Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Matthew Boulton’s Medal for Trafalgar 1805, silver, W. J. Taylor restrike without edge inscription, the obverse fields to the right and left of Nelson’s bust engraved ‘J. Peyton, Captain’ and ‘H.M.S. Defence’, 48mm., in an old velvet-lined fitted leather case, one or two edge bruises and traces of having once been mounted in a glazed case, good very fine and interesting £400-500

‘Some years after the Boulton family business ceased in 1850, W. J. Taylor, a London die-sinker, was commissioned by M. P. W. Boulton to restrike a number of Trafalgar Medals from the original dies. Produced in gold, silver and possibly other metals for collectors between 1860-95, the Taylor restrikes have plain edges and exhibit a small loss of detail especially to the clouds on the reverse due to polishing of the dies for re-use’ (British Battles & Medals refers).

Captain John Peyton commanded H.M.S. Defence at the Battle of the Nile, but was not present at Nelson’s crowning victory at Trafalgar, the above described Medal very probably having been purchased by one of his descendants in the period 1860-95 to commemorate his links with Nelson and earlier command of that ship - it is interesting to note that several members of the Peyton family enjoyed distinguished naval careers during the Napoleonic era and that one of their number, Midshipman Joshua Peyton, was present at Trafalgar in the Britannia.

Of Defence’s earlier part in the battle of the Nile, the Trafalgar Roll states: ‘Under Captain John Peyton she seems to have been one of Earl St. Vincent’s fleet before Cadiz in 1798, being among the number that in May were sent to join Nelson in the Mediterranean. She accompanied him during the run to Alexandria, and until he discovered the objects of his search in Aboukir Bay. There, on the evening of 1 August 1798, they were assailed by the British, the Defence being the eighth ship going into action, anchoring just outside the hostile line at about seven o’clock, and plying her guns vigorously until her opponent surrendered. She lost her topmast, and her lower masts and bowsprit were shot through and through and in a most terrible state; but generally seems to have been fortunate, as out of a complement of 584, her losses did not exceed fifteen killed and wounded.

Her crew, which had been implicated in the mutiny of the Channel Fleet at Spithead in 1797, were unfortunately again in a state of gross insubordination; and, on 17 September 1798, nineteen seamen were sentenced to death and six to flogging and imprisonment.’

Peyton was awarded the Naval Small Gold Medal for the Nile, in addition to Alexander Davison’s Medal in gold, the latter forming part of the Captain K. J. Douglas-Morris collection. He was advanced to Rear-Admiral of the Blue in 1805 and died at Priestland, near Lymington, Hampshire in August 1809.