Titan's Tribute

A tribute from a titan of industry to a British naval hero and his men is part of the Puke Ariki Heritage Collection. This bronze Boulton's Trafalgar Medal, featuring a profile of Vice-Admiral Viscount Horatio Nelson in uniform on the obverse, is one of the medals produced by Birmingham industrialist Matthew Boulton after Nelson’s victory over the Franco-Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. About 15,000 of the medals were produced and distributed to participants in the battle at Boulton’s expense. According to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England these medals were all in white metal. Later a number of presentation issues in other metals were made. This medal is inscribed to Robert Mason of the H.M.S Neptune but it has not yet been confirmed if it was actually presented to him. It was donated to Taranaki Museum as part of the large collection of south Taranaki lawyer John Houston.