Arms: Quarterly:
1st and 4th: Azure a fret Argent on a chief Or three crescents Sable (Hood).
2nd and 3rd Or a cross patonce Sable a bend Gules surmounted of another bend engrailed Or charged with three bombs fired proper, on a chief of augmentation undulated Argent waves of the sea from which a palm tree issuant between disabled ship on the dexter and a battery in ruins on the sinister, all proper, overall a fess wavy Azure thereon inscribed the word TRAFALGAR Or (Nelson).
Crest: A Cornish chough proper the dexter claw on the fluke of an anchor in bend sinister Or.
Supporters: Dexter, Neptune proper mantled Vert, supporting with sinister arm a trident and resting the dexter arm upon an anchor Or. Sinister, a sealion Argent, the back fin and end of the tail Gules, supporting with the sinister paw an anchor Or.
Motto: STEADY
SOURCES, NOTES & CREDITS: “The Double Tressure”, 2005, No.28, The article “Nelson’s Captains” by the late Peter Drummond-Murray of Mastrick on pages 41-66 for background text and painting by Mark D. Dennis. The Wikipedia articles on Admiral Nelson and Viscount Bridport for additional text adaption
Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Hood was a Knight of the Bath (KB) and 2nd in command under Admiral Lord Howe on the Glorious 1st of June 1784.
The arms image of Viscount Bridport and Duke of Bronte is of interest because of the marriage of Samuel Hood, 2nd Baron Hood and Lady Charlotte Mary Nelson, 3rd Duchess of Bronte, heiress of William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson. This marriage united two of Britain’s distinguished naval families and is so reflected in Lord Bridport’s arms.
Today their descendant is Alexander Nelson Hood, 4th Viscount Bridport, 7th Baron Hood and 8th Duke of Bronte in the Kingdom of Sicily. The lands of the Dukedom of Bronte have been sold but the title retained. He is also a descendant of Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood and is in remainder to this peerage and its subsidiary titles. His heir apparent is his son the Hon. Peregrine Alexander Nelson Hood born in 1974.
However these arms, however illustrious, are not those of one of Nelson’s captains but do give us a look at Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson’s arms with augmentations !
The artwork is an interpretation by Mark D. Dennis.
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