A real life adventurer
Master and Commander, Captain Horatio
Hornblower, and Mr Midshipman Easy are the
classic books and films of adventure on the high seas. The
inspiration behind them all was the extraordinary life of one
Scotsman, the naval officer Admiral Lord Cochrane. His real story,
his spectacular rise and fall – and rise again – is as incredible
as anything in fiction.
Above: Some objects from the exhibition. Click on the images to
see them in more detail.
Lord of the Sea
Cochrane was a brilliant tactician, a hero of the Royal Navy in
the age of Nelson, a trouble-making politician with a radical edge,
a far-sighted innovator and inventor, and a man of action who took
risks. His headstrong character made his name a byword for
controversy, but no one could argue with the skill that made him a
champion of the new nations of Chile, Brazil and Greece.
Above: Some objects from the exhibition. Click on the images to
see them in more detail
Personal possessions
Explore Cochrane’s life and times through an extraordinary
collection of personal possessions and dramatic paintings – a hoard
of treasures that have never been seen together before. Meet his
friends and his enemies and hear what they thought of him, then
make up your own mind. Relive Cochrane’s greatest feats and
discover the fearsome nature of naval warfare.
This exhibition is delivered in partnership with National Records of Scotland.