Nicholls, Norton, 1742-1811

Norton Nicholls was born in Lisbon on February 24, 1742, the only surviving child of Jane Floyer Nicholls and Norton Nicholls. The family returned to London by 1745, but the elder Nicholls became bankrupt and abandoned his family, leaving only a small annuity for his wife. With the assistance of Charles Floyer, an East India merchant, Nicholls was educated at Enfield School, Eton, and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, receiving his LL.B in 1766. The death of Charles Floyer in that year severely reduced his income, and in the following year Nicholls was presented to the livings of Lound and Bradwell in Suffolk, which he retained until his death.

While at Cambridge, Nicholls was befriended by Thomas Gray, who advised him in his studies and encouraged him to pursue a career in the church. In 1770 he and Gray traveled through the Midlands together, and Nicholls kept a journal of that excursion. Gray encouraged him to make the Grand Tour, and in June 1771 Nicholls set out for what was intended to be a year in France, Switzerland, and Italy.

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