This monumental flag, 232 cm high and 352 cm wide, is one of only three Union Jack intact survivors of the Battle of Trafalgar. It has only been offered for sale once in its 220 year history, having been retained by Captain James Clephan RN (1768-1851), a lieutenant of the Spartiate, and then passed down through lineage until its acquisition in 2009 by Benjamin Reed Zaricor (1947-2022) for the Zaricor Flag Collection. It was common practice for non-commissioned officers or junior officers to take the insignia as a reward after a battle, as Clephan did in this instance.
One of the most spectacular and significant naval victories in history, the Battle of Trafalgar ended the threat of Napoleon's invasion of Britain, laying the foundation for a century or more of British dominance at sea. The flag shows signs of battle damage. Analysis by the Zaricor Flag Collection, where it comes from, revealed metal shards embedded in the fabric in several places, particularly in the missing crescent-shaped portion on one edge, suggesting that it is the imprint of a cannonball. Fragments of wood splinters were also found. It will be on display in London from 26 June to 1 July.
History
The British victory at Trafalgar was achieved despite the numerical superiority of the allied French and Spanish fleets, which had six more ships of the line than the British had, with 27 more guns and nearly double the number of men of the British fleet. Nelson led his fleet in two columns to cut the extended Franco-Spanish line at right angles, resulting in a melee in which the British fleet's superior seamanship and artillery proved decisive. Twenty of the Franco-Spanish fleet's 420 ships were captured; the British fleet lost none. Admiral Horatio Nelson's unorthodox tactics were hailed as a turning point, made all the more poignant by his death during the battle. The Union Jacks flown at Trafalgar are the second – and still current – design of the flag, having been introduced on 33 January 1 following the Act of Union with Ireland in 1801: the previous design lacked the cross of St Patrick (the red saltire). As a relatively recent innovation, at the time of this example, the red saltire was often incorrectly executed in early 1800th century examples, reflecting the artisanal nature of the flags. This flag of HMS Spartiate is an example, with the two saltires.
Cover Image: Property of the Zaricor Flag Collection UNION JACK FLOWN BY HMS SPARTIATE AT THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR, 21 OCTOBER 1805 | A hand-sewn wool flag, carried from a yardarm or ship, consisting of thirty-one panels with canvas case and cord, on an archival muslin backing | 91 1/3 inches (232 cm) x 138 1/2 inches (352 cm) | Estimate: £500.000-800.000
