The Nelson Collection
The Most Noble Lord Horatio Nelson, Viscount and Baron Nelson, of the Nile and of Burnham Thorpe in the County of Norfolk, Baron Nelson of the Nile and of Hilborough in the said County, Knight of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Vice Admiral of the White Squadron of the Fleet, Commander in Chief of his Majesty's Ships and Vessels in the Mediterranean, Duke of Bronté in the Kingdom of Sicily, Knight Grand Cross of the Sicilian Order of St Ferdinand and of Merit, Member of the Ottoman Order of the Crescent, Knight Grand Commander of the Order of St Joachim.
Born in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, 29 September 1758 – died at the Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October 1805.
The Naval Marine Archive is proud to hold perhaps the largest Canadian collection of Nelsonian doccumentation and artifacts. Our main gallery always has a display commemorating Admiral Nelson's life, including recent additions on view for first time. Special paintings - oils and prints - set the scene, with sculptures, notable memorabilia and books adding to the history of the day.
Among the items on display you will find a British naval cutlass from 1804, a copy of Nelson's purse, that he wore at the Battle of Trafalgar, made of green silk with coins of the period. There is an early framed reproduction of The Times, 7 November 1805 which gives the first reporting to the public about Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, and the tragedy of losing the Nation's Hero, Horatio Nelson.
We have a wealth of information about our model of the HMS Victory which is a centrepiece of our gallery. Visitors are always intrigued with the model and the historical information about this ship of the line. Other models and half models are on display on the second floor.
The books in our Nelson collection are catalogued here. For a more succinct list, please visit a partial listing to view some of our various titles.
We also have available for consultation the voluminous reasearch notes prepared by the late George E. Waring; and also over seventy copies of the Nelson Dispatch, the Journal of the Nelson Society, from 1995 to 2011, together with numerous early biographies of Nelson in the rare book room alongside one of the two known original letters from William Cumby, First Lieutenant of the Belerophon, written at sea after the Battle of Trafalgar.
Please come and visit. "The Victory" on Main Street, Picton, ON, is open to the public, free of charge, seven days a week. Judging from the comments in our Visitors' Book, you are bound to enjoy your time here.
