Nelson's Purse

by Martyn Downer (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2005

  $3.25

  For nearly two centuries, a red morocco dispatch box lay forgotten in a castle attic. When Martyn Downer opened the box and broke its spell, he uncovered a cache of fascinating and intimate letters relating to the life of Britain's greatest naval hero, Horatio Nelson. As Downer explored the castle, he went on to find a treasure trove of never-before-seen objects, including Nelson's swords, medals, porcelain, guns and even the purse he was carrying on the day he was shot at Trafalgar in 1805, still containing its gold coins. When Nelson died, these objects were passed on to his closest business associate, Alexander Davison, whose descendants had kept them without knowing their enormous historical significance. As Downer identifies each item and its provenance, fresh insights are revealed into the personal and domestic lives of Nelson, his jilted wife Fanny and his mistress Emma, Lady Hamilton. Rarely, if ever, have Nelson and his circle been brought so vividly and palpably to life. Nelson's Purse is an extraordinary historical detective story that will change our view of Lord Nelson forever.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2004

  $3.25

  At the beginning on July 2002, Sotheby's announced to the world the discovery of a major cache of material relating to the life of England's greatest naval hero, Horatio Nelson. The man who made this extraordinary find and who subsequently spent over a year of his life validating the material and placing it in the context of Nelson's life and relationships was Martyn Downer, Head of Jewellery at Sotheby's in London. The contents of this once-in-a-lifetime discovery are remarkable - some objects were thought to have been lost, others had previously never been known to have existed. A mongst the latter is a remarkable archive of letters from Nelson's jilted wife, Fanny, detailing the breakdown of their marriage. For the first time, thanks to this find, Fanny's role in Nelson's life acquires real biographical substance. Also in the find are medals, swords, jewellery (including a stunning diamond brooch with the initials H and N gifted to Emma Hamilton), porcelain, weaponry, and other papers and letters (including some emotive letters by Emma 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 tells the extraordinary historical detective story behind this great find and its progress from discovery to auction. It is a story which reveals the intimate life of Nelson, his wife and his mistress in a way which has hitherto been denied to biographers.