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Clodsley Shovel: a talking mole who plays a minor role in Prince Caspian.

Cloudesley Shovell: a British admiral who died off the Isles of Scilly.

What's going on here? Did Lewis ever acknowledge the connection or give a reason why? Is there any thematic reason why this mole character would be named after a long-dead navy admiral?

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    This is a joke! A mole digs earth, that is, it shovels clods.
    – Gareth Rees
    May 6 at 17:59
  • @GarethRees That's what I always assumed, just a random moley-sounding name, but just today I learned about the admiral and surely it's not a coincidence.
    – Rand al'Thor ♦
    May 6 at 18:25
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    Right, so if you were familiar with the admiral, as Lewis surely was, then you might think to yourself, "that would make a good name for a mole".
    – Gareth Rees
    May 6 at 18:29
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    And then there's this line in the Wikipedia article: "Shovell's body was identified by the purser of the third-rate HMS Arundel, who knew the admiral well. It was identified by 'a black mole under his left ear...' " The joke seems to be many-faceted.
    – Kyralessa
    May 7 at 15:06

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