Lord Nelson letter expected to fetch £3,500 at auction

A letter written by Norfolk’s Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson is expected to sell for up to £3,500 at auction.

The letter from Lord Nelson is expect to fetch between £2,500 and £3,500. Picture: TW Gaze - Credit: Archant

TW Gaze of Diss have put it up for sale in its militaria auction on Friday, May 29.

It is to Ross Donnelly, captain of the Narcissus, from “Victory off Toulon”, dated September, 14 1803 and signed “Nelson Bronte”.

The letter is additionally signed by Alexander John Scott, Lord Nelson’s secretary who was with him as he died on board HMS Victory. The message is a call to arms to captain Donnelly to send his ship to the island of Minorca where a French attack is expected.

Director of TW Gaze, Elizabeth Talbot, said: “It has good provenance, having been purchased from Maggs Bros circa 1970s and then by descent to the current owner.

The letter from Lord Nelson is expect to fetch between £2,500 and £3,500. Picture: TW Gaze - Credit: Archant

“It is housed in the original Maggs Bros printed autograph sleeve, with original clipped printed catalogue entry loosely inserted, this stating at foot ‘Not in Nicholas, and presumably unpublished’.”

The online auction is on saleroom.com at 10am.