Admiral Nelson's archive worth up to £6m goes under the hammer

Rare letters and documents belonging to Navy commander Vice-Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson are up for auction at Sotheby’s as part of a collection of 415 historical documents, manuscripts and letters. The lot also includes notes Nelson wrote to his lover, Emma Hamilton. Sotheby’s expects the auction to fetch between £4 million and £6 million. The auction house opened bidding on Wednesday, the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, and bidding runs until 18 November.Clive Richards, CBE (1937–2021), a venture capitalist and philanthropist with strong roots in Herefordshire, collected these rare letters and manuscripts. All proceeds from the auction will go to the Clive Richards Foundation, which supports education, healthcare, heritage and the arts, the auction house said.A rare collection built over four decadesPic credit: Sotheby'sThe lot contains 415 documents, manuscripts and letters. The historic collection comprises the Nelson Papers (217 items), Hamilton Papers (136 items), Battle Papers (46 items) and Nelson Family Papers (19 items), according to Sotheby’s. It took Richards more than 40 years to gather these rare letters.Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby’s book and manuscript specialist,...