an 1868 gazetteer [1] ), at Swarland in north Northumberland, England. The white freestone obelisk was erected in 1807, two years after Nelson's death, by his friend and sometime agent, Alexander Davison, who owned an estate centred around the now demolished Swarland Hall.

Davison made his fortune in the late 1700s after travelling to Quebec, and there met and became friends with the 24 year old Nelson, who was commanding HMS Albemarle, which was docked at Quebec City during the War of American Independence. Later in life, Nelson engaged Davison as an agent to represent him at naval tribunals dealing with the distribution of the spoils of battle.

The obelisk is not the only Nelson memorial extant at Swarland; the estate also features one of a very few examples of forestry planted to represent a message. A line of trees on the estate represents the Nile delta, whilst other groups of trees represent the positions of French and british ships engaged in the Battle of the Nile.

There are three inscriptions on the monument; from top to bottom:

• England expects every man to do his duty
• Victory 21st October 1805 (the date referring to the Battle of Trafalgar)
• Not to Commemorate the Public Virtues and Heroic Achievements of Nelson, which is the duty of England; But to the Memory of Private Friendship, this erection is dedicated by Alexander Davison, Swarland Hall

The erection of the memorial arguably represented the zenith of Davison's social standing; he was imprisoned for a year for fraud in 1808, and never recovered his position.

In contemporary times, the memorial has become obscure since the course of the road has changed as the A1 passing Swarland was converted to a dual carriageway. Davison's obelisk lies on the old A1, used only by local traffic, hidden from the main road by a stand of trees. Carved onto the obelisk is an Ordnance Survey trig point, and maps indicate the height of the mark as 117 metres above sea level.