Nelson's Purse: The Mystery of Lord Nelson's Lost Treasures [Hardcover]

Downer M (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 2004

The compelling story of Lord Nelson's long-lost letters and personal effects.

Much has been written about Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson, whose glorious naval career ended at the Battle of Trafalgar, where the half-blind, one-armed Nelson, wearing a blood-stained purse, gave his life to secure Britain's supremacy for another century. Yet Martyn Downer's surprise discovery of an unknown treasure trove of Nelson's letters and personal effects puts existing accounts of the hero into question. This find of a lifetime provides an intimate look at the personal life of the brilliant commander through the eyes of his closest friend, Alexander Davison—the confidant not only of Nelson but also of his mistress Lady Hamilton and estranged wife Fanny. As Downer reveals in this extraordinary tale, Davison's correspondence with Europe's most famous love triangle is the key to a new interpretation of Nelson. From their first meeting in 1782, Davison shared the triumphs and suffered the setbacks with Nelson, managing every aspect of his civilian and personal affairs. Downer's narrative releases long-forgotten voices from never before published correspondence as Lady Hamilton, Lady Nelson, and Nelson himself reveal previously unknown depths of their turbulent triangle. 30 b/w illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This scholarly volume is both a major addition to Nelson studies and a biography of Nelson’s friend and man of business, Alexander Davison. Davison began as a merchant’s apprentice in London in the 1760s and eventually met Nelson in Canada, where he was procuring supplies for the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He loaned money to Nelson, acted as prize agent for his fleet after the Battle of the Nile, and generally provided the financial acumen that Nelson singularly lacked. (At one point, Davison was a trusted confidant of Nelson, his mistress Lady Hamilton and Nelson’s estranged wife.) But Davison was flexible—so flexible, in fact, that he was imprisoned twice, once for corrupt electioneering and once for not paying interest on money borrowed from the government. He eventually lost his fortune, but the purse (Davison’s gift) that Nelson was wearing when Nelson was killed at Trafalgar ended up with Davidson’s heirs, along with a perfect treasure trove of long-lost Nelson relics. Downer presided over their auctioning at Sotheby’s for more than two million pounds, and while he has an antiquarian bent, he is an indefatigable researcher and master of the details of life in this era. He writes fluently enough to make this an absorbing book for the serious student of the era, but an action-adventure for sleuthing aficionados it is not.
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About the Author

Martyn Downer is former art director of Sotheby's London and has written many articles for art and antique magazines. He lives in rural England.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian; 1St Edition edition (November 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588341844
• ISBN-13: 978-1588341846
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,593,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lost Treasure, September 7, 2006

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nelson's Purse: The Mystery of Lord Nelson's Lost Treasures (Hardcover)

Martyn Downer, the author was Head of Jewellery at Sotheby's in London from 1999 to 2003. At the beginning of 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 validating the material and placing it in the context of Nelson's life was Martyn Downer.

While the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar has brought out an abundance of books about Nelson, this book stands out amongst them because of its content. This is not a book about the great man's battles and conquests, nor about his ships or his men, although they are of course mentioned. This is a book about the chance finding after many years of some of the most famous possessions of Admiral Nelson himself. Possessions that were thought to have been lost over a century ago.

Among the items found are his swords, medals, pistols and pottery and porcelain. Also letters, both to his wife Fanny and his mistress Emma, Lady Hamilton. To be able to handle items that had been lost for so long must have been a wonderful experience for the author and to find items that have never before been documented must have been truly exciting.

This is a book that gets into the heart and mind of the greatest naval hero England has ever had, or ever likely to have.

5.0 out of 5 stars Nelson's Purse., November 1, 2009

By 

Quilt reader (Oregon) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nelson's Purse: The Mystery of Lord Nelson's Lost Treasures (Hardcover)

Excellent book. Well written and gripping. Not your usual dry non-fiction book. Recommend to any who like history and/or historical fiction. Great insights into the life of Nelson.