For nearly two centuries, a red morocco dispatch box lay forgotten in a castle attic. When Martyn Downer opened the box and broke its spell, he uncovered a cache of fascinating and intimate letters relating to the life of Britain's greatest naval hero, Horatio Nelson. As Downer explored the castle, he went on to find a treasure trove of never-before-seen objects, including Nelson's swords, medals, porcelain, guns and even the purse he was carrying on the day he was shot at Trafalgar in 1805, still containing its gold coins.

I  Victory

II  Temeaire

III  Neptune

IV  Britannia

V  Leviathan

VI  Conqueror

VII  Agamemnon

VIII  Ajax

IX  Orion

X  Minotaur

XI  Spartiate

XII  Defiance

XIII  Prince

XIV  Dreadnought

XV  Africa

Epilogue

Appendix 1 :The Purse

Appendix 2: The Sale

Notes on Sources

Bibliography

Acknowledgements

Index