Cool, I loved Nelson :)
Posted on 07/01/2002 4:29:51 PM PDT by Pokey78
The most important collection of Lord Nelson memorabilia to be discovered for more than a century, including the bloodstained silk purse that was in his pocket at the Battle of Trafalgar, has been found during a routine insurance valuation.
The archive, which had been missing for about 170 years, also includes scores of letters from his wife, Lady Nelson, and his mistress, Lady Hamilton, which throw new light on the women's battle to win the love of Britain's greatest admiral.
The collection was discovered by Martyn Downer, a jewellery expert at Sotheby's, while he was carrying out routine valuation work.
A diamond brooch with the letters H and N surrounding an anchor was brought in by clients and he immediately realised that it was probably connected with Horatio Nelson, who was killed during the crushing British victory over the combined French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar in 1805.
The brooch's owners told Mr Downer that they were descended from Alexander Davison, who was Nelson's closest friend and banker, and said that they had some documents at home which might help him research the piece.
"When I went to their house I was shown two 18th century deed boxes which were crammed with papers," said Mr Downer yesterday. "During the day, they produced more and more objects.
"As I was leaving on the first day, the family asked me to see one final thing which might be of interest, which was the purse. They brought it down to me and explained that they had never opened it. I realised in a heart-stopping moment what this thing probably was.
"So we sat down and carefully we opened up this purse to discover 21 gold coins, guineas and half guineas and a very fragile document which details the money which Nelson had on him when he was killed at Trafalgar."
The bloodstained green silk purse in which Nelson had placed £14 - £800 in today's money - on the morning of Trafalgar was removed from his body after the battle and sent to Davison, who was the executor of his estate.
"It was an amazing moment," said Mr Downer. "This was not just a souvenir but a piece of history itself."
The collection left Britain when Davison's descendants emigrated about 170 years ago and, although there were rumours about its existence, its whereabouts had remained unknown since.
The collection will be auctioned in London on Oct 21, the anniversary of Trafalgar, when it is expected to fetch up to £1 million. The brooch, which may have been given to Lady Hamilton as a present by Nelson, is expected to sell for up to £150,000 while the purse and coins are estimated at £60,000-£80,000.
The collection also includes a sword presented to Nelson to commemorate his victory over the French at the Battle of the Nile in 1798, which is expected to fetch £40,000 to £60,000. Its gilt bronze hilt is shaped like a crocodile and it has an enamelled depiction of the French flagship blowing up during the battle.
There are fears that the collection could be lost to the nation because, as it was not found in Britain, the Government will not be able to impose a temporary export ban on pieces bought by foreign buyers in order to give British bidders time to match the sale prices.
Like the Rosetta Stone was lost to Egypt?
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