Nelson's Purse

The extraordinary story of a previously unknown cache of Horatio Nelson’s private possessions. In 2002, Sotheby’s auction house announced the discovery of a major cache of material relating to the life of England’s greatest naval hero, Horatio Nelson. The finding sheds amazing light on the intimate life of Nelson, his wife and his mistress in a way hitherto denied to biographers. The contents of this once-in-a-lifetime discovery are...
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The extraordinary story of a previously unknown cache of Horatio Nelson’s private possessions.

In 2002, Sotheby’s auction house announced the discovery of a major cache of material relating to the life of England’s greatest naval hero, Horatio Nelson. The finding sheds amazing light on the intimate life of Nelson, his wife and his mistress in a way hitherto denied to biographers.

The contents of this once-in-a-lifetime discovery are remarkable — some objects were believed lost, others had previously never been known to exist. Among the latter are some remarkable letters from Nelson’s jilted wife, Fanny, detailing the breakdown of their marriage. For the first time, Fanny’s role in Nelson’s life acquires real biographical substance. Also in the find are medals, swords, porcelain and jewelry, papers and letters (including some emotive letters by Emma Hamilton and Nelson himself) which shed fascinating new light on Nelson’s domestic affairs. Most dramatically, the cache also includes the bloodstained purse Nelson was carrying on the day he was shot on board HMS Victory in 1805, still containing its gold coins.

Martyn Downer, the man who made this extraordinary find and spent a year of his life validating the material, tells the extraordinary historical detective story behind this great find and its progress from discovery to auction.

It’s a gripping work of non-fiction combining historical biography with the uncovering of an extraordinary treasure trove just in time for the 200th anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar.