Nelson’s broadside at lord who kept him at sea to thwart affair
A LETTER showing Lord Nelson’s anger at his superiors for keeping him at sea for too long because, he believed, they wanted to silence his controversial relationship with his mistress has come to light.
Sir Thomas Troubridge, the lord of the admiralty, was said to have deliberately kept Nelson at sea for long periods so he could not be with Emma, Lady Hamilton, as their affair was a public scandal.
In a letter to Lady Hamilton, Nelson wrote of his fury at Troubridge “lording it” over him.
Nelson found his treatment all the more galling as he had saved Troubridge from ridicule three years earlier at the Battle of the Nile where he ran his ship aground and was unable to take part.
After his victory, Nelson insisted Sir Thomas still be given a gold medal commemorating the battle.
But his feelings about his naval colleague had changed by October 1801.
He wrote to Lady Hamilton: “Tomorrow week all is over no thanks to Sir Thos. I believe the fault is all his, and he ought to have recollected that I got him the medal of the Nile.
“Who upheld him when he would have sunk under grief and mortification? … So much for gratitude. I forgive him, but, by God, I shall not forget it.
“He enjoys showing his power over me. Never mind; all together it will shorten my days.”
He signed off: “Ever my dear friend your affectionate half sea sick Nelson.”
The letter was written four years be- fore Nelson was killed after leading the Royal Navy to a decisive victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.
It has been in the possession of a private collector and is now being sold for a presale estimate of £15,000.
Richard Davie, the auctioneer, said: “This is a letter of interesting content and good association.”
Andrew Baines, a Nelson expert and head of historic ships at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, said Nelson’s relationship with Troubridge became fractious after Nelson’s affair with Lady Hamilton began.
Mr Baines said: “Troubridge took a dim view of the relationship as did the vast majority of the establishment. It wasn’t so much that he had a mistress, but the issue was this ménage à trois Nelson was involved in with her and her husband and there was no real attempt to hide it.
“For no real good reason Nelson got it into his head that Troubridge was out to fix it that he remained at sea and away from Emma.
“There is a letter that exists which Troubridge wrote to Nelson in August 1801, stating how hurt he was by what Nelson had said about him.”
The letter is being sold by International Autograph Auctions in Marbella, Spain, tomorrow.