Offa’s Dyke Path

May 4, 2019

Humble home of Nelson's Emma


Emma Hamilton mixed with the nobility and became famous as Lord Nelson's mistress and mother of his child, but her childhood home in Hawarden, Flintshire, was a simple thatched cottage. Her beauty turned heads and she modelled ...

many times for the painter George Romney. She married a much older man, Sir William Hamilton, and later fell in love with Naval celebrity Horatio Nelson. The three agreed to live together in Naples. After Nelson's heroic death in battle in 1805, the authorities ignored the section of his will relating to Lady Hamilton and his daughter. Emma was jailed for bankruptcy and died in France. For more on her story and photos of the long-demolished cottage, use your mobile to scan the HistoryPoints QR codes on the west side of the Fox & Grapes tavern. Or click here