Lady Emma Hamilton

Lady Emma Hamilton (c. 1765-1815), British court beauty, mistress of the British naval hero Horatio Nelson.

Originally named Emma Lyon, Hamilton was born of poor parents in Great Neston, Cheshire, and baptized on May 12, 1765. At about the age of 16 she became the mistress of a minor English nobleman and member of Parliament, Charles Greville, and under his tutelage studied dancing, singing, and acting. In 1784 Greville, who had fallen into debt, agreed to send Hamilton to his uncle, Sir William Hamilton, the British ambassador to the court of Naples, who wanted her for his mistress and, in return, would pay off Greville's debts. In Naples, Hamilton became the favourite of the court, the confidante of Queen Maria Carolina, and the chief liaison agent between the queen and the ambassador. In 1791 she visited England with William Hamilton, and during their stay they were married.

Her first meeting with Lord Nelson took place two years later in Naples; in 1798 she rendered assistance to him by obtaining supplies needed for his campaign on the Nile. In 1800 the ambassador, Lady Hamilton, and Nelson returned to England together, and in the following year she bore Nelson a daughter, Horatia Nelson Thompson. Upon her husband's death in 1803, Lady Hamilton received a lifetime annuity of £800; soon afterwards she went to live with Nelson. Two years later, when Nelson was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar, she received his Merton estates and an annuity of £500. Despite these bequests, her extravagant habits and penchant for gambling soon left her penniless. She was imprisoned for debt in 1813; regaining her freedom after one year, she went to Calais, where she died on January 15, 1815.