Nelson's Sweetheart

From humble beginnings to mixing with Italian royalty and stealing the heart of Lord Nelson, Lady Emma Hamilton is one of Britain’s most fascinating and misunderstood characters.

- Steve Pill

A dmiral Lord Nelson may have died a hero’s death at the Battle of Trafalgar after proving Britain’s naval supremacy in the Napoleonic wars, but the woman he loved during his final years would suffer a much less grandiose end. Lady Emma Hamilton spiralled into poverty, turned to drink and died of amoebic dysentery less than a decade later – and all this despite Nelson having pleaded with the government to make specific provisions to care for the mother of his only surviving daughter, Horatia.

Lady Hamilton’s death in France at the age of just 49 marked the end of a dramatic arc in fortunes across the course of her life. The daughter of a Cheshire blacksmith, Emma was born Amy Lyon on 26 April 1765 – or at least that was the day on which she celebrated her birthday; the date is contested by historians and much of her early life remains a mystery, largely of her own making.

Emma served as a maid during her teens for families in London and Hawarden, north Wales. At 15, she spent several months working at Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh’s Uppark estate in West Sussex, which is now open as a National Trust property. She struck up a friendship with one of Sir Harry’s guests, the MP Charles Greville, and later became his mistress. In 1782, Greville moved her into a house in Paddington Green, which he would visit on and off over the next four years.

During this time, Emma met the famed society portrait artist George Romney who would go on to paint more than 60 depictions of her in various classical guises, including the Shakespearean fairy queen Titania and Circe, the Greek goddess of magic, mostly from his studio in London’s Cavendish Square.

One man who would encourage her in these creative endeavours was Sir William Hamilton, a British ambassador in Italy and the uncle of Charles Greville.