Martyn Downer

This is an interesting book, though the title is really very misleading. While it starts with an account of the discovery of the purse Nelson was carrying when he died, the book is really almost entirely a biography of Alexander Davison, Nelson’s close friend and financier. That’s interesting enough, and we get a lot of passages dealing with Horatio Nelson, his brother Maurice, his wife Fanny and his lover Lady Hamilton. But there’s a good deal else just about Davison’s life and business shenanigans and ultimate downfall.

Nelson himself doesn’t come off at all well in the book. His cruelty to his poor wife Fanny and his shameless behaviour with Emma Hamilton show him up as a very unpleasant character ashore. It was only at sea where Nelson’s courage and brilliant tactics earned him the right to be seen as a great British hero. But we should acknowledge that he is a very flawed hero.
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In my recent quest to learn more about the life of Admiral Horatio Nelson, I came across this amazing true story of the discovery of a collection of Nelson’s possessions, owned by the descendants of Alexander Davison, a man who negotiated prize compensations for captured ships and was Nelson’s close friend. In addition to jeweled decorations, awards, and swords, the treasure trove included correspondences to Davison from Nelson, his wife, Fanny, and mistress, Lady Emma Hamilton. The later portions of the book cover Nelson’s funeral and what happened afterward in the lives of his family and friends.

Downer, an antiques expert associated with Sotheby’s, was called in to evaluate these possessions. He has done a magnificent job of reconstructing portions of Nelson’s life from these letters. He weaves together these discoveries with known information and other primary sources. The result is a portrayal of the personal life of a historical figure. In many non-fiction books, it is difficult to get a feeling for the person, but in this case, it is one of the highlights of the book.

The reader obtains a good idea of Nelson’s life, which was full of drama. He had an estranged wife and a mistress. He and his wife entertained his mistress and her husband and escorted them around town. His agent got into legal trouble and went to prison. Nelson seemed almost obsessed with prize monies from captured ships. He also comes across as a courageous patriot, doing his duty for king and country. This book provides a realistic portrait of an individual – a hero replete with flaws and strengths.

It is part biography and part piecing together the provenance of the artifacts found in the Davison family’s possessions. The sources are documented and footnoted. It contains supplemental material – photos of paintings, drawings, treasures, correspondences, and news of the time. I found it fascinating.… (mehr)