'Hang em by the neck, Hardy': Rare notebook of 40 unfiltered Horatio Nelson commands in 1799 - including ordering the execution of a mutinous British sailor

By CLAIRE DUFFIN, SENIOR REPORTER Published: 13:20, 22 July 2026 | Updated: 13:22, 22 July 2026 He's remembered for his spectacular success in battle as well as his humanity as a commander. But Lord Nelson was also an authoritative leader who ordered the execution of a mutinous British sailor, a never-before-seen book of Naval commands reveals. The order was one of 46 issued directly by Admiral Horatio Nelson in 1799 and copied down in the pocket book of the captain of the Bellerophon. The commands paint a 'vivid' image of him as a 'war-time commander' who is principally 'concerned with authority' while at war, an expert said. The document shows Nelson order the execution of one of his men while stationed in the Bay of Naples. The notebook belonged to Captain Henry D'Esterre Darby of HMS Bellerophon - the ship that Napoleon would eventually surrender to after the Battle of Waterloo. The orders would have been faithfully copied down and taken to different captains across Nelson's fleet by runners. The book of orders from Admiral Nelson is described as of 'exceptional rarity and importance' The never-seen-before book of Naval commands from Lord Nelson in 1799 - which is 'like reading his emails' - has emerged for sale for £18,000. Described as being 'unfiltered and urgent', the commands written by the Admiral offer a different glimpse of Nelson to the image typically seen in official correspondence. The 'extraordinary' notebook shows an 'authoritative' side of Britain's most famous sea lord, the likes of which have not been seen before, experts said Of the 46 orders in the book, it is believed that 40 of these have never been made public before. This includes 35 copied from originals bearing Nelson's signature, three unsigned, seven issued on his behalf by Thomas Masterman Hardy, and one by Sir Edward Berry. Among these is an order for the men in the fleet to enjoy half a pint of wine each to toast King George III's health on the anniversary of Britain's victory at the Battle of The Nile, showing his 'concern for morale and leadership'. But central to the notebook is the court martial of William White, late boatswain's mate of HMS Bellerophon who was sentenced to death. This was followed by Nelson's own memorandum directing that the sentence be carried the following morning. White was tried 'for having in the evening of the 21st of August last, then being confin'd in irons, behaving in a mutinous manner'. The notebook then records that he seized an officer by the collar, threatened that he would 'split his head', and used other 'mutinous' language. The court found that White had fallen under the 22nd Article of War covering striking, offering violence to, or quarrelling with a superior officer in the execution of his office - and sentenced him 'to suffer Death by being Hang'd by the neck at the Yard Arm of such ship as the Commander in Chief for the Time being shall think fit.' Nelson's own implementing memorandum is equally stark: 'Whereas Wm White late Boatswain's Mate of H.M. Ship Bellerophon hath been condemned by the sentence of a Court Martial to suffer Death...' The book dates from the year Nelson famously began an affair with Emma, Lady Hamilton the wife of British ambassador Sir William Hamilton. The notebook remained in a private collection until the owner passed away, and is now being made partially public for the first time. It is being sold by Arch Books for £18,000, and will likely fall into the hands of a trust rather than another individual. Guy Nathan, 40, is a rare books specialist who founded Arch Books, said the book offered a 'vivid image of Nelson as a war-time commander' and compared it to 'reading his emails' had he been alive today. He said: 'It's such an amazing document. Obviously it's a pretty extraordinary 1799 command document for the Bellerophon. 'Nelson was on his flagship the HMS Foudroyant and a runner would take his orders down in notebooks like this and deliver them to the captains of other ships in the fleet. 'This one belonged to Captain Henry D'Esterre Darby of HMS Bellerophon. 'It's 46 different orders from Nelson himself, 40 of which it's believed have never been seen before. 'Some have been referred to in other documents, such as prisoners in irons, but many are completely new. 'But this shows a rare execution order too.' Mr Nathan added: 'Nelson is presented as a lover of his men and a kind commander but we see another side to him, more concerned with authority. 'They're unfiltered, urgent, not official, and you see that concern for morale and leadership. 'It's not the same image of Nelson we've seen from official correspondence. 'Of course this is during the Terror, in the wake of the French revolution, when people were very, very worried about revolution and insurgence. 'It was also a very controversial period for him. It was in the middle of his ménage à trois. 'On one hand you have him becoming a national hero and on the other hand you have him sleeping with an ambassador's wife. 'The order to his men to have a half pint of wine in honour of the king has never been seen before. 'It's a remarkable piece of history that shows Nelson's sense of justice, morale and command.' Arch Books said: 'The manuscript is of exceptional rarity and importance. 'Beyond the execution order, the book is rich in the day-to-day mechanics of command: intelligence-gathering on the Brest Fleet, casualty reports from fighting ashore in Italy, orders concerning prisoners under irons, restrictions on letters and communication, shore control, victualling, and close supervision of vessels and men. 'Physically, the notebook remains exactly what it ought to be - a working shipboard document, made for use rather than display. 'It has been expertly conserved, with the textblock carefully re-sewn and the vellum-covered boards skilfully re-backed in order to stabilise and secure the volume, while preserving its character as a surviving document of active service. 'An extraordinary manuscript of Nelson's command: execution, intelligence, punishment, censorship, celebration, and the daily pressure of history, all preserved in the pocket book of the captain of the Bellerophon.'