Admiral Lord Nelson’s Shoe Buckles Fetch £2,000 at Auction

A pair of shoe buckles, once worn by Admiral Lord Nelson during the Napoleonic Wars, has been acquired by a local collector for £2,000 at auction. The naval leader presented these buckles to his second-in-command, Sir Richard Hissey Bickerton, around 1804. The buckles remained within the Bickerton family for multiple generations before being offered for sale by Hanson’s Auctioneers, ultimately selling to a collector based in Hampshire. Charles Hanson, who owns Hanson’s Auctioneers, commented: “It was wonderful to meet [Bickerton’s] descendant and discover the story of the buckles, their provenance and place in British naval history.” Sir Richard Hissey Bickerton, a native of Southampton, began his naval career at the age of 12. He advanced through the ranks and served alongside Lord Nelson during the 1804 blockade of the French port of Toulon. Following the blockade, when the City of London Corporation expressed gratitude to Lord Nelson, he advocated for Bickerton to receive comparable acknowledgment, subsequently presenting him with the buckles. Lord Nelson guided the Royal Navy to a significant triumph at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. However, he was fatally wounded during the engagement at 47 years old, having been shot by a French sniper. After his service with Nelson, Bickerton concluded his naval service as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, and later became the Member of Parliament for Poole in 1808.