Emma, Lady Hamilton

NAME Emma, Lady Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; later Emma Hart).

WHAT FAMOUS FOR She was the muse of painter George Romney, wife of diplomat Sir William Hamilton, and mistress of Admiral Horatio Nelson. Emma is also remembered for her celebrated “Attitudes” performances, which combined dramatic mime, dance, and classical poses

BIRTH Emma was born Amy Lyon on April 26, 1765 in the poor mining village of Ness, near Neston in Cheshire, England. She was baptised on May 12, 1765 with the name Emy Lyon, likely a misspelling of Amy.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Emma was the daughter of Henry Lyon, a blacksmith and collier, and Mary Kidd (later Cadogan), a domestic servant. Her father died when she was just two months old, leaving the family in dire poverty. Her maternal grandfather, Thomas Kidd, had worked as a collier until his death in 1761. The family likely emigrated from Lancashire, as Emma retained this accent throughout her life.

CHILDHOOD Following her father's death, Emma was raised by her widowed mother Mary and grandmother Sarah Kidd in the village of Hawarden in Flintshire, north-east Wales. The extended family lived in a small thatched cottage between a chemist and the Fox and Grapes pub. Amy's grandmother Sarah worked as a carter while her mother Mary took work as a seamstress before moving to London. Emma received no formal education and started work at age twelve as a maid at the Hawarden home of Dr Honoratus Leigh Thomas, a surgeon working in Chester.

EDUCATION Emma received no formal schooling in her childhood. However, under the guidance of her later lovers Charles Greville and Sir William Hamilton, she was tutored in languages, history, drawing, dancing, and singing from 1782 onwards. She became fluent in Italian and French within a year, demonstrating remarkable intelligence and adaptability.

CAREER RECORD Emma's career trajectory was extraordinary, rising from servant to international celebrity:

1777-1781: Domestic servant in London, working for various families including the Budds in Blackfriars

1778: Briefly worked as a model and dancer at Dr James Graham's "Temple of Health" in Westminster

1781-1782: Mistress to Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh at Uppark

1782-1786: Mistress to Charles Greville, changing her name to Emma Hart

1786-1791: Companion and later mistress to Sir William Hamilton in Naples

1791-1803: Wife of Sir William Hamilton, British Ambassador to Naples

1799-1805: Mistress to Admiral Lord Nelson

APPEARANCE Widely regarded as one of the great beauties of the Georgian era, Emma Hamilton possessed a striking figure with voluptuous curves. She had thick reddish-brown hair,, vermilion lips and famously expressive eyes, which were central to the success of her Attitudes performances. As she aged, particularly after 1800, Emma gained considerable weight due to her fondness for food and alcohol.

Pastel by Johann Heinrich Schmidt, c. 1800, owned by Nelson

FASHION Emma Hamilton was a notable fashion trendsetter. During her time in Naples, she wore loose-fitting clothes with draped fabrics tied with sashes, particularly for her "Attitudes" performances. She skilfully used Indian shawls as props, arranging them to create "Grecian, Turkish, and other drapery". Her style influenced contemporary fashion trends, with the high-waisted, small-busted Empire style becoming popular partly due to her influence. (1)

CHARACTER Emma Hamilton was renowned for her remarkable charisma, intelligence, and determination. Observers described her as having an “extraordinary trajectory” and a powerful inner drive. From humble beginnings, she displayed extraordinary adaptability and social skill, noted for her charm, personality, and her ability to navigate a world dominated by men. At the same time, some contemporaries criticised her as vulgar, particularly her pronunciation. (2)

Vivacious, ambitious, and quick-witted, Emma combined natural intelligence with warmth and generosity. She was loyal to those she loved—most notably Sir William Hamilton and Lord Nelson—but her impulsiveness and taste for extravagance ultimately hastened her financial downfall.

SPEAKING VOICE Emma retained her Lancashire accent throughout her life. Contemporary observers noted her "vulgar" pronunciation, suggesting she never completely refined her speech despite her social elevation. There is evidence that "she spoke as she wrote," indicating a direct, unpolished manner of communication. (3)

SENSE OF HUMOUR Her charisma and ability to entertain were central to her success as a society hostess, suggesting a lively and engaging sense of humour and quick wit.

RELATIONSHIPS Emma's relationships were central to her rise in society:

Harry Fetherstonhaugh (1781): At age 15, Emma became his mistress and hostess at his country estate, Uppark. She became pregnant by him in 1781, but he abandoned her soon after she revealed the pregnancy.

