Trafalgar Day. One of the ships involved in the Trafalgar Campaign was HMS Caesar. As a new boat, she had been engaged in The Glorious First of June (1794) while captained by Captain Anthony Molloy, who had been criticised a couple of days before for failing to obey Admiral Howe’s orders.

During the clearing of grandfather-in-law’s chaotic house, we were given a large, scuffed leather Bible Concordance.  Its honey-coloured leather binding has been worn and abraded by two centuries of handling and it’s so weighty that it takes me two hands to lift it.

Inside the inner cover pages, a woman named Alice Musgrove has beautifully scripted, “An Account of the Birth Death and Funeral of the Children of Robert & Mary Hill” who appeared to have had 9 children between 1758 and 1770. Six died in infancy or early childhood. Apart from the fact that Alice was one of those children and she died in 1848 aged 87 (a detail added in another hand), I have no idea who the Hills were. They seemed to have some link with early Methodism as they were all buried at Bunhill Fields.

Mary and Robert’s son Joseph was one of the sailors on board the new HMS Caesar. He died a ghastly death in the preliminaries to The Glorious First of June, as his mother carefully recorded:

My Son Joseph Hill was Born the 15th of January 1769 at Eleven o’clock at Night, Died the 6th of June 1794 on Board of his Majesty’s Ship the Ceasar [sic] of 80 guns Capt Molloy Commander in the action with the French fleet with the Earl Howe He had his left arm shoot of the 29 May near his Shoulder had it cut off which was his death and now lies in his Watery Grave 100 Leagues of the West of Lands End.

I don’t suppose injury and death at sea had improved by 21st October 1805 and I think of the less famous but equally important humans who were injured or killed in the sea battles of Trafalgar.

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Appendix:

Source document. My transcription:

Robert Hill was born the 17^th February 1727 – Mary his wife was born August the 10^th 1731 – Married the 17^th October 1756 – in Christ Church Spittalfields

Robert Hill Died the 28^th of Feb’y 1801 at 3 o’clock in the afternoon aged 73 years was buried the 8^th of March 1801 in Bunhill Fields.

Mary Hill Died the 15^th of Dec 1803 at 4 o’clock in the Afternoon aged 72 years was buried the 23^rd Dec 1803 in Bunhill Fields.

An Account of the Birth Death and Funeral of the Children of Robert & Mary Hill.

My Daughter Mary Hill was born the 19^th of April 1758 at One o’clock at Noon, Died the 31st of May 1763 and was Buried the 3^rd of June at Bunhill aged 5 yrs 1 month 12 days.

My Daughter Ann Hill was Born the 1^st of July 1759 at Eleven o’clock in the forenoon, Died the 16th of May 1763 and was Buried the 20th May at Bunhill Field aged 3 yrs 10 months 16 days

My daughter Alice Hill was Born the Eleventh of February 1761 at Seven o’clock in the Evening Died February 2 1848 [new hand] and was Burried 8 of February in Bunhill Fields aged 87

My Son Benjamin Hill was Born the 19^th of July 1763 at Eight o’clock in the Morning, died the 26^th of July 1766 and was Buried the 29^th July in Bunhill fields aged 3 years 0 months and 7 days.

My Son Robert Hill was Born the 24^th February 1765 at Seven o’clock in the Morning, Died the 8th of June 1814 [new hand] and was buried the 16^th June in Bunhill Fields aged 49 years 3 months 15 days.

My Daughter Mary Ann Hill was born the 21^st March 1767 at Ten o’clock at Night, Died the 7^th March 1770 and was buried the 11th March in Bunhill fields aged 2 years 11 months 17 days.

My Son Joseph Hill was Born the 15^th of January 1769 at Eleven o’clock at Night, Died the 6^th of June 1794 on Board  of his Majesty’s Ship the Ceasar [sic] of 80 guns Capt Molloy Commander in the action with the French fleet with the Earl Howe He had his left arm shoot of the 29 May near his Shoulder had it cut off which was his death and now lies in his Watery Grave 100 Leagues of the West of Lands End.

My Son and Daughter William & Sarah Hill was Born the 20^th of July 1770 at Eight o’clock at Night.

My son William Died the 20^th of Aug’t 1770 and was buried the 2nd September at Bunhill fields aged 1 month

My daughter Sarah Died the 23rd Dec’r 1770 and was buried the 27^th Dec’r at Bunhill fields aged 4 months 23 days.

All the above children Babtized [sic] and Registered in Christ Church Spittalfields.

Alice Musgrove the Gift of my dear Mother Mary Hill in the year of our Lord 1801.ill was born fgbwas