The only known example of an original 'Monmouth Cap',dating from the 16th century

The Monmouth Museum, alternatively known as The Nelson Museum and Local History Centre, is a museum in

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, wit ...

, south east

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. It features a collection of artifacts associated with

Admiral Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...

. The museum is located in the old

Market Hall A market hall is a covered space or a building where food and other articles are sold from stalls by independent vendors. A market hall is a type of indoor market and is especially common in many European countries. A food hall, the most usu ...

in the town centre in Monmouth, a short distance from the

River Monnow The River Monnow ( cy, Afon Mynwy) marks the England–Wales border for much of its length. After flowing through southwest Herefordshire, England, and eastern Monmouthshire, Wales, its confluence with the River Wye is approximately south of ...

Monmouth Castle Monmouth Castle ( cy, Castell Trefynwy) is a castle close to the centre of the town of Monmouth, the county town of Monmouthshire, on a hill above the River Monnow in south east Wales. Once an important border castle, and birthplace of Henry V ...

, and Agincourt Square.

History

The Nelson collection was a bequest to the town of Monmouth upon the 1923 death of Lady Georgiana Llangattock, wife of local landowner and town benefactor,

John Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock John Allan Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock, (19 February 1837 – 24 September 1912) was a Victorian landowner, Conservative Party politician, socialite, local benefactor and agriculturalist. He lived at The Hendre, a Victorian country hous ...

, and mother of

Charles Rolls Charles Stewart Rolls (27 August 1877 – 12 July 1910) was a British motoring and aviation pioneer. With Henry Royce, he co-founded the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in an aeronautical accident wit ...

, who had amassed a collection of

memorabilia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the late nineteenth century, Lady Llangattock donated a gymnasium in Glendower Street to the town of Monmouth. After her death, the gymnasium reopened as the Nelson Museum in 1924. The museum moved to new quarters in 1969; the building which initially housed it is known as the Nelson Rooms. The collection includes Nelson's naval officers fighting sword (and those of the surrendered French and Spanish naval commanders at Trafalgar); letters from Nelson both to his wife and to

Lady Hamilton Dame Emma Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 176515 January 1815), generally known as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy men ...

; and various items commemorating Nelson's victories, his

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

career and his visit with the Hamiltons to Monmouth town,

The Kymin The Kymin, ( cy, Cae-y-Maen), is a hill overlooking Monmouth, in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located approximately one mile east of Monmouth, on the eastern side of the River Wye and adjacent to the border with the Forest of Dean and England. T ...

, and

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. Also on display are commemorative

silverware Silverware may refer to: * Household silver including **Tableware **Cutlery **Candlesticks *The work of a silversmith * Silverware is also a slang term for a collection of trophies A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievem ...

, prints, paintings,

glassware upTypical drinkware The list of glassware includes drinking vessels (drinkware) and tableware used to set a table for eating a meal, general glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry. It does not include laboratory glas ...

, pottery and models of the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1 ...

. Among the items from Nelson's visit is the table used when he dined at the Kymin Round House. The collection also comprises some Nelson

fakes A hoax is a widely publicized falsehood so fashioned as to invite reflexive, unthinking acceptance by the greatest number of people of the most varied social identities and of the highest possible social pretensions to gull its victims into pu ...

, including a glass eye purported to be his, even though he had lost his sight, not the eyeball itself; it is a surgeon's teaching model. The museum also holds items relating to Monmouth town's history and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...

, and an archive relating to Charles Rolls and his family. One notable example of this is the only known example of an original

Monmouth Cap The Monmouth cap (Welsh: ''Cap Trefynwy'') was an item of woollen headgear fashionable between the 15th and 18th centuries, and associated with the town of Monmouth in South East Wales. The knitted round caps were used by both soldiers and sa ...

, dating from the 16th century. The museum opened in 1924 in the gymnasium in Glendower Street which the Llangattock family donated to mark the coming of age of

John Maclean Rolls John Maclean Rolls, 2nd Baron Llangattock (25 April 1870 – 31 October 1916) was a British barrister and army Major. Biography Rolls was son of John Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock, and his wife Georgiana Marcia Maclean. He was born in London, b ...

in 1891, now the Nelson Rooms. It moved to its current location in 1969 after the Market Hall had been completely refurbished and redesigned. The entire central part of the Market Hall building had been destroyed by a fire in 1963. In June 2021, while the museum was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Monmouthshire County Council Cabinet announced that the museum would not reopen in its Market Hall location and would be relocated.

Museum Collection

File:Video of a 3d model of Horatio Nelson bust in Monmouth Museum, Wales, produced using photogrammetry.ogv, Video of a 3d model of

Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought a ...

bust in Monmouth Museum, produced using

photogrammetry Photogrammetry is the science and technology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images and patterns of electromagnetic radiant ima ...

File:Monmouth field and History society display at Monmouth Museum.JPG, Monmouth field and History society display File:The cabinet of curiosities at Monmouth Museum.JPG, The cabinet of curiosities File:Elephant's toenail at Monmouth Museum.JPG, An elephant's toenail, part of the cabinet of curiosities File:The cabinet of Admiral Nelson fakes and forgeries at Monmouth Museum.JPG, Cabinet of Admiral Nelson fakes and forgeries File:Model of HMS Foudroyant in Monmouth Museum.JPG, A model of HMS ''Foudroyant'' File:Model of HMS Foudroyant, in Monmouth Museum, 2.JPG File:Example of a Royal Navy dress uniform in Monmouth Museum.JPG, A Royal Navy dress uniform File:Horatio Nelson's fighting sword, Monmouth Museum.JPG, Horatio Nelson's fighting sword File:Nautilus shells to commemorate Horatio Nelson, at Monmouth Museum, Wales.JPG, Carved nautilus shells to commemorate Horatio Nelson File:HMS Victory model at Monmouth Museum, Wales.JPG, A model of HMS ''Victory'' File:A model of the Naval Temple at The Kymin, in Monmouth Museum.JPG, A model of the Naval Temple at

File:Maquette of the Charles Rolls Statue at Dover, in Monmouth Museum, Wales.JPG, Maquette of the Charles Rolls Statue at Dover, created by

Kathleen Scott Edith Agnes Kathleen Young, Baroness Kennet, FRBS (née Bruce; formerly Scott; 27 March 1878 – 25 July 1947) was a British sculptor. Trained in London and Paris, Scott was a prolific sculptor, notably of portrait heads and busts and als ...

File:Charles Rolls driving medal at Monmouth Museum, Wales.JPG, Charles Rolls driving medals File:Cabinet made of the wreckage of HMS Foudroyant and containing objects also made of the same ship.JPG, A cabinet made of the wreckage of HMS ''Foudroyant'' and containing objects also made of the same ship File:Dress of Lady Llangattock at Monmouth Museum, Wales.JPG, A dress belonging to

Lady Llangattock Georgiana, Lady Llangattock, (28 February 1837 (baptised) – 1 April 1923), born Georgiana Marcia Maclean and after her marriage termed Georgiana Marcia Rolls, was a socialite, benefactor and an enthusiast for Horatio Nelson and associated na ...

References

External links

*
Gathering the Jewels artifact list
{{Authority control Military and war museums in Wales Museums in Monmouthshire Biographical museums in Wales Local museums in Wales Horatio Nelson Buildings and structures in Monmouth, Wales Articles containing video clips Grade II listed buildings in Monmouthshire