Charles Greville: Her patron and lover in the early 1780s, who essentially educated her in exchange for her exclusive company and modeling.

Sir William Hamilton: British Envoy to Naples, who was 35 years her senior. They married on September 6, 1791 in a quiet ceremony St Marylebone parish church, Middlesex, two days before the couple's return to Naples. It was a genuine affectionate relationship and Sir William was a supportive, older husband and partner until his death in 1803.

Sir William Hamilton by David Allan

 She had several pregnancies, but is known to have had two children who survived infancy: a daughter named Emma (from her youth) and Horatia Nelson (born 1801), her child with Lord Nelson, who was raised as a ward.

RELATIONSHIP WITH ADMIRAL LORD NELSON Emma, Lady Hamilton first encountered Horatio Nelson in Naples in 1793, though nothing came of it at the time. Five years later, however, Nelson returned, and Emma—an excitable admirer of his naval exploits—apparently flung herself upon him with such unrestrained enthusiasm that she cried out, “Oh God, is it possible?” before promptly fainting. It was not, as you might imagine, the sort of courtship move recommended in etiquette manuals, but it did the trick.

Nelson, for his part, was utterly smitten. So besotted was he, in fact, that the Admiralty felt obliged to remind him that his job was to command the Royal Navy against Napoleon, not to lounge around Naples making cow eyes at Emma Hamilton.

The romance produced a daughter, Horatia, discreetly delivered at Sir William Hamilton’s rented home in Piccadilly. Sir William, in the meantime, bore all this with a stoicism bordering on saintly. When he died in 1803, he did so in Emma’s arms while clasping Nelson’s hand, as if to underline just how very peculiar Victorian notions of propriety could be before the Victorians had even arrived.

When news came of Nelson’s death at Trafalgar two years later, Emma claimed she gave a scream and collapsed, then lay insensible for ten hours. This was, as reactions go, both dramatic and inconvenient. A few years later, in 1811, she attended a performance of The Americans, which featured the patriotic showstopper “Death of Nelson.” On hearing it sung, she became so overwhelmed that she worked herself into a fit of hysterics and had to be carried out of the theatre. Clearly, nobody ever accused Emma Hamilton of doing things by halves. (4)

This 1790 painting of Lady Hamilton by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, was hung by Nelson above his bed

MONEY AND FAME Emma achieved international celebrity status through her "Attitudes" performances and relationship with Nelson. However, her financial management was disastrous. After Sir William's death in 1803, she inherited a modest allowance insufficient for her lavish lifestyle. Following Nelson's death in 1805, despite his will requesting the nation provide for her, she was ignored by the government. She fell deeply into debt, was imprisoned for bankruptcy in 1813, and died in poverty in Calais in 1815.

FOOD AND DRINK Emma had a notable fondness for fine food and alcohol. Her love of drinking contributed significantly to her deteriorating health in her final years. She became increasingly alcoholic after Nelson's death, which, combined with her gambling habits, worsened her financial situation.

MUSIC AND ARTS Emma was a talented amateur singer and often entertained her guests. She was even courted by the Royal Opera in Madrid but declined the offer.

At sixteen, Amy Lyon found herself assisting the flamboyant quack doctor James Graham, a man of such considerable girth that he was almost as famous for his size as for his dubious cures. Graham promoted a mud bath as a miraculous beauty treatment, and to demonstrate its virtues, young Amy—dressed up as a Goddess of Love—was ceremoniously lowered into the bath until only her head remained visible.

A few years later, in 1787, now reinvented as Emma Hart, she devised what she called her “Attitudes,” or Mimoplastic art. Using little more than a few shawls and her remarkable expressiveness, she transformed herself into figures drawn from antiquity, from the tragic Medea to the regal Cleopatra. The performances dazzled audiences across Europe and elevated her into a society sensation. She influenced dance trends and artistic representation across Europe.

Lady Hamilton's "Attitudes"  portraying classical themes such as the Judgement of Paris.

Among those captivated was the English painter George Romney, who became so entranced with her that he produced over 70 portraits of Emma, ensuring that her image became nearly as celebrated as her performances. (4)

LITERATUREDespite her initial illiteracy, she became literate and was a prolific letter-writer, maintaining detailed correspondence with Lord Nelson that offers a deep insight into their relationship and the politics of the time. Her passionate letters to Nelson are described as "breathless, emphatic letters, full of underlinings and dashes". (5)

Emma Hamilton was the subject of numerous biographical works and was immortalised in literature about the Nelson era.

