England Expects: The Story of Emma Hamilton
Emma Hamilton is one of the most extraordinary female figures in English history. She was born into great poverty in the North-West. What she did own, however, was a luminous dark beauty and a vivacious personality, both of which were evident as a young girl and through the vast majority of her adult life. Armed with these, she put her old life behind her, and moved to London where she took on the new name of Emma Hart, abandoning her birth name of Amy Lyon.
The artist George Romney was entranced by her and painted her many times.It was that head-turning beauty that rescued her from a brothel and thrust her into the life of a wealthy woman. She became the live-in mistress of more than one rich and powerful individual before finally becoming the wife of the British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sicily – Sir William Hamilton. The Kingdom of Sicily was vast, containing much of southern Italy, Sicily and Malta, with its court in the great city of Naples, in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.
Hamilton had Emma properly educated, so she spoke more than one language and he also taught her of the Classical world, of which he was a world-renowned scholar. Then she met Captain (later Admiral) Horatio Nelson and they fell madly in love as their extant letters prove. At that time Nelson was England’ s greatest hero and she was England’s greatest beauty – now famous across Europe, with women copying her unique style.
Emma, her husband and Nelson all lived in the same house at one point as her husband was not prepared to lose her. Nelson hardly acknowledged his wife Fanny at this time and the scandal was considerable, especially after Emma bore Nelson a little girl, who she called Horatia.
Sir William died in 1803, and after the loss of Nelson at Trafalgar in 1805, Emma fell into drink and gambling. She spent time with Horatia in a debtors’ prison and ended her days having escaped to a single poor room in Calais, in bed and drunk. She died at 49 years of age, and is buried in Calais.
The fully costumed performance is set after Nelson’s death, as she tries desperately to hang onto the life she had known, and re-tells the story of her meteoric rise in society as it crashes down around her.
Tickets are £14.00 and should be purchased in advance.
The artist George Romney was entranced by her and painted her many times.It was that head-turning beauty that rescued her from a brothel and thrust her into the life of a wealthy woman. She became the live-in mistress of more than one rich and powerful individual before finally becoming the wife of the British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sicily – Sir William Hamilton. The Kingdom of Sicily was vast, containing much of southern Italy, Sicily and Malta, with its court in the great city of Naples, in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.
Hamilton had Emma properly educated, so she spoke more than one language and he also taught her of the Classical world, of which he was a world-renowned scholar. Then she met Captain (later Admiral) Horatio Nelson and they fell madly in love as their extant letters prove. At that time Nelson was England’ s greatest hero and she was England’s greatest beauty – now famous across Europe, with women copying her unique style.
Emma, her husband and Nelson all lived in the same house at one point as her husband was not prepared to lose her. Nelson hardly acknowledged his wife Fanny at this time and the scandal was considerable, especially after Emma bore Nelson a little girl, who she called Horatia.
Sir William died in 1803, and after the loss of Nelson at Trafalgar in 1805, Emma fell into drink and gambling. She spent time with Horatia in a debtors’ prison and ended her days having escaped to a single poor room in Calais, in bed and drunk. She died at 49 years of age, and is buried in Calais.
The fully costumed performance is set after Nelson’s death, as she tries desperately to hang onto the life she had known, and re-tells the story of her meteoric rise in society as it crashes down around her.
Tickets are £14.00 and should be purchased in advance.
Where is it happening?
Lichfield Methodist Church, Lichfield, United Kingdom
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherLesley Smith Historians
