Boulton's Trafalgar Medal.—To commemorate the last and greatest of Nelson's victories, Matthew Boulton, the partner of James Watt of the famous Soho Works near Birmingham, decided to strike medals and present one to each participant in the fight. The medal, 1⁹∕₁₀ in. in diameter, bears on the obverse a fine bust of Nelson, with the inscription surrounding it HORATIO VISCOUNT NELSON. K.B. DUKE OF BRONTE. On the reverse the battle is represented en cameo, with the famous signal on a ribbon running with the line of the medal, and in the exergue TRAFALGAR OCT. 21 1805. On the edge of the medal is the inscription TO THE HEROES OF TRAFALGAR FROM M. BOULTON. The medal was struck in silver for the senior officers, and in pewter for distribution among the junior officers and seamen. The intrinsic value of the medal did not, however, appeal to many of the recipients of the pewter variety, and they either refused them or threw them overboard. Those who retained them wore them suspended from a blue ribbon. A few were struck in bronze as proofs.

Davison's Trafalgar Medal.—This medal, generally supposed to have been struck at the instance of Mr. Alexander Davison for distribution among the surviving members of the crew of the "Victory," has on the obverse a shield bearing the arms of Nelson, encircled by a garter inscribed TRIA · JUNCTO · IN · UNO · ensigned by a bust of Viscount Nelson, with a laurel branch to the left, and a palm branch to the right, and on a scroll beneath the shield PALMAM QUI MERUIT FERAT and the double inscription ADMIRAL LORD NELSON D. OF BRONTE NATUS SEP. 29TH 1758. HOSTE DEVICTO REQUIEVIT OCT. 21ST 1805 and ENGLAND EXPECTS EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY. On the reverse is a man-of-war with sails furled, and above THE LORD IS A MAN OF WAR. EXODUS C 15 V 3, whilst below is VICTORY OFF TRAFALGAR OVER THE COMBINED FLEETS OF FRANCE & SPAIN OCT 21 1805. Beneath the man-of-war is HALLIDAY FECIT. The medals, 2 in. in diameter, were struck in pewter or white metal, and were sometimes framed by the recipients in gold, silver, or gilt metal rims, with a loop for suspension from a blue ribbon.

The Official Medal.—It was not until June 1st, 1847, that it was made known by a General Order that Her Majesty Queen Victoria had commanded that a medal should be struck, not only to commemorate the battle of Trafalgar, but to recognise the services rendered by her fleets and armies from 1793 to 1815. The medal was ready for distribution in January 1849, and later the naval services for which it might be awarded were extended to 1840. The admitted claims totalled 20,900.

The Naval General Service Medal.—Two hundred and thirty bars were issued with the medal, which bore upon the obverse the bust of Queen Victoria, as on the Military General Service medal, and the legend VICTORIA REGINA, with the date 1848 below, and on the reverse a figure of Britannia seated upon a sea-horse holding in her right hand a trident, and in the left an olive branch. The medal, by Wyon, is suspended by a straight clasp from a white ribbon with blue edges, and the recipient's name is impressed upon the edge of the medal in Roman capitals of the same character as those used for the M.G.S. medal. Officers and warrant officers only had their rank described, and in the arrangement of the bars the first action was placed nearest the medal. Although so many bars were issued with the medal, six is the most awarded to any one man. Dr. Payne has in his collection two with five bars; one awarded to Thos. Hewitt, midshipman, for 1 JUNE 1794—12 OCTR 1798—4 FEB BOAT SERVICE 1804—CENTAUR 26 AUGT 180'—ALGIERS, and another awarded to Capt. (afterwards Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas) Ussher, Kt., C.B., K.C.H., illustrated facing page 284, which also includes 1 JUNE 1794—REDWING 7 MAY 1808—REDWING 31ST MAY 1808—MAGALA 29TH APRIL 1812—2 MAY BOAT SERVICE 1813. This is a particularly rare set of bars, for only seven of the second were issued, five of the third, seven of the fourth, and forty-nine of the fifth.