A book of sea shanties collected by Lady
Hamilton has been uncovered in Museum of London by researcher Lluis
Tembleque Teres.
Lady Emma Hamilton, mistress of Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, by whom she
had a second daughter, collected sea shanties commemorating her lover.
But her life was more interesting than just this one lover!
Emma Hamilton was born Amy Lyon, but she preferred to be known as Emma
Hart. She was a daughter of a Cheshire blacksmith and was brought up in
Wales by her grandmother.
Working as a servant she became the
mistress of Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh, for whom it is said she danced
naked on the dining table at Uppark for the entertainment of his
friends. It was at this time, aged about 16, fathered by Sir Harry, she
had a child named Emma Carew.
During her stay at Uppark she met
the Hon. Charles Greville, a younger son of the Earl of Warwick and
nephew of Sir William Hamilton. Greville was very impressed by her
beauty, and had great hopes of making a lot of money out of a series of
paintings of her that he had commissioned from George Romney, the
artist.
In 1782, she became the mistress of Charles Greville, an
earl's son and MP, who gave her a home in Paddington Green where he
visited her over the next four years.
Then, in 1786, Greville
wished to marry, and a mistress was an embarrassment, so he sent Emma
with her mother to Naples to visit his uncle
Sir William Hamilton, the British Ambassador. Hamilton was a widower
and it is clear that the two men had decided that Emma should become
Hamilton's mistress. At first she was distraught, writing anguished
letters to Greville whom she genuinely loved, but Hamilton gradually won
her over. They eventually married in 1791.
Nelson first met Emma
Hamilton in 1793, when as captain of HMS Agamemnon he was sent to Naples
by the Mediterranean commander-in-chief, Lord Hood, to persuade the King
of Naples to send troops to hold the French port of Toulon, which had
been surrendered to the British by French monarchists. He and Emma
obviously liked each other as he wrote to his wife: ‘She is a young
woman of amiable manners and who does honour to the station to which she
has been raised.’
Emma and Nelson kept in touch afterwards,
especially during the Nile campaign in 1798, when the British attempted
to intercept Napoleon's landing in Egypt. When he realised the influence
Emma had with the Queen of Naples, Nelson wrote to her of his progress
chasing the French fleet and his urgent need for supplies. Emma became
personally involved in the tension preceding the Battle of the Nile and
the celebrations following it.
When Nelson arrived in Naples
after the battle, he was a sick man. Emma and Sir William took him into
their home at the Palazzo Sessa where she and her mother nursed him back
to health. Nelson and Emma very quickly became close and confidential
friends.
This bond was further strengthened in December 1798,
when they worked together in the secret and often dangerous operation to
evacuate the King and Queen of Naples to Palermo, when Naples fell to
the French army and a republic was established. Emma made most of the
arrangements with the court, and when the ships were hit by a violent
storm, she rose to the occasion, helping the terrified royal passengers.
Her courage struck a chord in Nelson’s heart and they became
inseparable. For perhaps the first time in his naval career, Nelson
began to put his personal life before his duty. This marked the
beginning of Nelson and Emma’s passionate affair that scandalised the
high society of the day.
The sea shanties were written by
William Douglas, 4th Duke
of Queensberry, 1st cousin, once removed of Emma's husband, Sir
William Douglas Hamilton, KB, PC, FRS, FRSE.
William Douglas, 4th
Duke of Queensberry and a friend of Hamilton, composed a short but
stirring song to mark the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, when the British
navy sent a fleet to attack the Danish forces to prevent an alliance
with Napoleonic France.
The Duke, whose family went on to lend
their name to the Queensberry Rules that formed the basis of modern
boxing, also wrote the music for a sea shanty. Douglas, better known as
a gambler and racehorse owner, set the lyrics to a tune celebrating the
Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797, when Nelson fought under Admiral Sir
John Jervis against the Spanish.
Emma Hamilton wrote on both
pieces noting that Douglas was the composer. Her music books featured
two other pieces whose lyrics were recorded by newspapers but for which
scores have not survived elsewhere.
William Douglas’s song to
mark the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801
In spite of the Russians,
the Swede and the Dane, Old England for ever shall rule o’er the
Main, For ever shall rule o’er the Main, And while we’ve a Nelson
to fight on our side, Our fleets on the ocean in triumph shall ride,
Our fleets on the ocean in triumph shall ride.
A shanty by
Douglas and another writer to celebrate the Battle of Cape St Vincent in
1797
Messmates put about the grog, Give old father time a jog,
And that he may quicker flee, To bring Nelson back to sea.
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