Two oak relics from H.M.S. Victory

20 Two oak relics from H.M.S. Victory

Height: 9½in (24cm) Width: 19in (48cm) Depth: 2¼in (6cm)

A piece of planking with a copper plaque stating ‘H.M.S. Victory 1765 Hull Planking 1923 Save the Victory’ and two copper rivets. English.

An oak post and pin with a ring through the end set on a further piece of oak impressed ‘Victory’. The base incised ‘HMS Victory 1765’ and ‘Safety for Nautical Research’.

Admiral Lord Nelson’s aptly named flagship, HMS Victory, became the most tangible symbol of Britain’s naval success following the Battle of Trafalgar, on 21 October 1805. Victory oak and copper from repairs and refits where highly sought after. Some timbers, like these two pieces, and the ‘knee’ in our catalogue ‘Britain on the High Seas: from Nelson to Churchill’, p. 58, were recognisable as portions of the ship herself. Others were made into useful and ornamental items like the oak leaf picture frame on page 17.

Height: 9in (23cm) Base: 5¼in (13.5cm) square