1806 The Derby Mercury Newspaper Lord Nelson Trafalgar Battle Lady Hamilton Rare For Sale

You are looking at an exceptionally rare, original four-page complete issue of The Derby Mercury, Volume 76, Number 3871, published in Derby, England, on Thursday, July 24, 1806 by John Drewry. Printed in the immediate wake of the Battle of Trafalgar during the Napoleonic Wars, this Georgian broadsheet preserves one of the most poignant personal and legal documents in British naval history.

The front page carries a historic, verbatim publication titled \"Lord Nelson—The following Codicil to the Will of this Illustrious Hero was not proved till the 4th inst.\" Written aboard HMS Victory on the very morning of the Battle of Trafalgar (October 21, 1805), the text records Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson leaving his beloved Lady Emma Hamilton and their adopted daughter Horatia Nelson Thompson to the care, beneficence, and protection of the British nation and King George III, detailing Lady Hamilton\'s vital intelligence services at the Court of Naples.

Deeper within the pages, this issue provides extraordinary historical content:

• General Miranda’s South American Expedition: Page 3 features breaking dispatches from Jamaica and Coro tracking General Francisco de Miranda\'s naval campaign to liberate Venezuela from Spanish colonial rule, reporting on Spanish flotilla captures and regional defense.

• Napoleonic Troop Deployments & Secret Expeditions: Page 1 details the organization and embarkation of British expeditionary forces destined for Sicily and the Mediterranean under Lieutenant-General Sir John Stuart and Major-General Spencer.

• Theatrical, Sporting & Local Culture: Page 3 and 4 log theatrical reviews, London high society, and period pedestrian/running matches in Lancashire between Wood and Pollard.

• Derbyshire sales & Regional Economy: Pages 1, 2, and 4 are filled with late Georgian estate sales, turnpike toll lettings (Duffield to Sheffield), lead mining notices, and advertisements for Matlock Old Bath and the historic Holmes Wharf in Derby.

Authenticated by a crisp, original Red Half-Penny Newspaper Tax Stamp hand-stamped in the top right margin of the front page, this complete issue is an outstanding centerpiece artifact for serious collectors of Lord Nelson, naval history, Lady Hamilton, and Georgian ephemera.

Custom Item SpecificsCustom Field NameKeywords To EnterHistorical FiguresLord Nelson Lady Emma Hamilton General Miranda King George IIILocations MentionedDerby Trafalgar Naples Sicily Venezuela MatlockFeatured TopicsLord Nelson Last Codicil Lady Hamilton Miranda Expedition Napoleonic WarsNaval VesselsHMS VictoryNewspaper SectionLast Codicil of Lord Nelson London Gazette Postscript salesMedia TypeOriginal Georgian Newspaper BroadsheetMajor Property & Pricing Strategy1. Recommended Pricing

• Buy It Now (BIN): £45 – £65 ($55 – $80 USD)

• Best Offer Option: On (Accept offers down to £35 / $45)

• Starting sale Price (if running an sale): £25.00 / $32.00

2. Why This Price?

Any original 1806 newspaper printing the verbatim text of Lord Nelson\'s final codicil (famously written on October 21, 1805 just hours before he was fatally shot at Trafalgar) commands immediate attention from British naval collectors. The added coverage of Francisco de Miranda’s liberation attempts in Venezuela gives it solid transatlantic demand as well.

3. Direct Pitch / Institutional Value

• The National Museum of the Royal Navy (Portsmouth) / Nelson Society: Contemporary broadsheet accounts reporting the probate and legal recognition of Nelson’s bequest of Lady Hamilton to the nation are essential display artifacts for Trafalgar and Nelson biographical collections.

• Derbyshire Local Studies Libraries: The detailed local advertisements for turnpike roads, Matlock Old Bath, and Holmes Wharf provide valuable regional socio-economic records for Derbyshire archives.

📦 Postage: Sent in a protective sleeve via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

the shadow at the bottom is me taking the photo, it is not a stain.

will be folded for postal reasons.

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