NELSONS PURSE

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. he 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. he 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. Amongst 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. lso 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