In the letter she complains that at the time of the death of her husband “who fell so nobly in the Battle of Trafalgar” she was expecting to be looked after financially by the state, but the death of Pitt “caused and change of measures and I was awarded a pension but little exceeding the common claim and my daughter £50 per annum which was withdrawn when she married.” She goes on to add “that besides being the Widow of Captain Cooke, I am the niece of the late Sir Charles Hardy, who commanded the Fleet when His Majesty first entered on his naval career.”
Provenance: Purchased from online retailer Fritz and Brits, 20th July 2022.
Historical Note: Cooke’s death was widely mourned in Britain. Cooke’s widow Louisa and their eight-year-old daughter, Louisa Charlotte, were given numerous awards and presents, including the gold medal minted for the captains who had fought at the action, and a large silver vase presented by Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund. Louis was awarded for her letter, on 12 April 1806, Louisa and Louisa Charlotte were granted a widow and child pension by the British Government, of £200 and £50 respectively. At least some of the money the family received was spent on a large wall plaque commemorating Cooke’s life and death. It is now mounted in St Andrew’s Church in Donhead St Andrew, Wiltshire, close to the family home at Donhead Lodge in St Bartholomew’s Street.
