Locks of Admiral Nelson's hair up for auction

Three locks of Admiral Lord Nelson's hair are due to go under the hammer at an auction later this month.

Auctioneers Keys, based in Aylsham, Norfolk, said the rare items were part of a Nelson collection belonging to the late historian Ron Fiske.

Mr Fiske, who died in 2018, was an inaugural member of the Nelson Society and its chairman for nine years.

David Broom, from Keys, said there was interest in Nelson "despite recent controversy about historical figures".

Earlier this month a statue of Nelson in Norwich was defaced with spray paint.

According to Topple the Racists, a group which says it wants Britain to "face the truth about its colonial past", Nelson was a supporter of slavery.

This claim has been rejected by the Nelson Society, which said his overriding ethos was "service to his country".

Nelson was a British naval commander who became a national hero for his victories against the French during the Napoleonic Wars.

Mr Broom said he was "perhaps Norfolk's most famous son".

The locks are kept in paper packets, with the first packet inscribed in ink "The hair of Horatio Lord Nelson, given me by Horatia, 22 May 1818".

The second packet, which contains two locks, says "The great Lord Nelson hair cut off when he left off tying his hair".

The pre-sale estimate of the three locks of hair is £2,000 to £3,000.