Will Nelson's hair be a snip at auction?

A LOCK of hair taken from one of Britain's greatest military heroes after his death in battle is to be auctioned on Tyneside.

- TONY HENDERSON

Mounted in a presentation case alongside a miniature portrait of Lord Horatio Nelson, the lock is accompanied by a piece of yellow silk and gold lace from his left uniform epaulette.

According to a note that comes with the lock, this is part of the epaulette pierced by the musket ball that struck him through the shoulder during the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805.

The item, to be offered in Newcastle tomorrow in auctioneers Anderson & Garland's militaria sale, is estimated at £7,000-£10,000.

According to the inscription with the lot, the hair was originally given by Dr William Beatty, ship's surgeon aboard HMS Victory, to Nelson's mistress Lady Emma Hamilton.

From her, it passed through several hands before being mounted in 1876 in its current frame.

A laboratory certificate confirming DNA sequencing of three strands of the hair is included, further supporting its authenticity.

"This is a rare opportunity to own a tangible piece of British naval history," said Fred Wyrley-Birch, militaria specialist at Anderson and Garland.