172 - Ø A GROUP OF ITEMS FROM NELSON’S “DEAR SON AND FRIEND” LIEUTENANT EDWARD THORNBROUGH PARKER R.N.

Ø A GROUP OF ITEMS FROM NELSON’S “DEAR SON AND FRIEND” LIEUTENANT EDWARD THORNBROUGH PARKER R.N. comprising a watercolour on ivory miniature believed to be of Edward Thornbrough Parker as a midshipman -- 3 x 2½in. (7.5 x 6.3cm.) framed; a 1½in. his three-draw telescope with wooden body and dust cap; and an oval print of Lord Nelson after Simon de Koster, published by John Brydon, London, 1801, in contemporary wooden frame with reverse labelled Baron Nelson of the Nile This picture was given to Edward Thornbrough Parker R.N. by Lord Nelson & hung in his cabin -- 10½ x 9in. (27 x 23cm.); IDN: PKETR6PZ (3) Provenance: By family descent until 2013; Private Collection. Edward Thornbrough Parker (1779-1801) was frequently referred to by Nelson in intimate terms as his dear son and friend. Until recently, very little was known about the enigmatic young officer whose life was so tragically cut short. From a naval family background, Parker entered the service as midshipman in 1790, serving in a series of ships before joining Mermaid on the outbreak of war with France. Following the Battle of the Nile, Nelson decided to bring Parker aboard Foudroyant. Under Nelson’s patronage, ‛little Parker’ was rapidly promoted to Commander, accompanying the Admiral in negotiations following the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801. By now, Parker was not only acting as Nelson’s unofficial aide-de-camp and amanuensis but also as an informal go-between for the Admiral and his mistress Emma, Lady Hamilton. He described Nelson in vivid terms as my friend, my nurse, my attendant, my patron, my protector, nay him who the world cannot find words sufficient to praise. Proudly calling himself a ‛Nelsonite’, he accompanied Nelson and Emma on holiday in England, forging intimate ties with them both (so much so, that one 19th-century biographer even suggested that Parker was father to Emma’s child). When Nelson was then posted to command the anti-invasion forces in the Channel, Parker assisted in planning operations, taking the leading role in a failed boat attack against French forces at Boulogne on 15 August 1801. During the mission, Parker’s thigh was shattered by shot. He was taken to lodgings in Deal where, after suffering terribly and enduring the amputation of his leg, he died on 27 September. Nelson, and also Emma, were stricken with grief, arranging and paying for a funeral in the town with full military honours, before erecting a monument to Parker’s memory. At Nelson’s request, some of Parker’s hair was preserved for eventual burial with the Admiral, a token of an extraordinary and intimate friendship.