Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Boulton’s Trafalgar Medal together with an unusual collection of items belonging to Able Seaman Thomas Fletcher, H.M.S. Defence, including what is believed to be the oldest known ships’ biscuit

i. Matthew Boulton’s Medal for Trafalgar 1805, white metal, unnamed, contained in a removable hinged gilt-metal watch-type case, now lacking suspension loop and one glass, some damage to edge affecting inscription, otherwise good very fine

ii. Manuscript Booklet, predominantly in Fletcher’s hand, comprising the ‘General Order’ dated H.M.S. Euryalus, 22 October 1805, as published in the London Gazette on 6 November; a list of those killed and wounded at Trafalgar; ‘The Battle of Trafalgar Composed by Joseph Dixon on board His Majesty’s Ship Defence’, a remarkable contemporary poem written by a participant in the battle (Able Seaman Joseph Dixon, from Whitehaven, Cumberland, aged 22, serving on H.M.S. Defence). The victory at Trafalgar inspired a huge mass of patriotic verse and Fletcher clearly appreciated this unusual, and apparently unpublished, poem because he also included it in his journal (see Provenance below). All the British ships are described, some action detailed, and the victory summarised; two further poems celebrate the British naval victory over the Ottoman Empire in the Dardanelles, 19 February 1807; and despatches describing the victory at Trafalgar; 28 pages, 4to, stitched with string, unbound, some leaves detached, some leaves missing

iii. Shaving Box, a naively produced piece of treen, mahogany and oak, 135 x 80 x 35mm, name inscribed on cover, with original mercurial gilded mirror, losses to interior, residue of lining paper

iv. Ships’ Biscuit, 120mm diameter, portion broken but a remarkable survival, unless otherwise described, condition generally good for age £2000-2600

Provenance: Sotheby’s, Trafalgar sale, October 2005, Lot 193, by family descent. Fletcher’s autograph journal, October 1804 to January 1807, was offered as the previous lot in the same sale.

The remarkable survival of Fletcher’s ships’ biscuit is a reminder of one of the less edifying aspects of life in an eighteenth century warship. Jeffrey Raigersfield, a midshipman in Mediator, noted how it ‘was so light that when you tapped it upon the table, it fell almost into dust, and thereout numerous insects, called weevils, crawled; they were bitter to the taste, and a sure indication that the biscuit had lost its nutritious particles; if, instead of these weevils, large white maggots with black heads made their appearance, then the biscuit was considered to be only in its first state of decay; these maggots were fat and cold to the taste, but not bitter...’

What is purportedly the oldest known ships’ biscuit in the world, circa 1852, is prominently displayed at the Maritime Museum in Kronborg Castle, Elsinore, Denmark.

Thomas Fletcher was born in 1779, and was pressed into service as a crewman on H.M.S. Defence (74) in 1803, probably after some experience of the sea during the brief peace of 1801-03 or even earlier. The Defence, launched in 1763, was one of the oldest line-of-battle ships in the navy. Fletcher kept an autograph journal written between October 1804 and January 1807, during which time he was second gunner, then Able Seaman. Defence arrived off Cadiz in late August 1805. The ‘Great Gunes’ were exercised on September 3rd, a ‘general exercize’ was held on the 4th, and on 6th September news was that ‘the french Was Making all Ready to Come Out’.

This was a false alarm and the Defence settled down to wait. Fletcher records an exhausting regime of cleaning, repairing sails, mustering, and other preparations for battle. He also records, on 29th September, the arrival of the Commander-in-Chief: ‘At Seven Lord admiral Nelson Joined Us with three Sail of The Line wich maid twenty Nine Sail of the Line with Us besides frigates Sloaps Brigs’.

Defence had a crucial place in the cordon around Cadiz: she ‘occupied the station next to the inshore frigates and there were two line-of-battle ships between the fleet and Defence’ (Eyewitness to Trafalgar, p.69). She was therefore the first ship of the line to see the signal at 8 am on 19th October: ‘the frigate In Shore firid Signall gune To Us that the french & Spanish Fleet Was out’.

On 21st October Defence was part of the leeward column led by Vice-Admiral Collingwood. She fired her guns at the French Berwick (74) for nearly half an hour. She then fought the San Ildefonso (74) for about an hour before the Spaniard, which had taken about 200 casualties, struck. Defence had 36 killed and wounded, her mainmast was shot through, cut in several places and much of her lower and topmast rigging was shot away. Her gaff was cut in two and her hanging knees and chain plates were much damaged. A thirteen year-old midshipman on Defence told his sister that ‘when we went down we had two Frenchmen and one Spaniard on us at one time. We engag’d them forty six minutes, when the Achilles and Polyphemus came up to our assistance.’

Fletcher provides a terse description of the battle from the point of view of an ordinary sailor serving on one of the lower gun-deck who depended on word of mouth information once the action started: ‘Moderate Breezes & clear Wheather at half past 5 in the morning. The french & Spanish fleet We Saw to Leeward of Us We Maid A Signal Immeditly to Admiral Nelson that The Enemy was close by he answered it Immeditly & maid all the Sail they Could towards them Admiral Nelson Maid A General Signal Saying Boots [??] Britions fooley [??]... Me the Acton Begon Five Minutes past 12 it lasted untell 20 minutes to 5 in the Even[in]g we took 18 Sail Of the Line and one Blowing in the east Maid 19 in number we took Command Of the Shipes that Struck to us at 5 PM”.

He goes on to give a detailed account of the difficult aftermath of the Battle of Trafalgar: renewed alerts of possible enemy action, the gales that buffeted the fleet, the problems dealing with prisoners and the wounded. Defence and her prize anchored that evening (as the dying Nelson had tried to instruct Collingwood to order the entire British Fleet to do). Both ships survived the gale that followed the battle and San Ildefonso became one of the few trophies saved by the British. On 1st November ‘The Captain thought proper To Read a letter that he Recd From Collingwood Concerning Admiral Nelson Death, the Captain & Officers & Seamen & Merigs [i.e. marines] for there good beheavor During the Acton’.

Defence left for Gibraltar on 2nd November and then, after a rendezvous with Collingwood, set sail towards England. Fletcher’s journal tails off on 28th November, before the ship reached Portsmouth, but he returned to it in later years to add two further entries, the final one being: ‘Tuesday Jenary 18: 1807 This Day the Defence Ships Company Received there Midles on this Day for the Acton of the 21 Day of October 1805. Now on bord of the Kent’ A large proportion of the officers and crew of Defence were Scotsmen, and many were discharged to Kent (74) on 24 December 1805. HMS Kent’s crew was paid off on 29 January 1813.