Rare Naval gold medal belonging to Admiral Nelson's protégé sells for £100,000 at auction

A rare Naval Gold Medal awarded to a protégé of Admiral Lord Nelson has sold at auction for £100,000.

The medal was awarded to Royal Navy Captain Sir William Hoste KCB following the Battle of Lissa in 1811.

It was sold by London auction house Morton and Eden and was expected to fetch between £60,000 and £80,000.

William Hoste was born in Norfolk in 1780 and was educated at the school Admiral Nelson had attended years earlier.

Captain Hoste's father secured an introduction between his son and Nelson, in a bid to give him a good start to his career, and the pair became firm friends.

Captain Hoste's naval career officially began when his name was added to the books of the HMS Agamemnon on 15 April 1793, at the age of just 12.

He went aboard the ship two weeks later, and this marked the start of a period of almost five years uninterrupted service alongside Admiral Nelson in the Mediterranean.

Capt Hoste initially served as Captain's Servant to Nelson between 1793 and 1798 and was present alongside him at the Battle of St Vincent and the Battle of the Nile.

During that time he learned a great deal from his mentor and also made a great impression on him.

Letters written by Nelson to his wife mentioned that he considered Hoste to be "without exception, one of the finest boys I ever met with".

He stated also that he considered Hoste's "gallantry can never be exceeded, and each day rivets him stronger to my heart".

Hoste rose swiftly to the rank of Captain, going on to become a revered frigate captain during the Napoleonic Wars.

In 1805 he was chosen by Nelson to deliver diplomatic gifts and messages to the Dey of Algiers, and in doing so missed the Battle of Trafalgar and his mentor's death.

Cover image: The Naval Gold Medal awarded to Captain Sir William Hoste (Picture: Morton & Eden Ltd).