NATURE While her life was highly social, her key home in Naples, the Palazzo Sessa, offered spectacular views of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay, placing her in a magnificent natural environment, which was often depicted in art.

Her “Attitudes” often drew on natural and classical themes, reflecting her affinity for mythological and dramatic storytelling.

PETS Romney's first portrait of Emma shows her seated with a spaniel on her lap, possibly to hide her pregnancy. 

Lady Hamilton (as Nature) c.1782

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Her primary "hobby" was the practice and performance of the Attitudes. She enjoyed singing, dancing, socialising and gambling, which contributed to her financial difficulties. 

SCIENCE AND MATHS Her husband, Sir William Hamilton, was a noted antiquarian, archaeologist, and volcanologist, making Emma part of a highly educated and scientifically enlightened social circle.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY She was raised in an Anglican country, but her life was driven by secular ambition, romance, and artistic expression.

POLITICS Emma Hamilton played a crucial political role in Naples during the French Revolutionary Wars. She became a close friend and adviser to Queen Maria Carolina of Naples and Sicily. Emma acted as a mediator between the British government and the Neapolitan royal family, using her influence to secure the Kingdom of Naples' allegiance with Britain. She was controversially involved in the suppression of the Neapolitan revolution in 1799, supporting the Queen's harsh treatment of republicans.

SCANDAL Emma Hamilton's affair with Nelson while both were married created the biggest scandal of the age. Their relationship was conducted publicly, shocking high society. The scandal was compounded by Emma's humble origins and perceived vulgarity. Even after achieving respectability through marriage to Sir William Hamilton, she was never fully accepted by English aristocratic society.

The James Gilray caricature Dido in Despair published on February 6, 1801 satirizes the scandalous relationship between Nelson and Emma Hamilton casting them in the roles of Dido and Aeneas. Sir William Hamilton can be seen sleeping in the back. 

MILITARY RECORD Lady Hamilton helped secure provisions for Nelson's fleet before the Battle of the Nile and acted as a political agent and spy courier during the Napoleonic Wars. Her political influence was crucial in maintaining British interests in Naples during wartime.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS In her youth, she was robust, physically graceful, and possessed the stamina required for the often demanding Attitudes performances. In her final decade, her health deteriorated significantly due to the stress of her financial situation, depression, and alcoholism.

HOMES Emma lived in several significant residences:

Hawarden cottage: Her childhood home in Wales

London lodgings: Various addresses as mistress to Greville

Palazzo Sessa, Naples: Sir William Hamilton's residence where she lived from 1786

Merton Place: The home she shared with Nelson near Wimbledon, purchased for £9,000 in 1801. This became their domestic retreat, featuring gardens alongside the River Wandle with a tributary named "The Nile".

Her final years were spent in various impoverished and temporary lodgings, including a brief period in a debtor's prison, culminating in her death in Calais, France.

TRAVEL Lady Hamilton undertook significant European travel, including the journey from London to Naples (1786), and a famous, arduous overland journey through Austria and Germany back to England with Nelson and Hamilton through Europe in 1800–1801.

Her final journey took her across the English Channel in 1814 to Calais, France, fleeing creditors

DEATH Emma Hamilton died on January 15, 1815 in Calais, France, at the age of 49. She had fled to Calais in 1814 to escape her creditors, living in poverty and declining health. She died "insensible and insolvent," likely from cirrhosis of the liver caused by her alcoholism. (6)

She was buried in Calais on January 21, 1815, attended by her fourteen-year-old daughter Horatia. Her remains were later lost when the cemetery was relocated, though recent investigations suggest they may have been found.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Emma Hamilton has been portrayed in numerous films, books, and artworks:

That Hamilton Woman (1941): The most famous film portrayal starring Vivien Leigh as Emma and Laurence Olivier as Nelson

Romney's portraits: Over 70 paintings making her one of the most painted women of her era

Biographical literature: Numerous biographies and historical novels have been written about her life, including those by George MacDonald Fraser.

Recent media: Her story continues to inspire exhibitions, documentaries, and academic studies

ACHIEVEMENTS Rose from humble beginnings to become the muse of George Romney.

Created the art form of the “Attitudes,” which blended acting, posing, and dance.

Entertained European society with her singing and performances.

Played a key role in the personal life of Admiral Nelson, one of Britain’s greatest naval heroes.

Sources: (1) Royal Museums Gtreenwich (2) Vivianandlarry.com (3) London Review of Books (4) Encyclopaedia of Trivia (5) Sophie Campbell Blog (6) Global Maritime History