An extremely rare naval gold medal, awarded to a Norfolk captain following the Battle of Lissa in 1811, is up for auction in London.
On July 13, auction house Morton and Eden will welcome bids for the purchase of the medal awarded to Captain Sir William Hoste K.C.B., Royal Navy, who lived from 1780 –1828.
A protégé of Admiral Lord Nelson, his medal is estimated to fetch £60,000-80,000 when it is included in the auction house’s sale of Medals, Orders and Decorations.
Letters written by Nelson to his wife said he considered Sir William to be “without exception, one of the finest boys I ever met with.”
The medal has never appeared at auction before, having remained in the collection of Sir William’s family until now.
A spokesperson for the family of Sir William’s five great granddaughters said: “After considerable thought we have now made the difficult decision to part with these historic medals.
“Owning them has been a great honour, but it has also been a considerable responsibility and we believe now is the time to share the achievements of our illustrious forebears with a wider audience.”
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