A gift presented to Admiral Lord Nelson by Oxford has gone on display at the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock.

The gold box was given to Nelson by the Mayor of Oxford in 1802, when a victory parade stopped off in the city.

The 3in oval container was made in London in 1800, and carries an ornate crest of Oxford on the lid. It has been given to the museum by the Government.

It contains a parchment showing the Order of Freedom awarded to Nelson for his services to the country.

Philip Platt, curator of social history at Oxfordshire County Council's museums resource centre, said: "We are very pleased that the Government has donated this freedom box to us.

"It is a very significant ob- ject and an important addition to the county's museum collections.

"We are also very fortunate in having the specialist staff to be able to care for and display such wonderful objects.

"The provenance of the box and the journey it has made over the centuries is extremely well documented, so this is a very interesting acquistion.

"We were overjoyed when we found out we were getting it from the Government because there are so many clear local connections."

Mr Platt added that the box and parchment could also be displayed at the Museum of Oxford at a later date.

Sam van de Geer, conserva- tion officer at the museum resource centre, added: "Everyone working for the museums service is delighted to receive this donation - it's very exciting and I hope it means we get lots of visitors to the museum."

When Lord Nelson arrived in Oxford on July 21, 1802, he is known to have stopped off for a meal at the now-demo- lished Angel Inn, in High Street.

The following day, the box was presented to him during an elaborate ceremony.

After the death of Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805, the box passed to his mistress Lady Hamilton and was sold with her belongings in 1813 to pay off gambling debts.

The box was bought by Catherine Matcham, Nelson's sister, and passed down through the Matcham family before being given to the Government in lieu of inheritance tax.

It was transferred to the council's museum collections in February.

For opening times, call the Oxfordshire Museum on 01993 811456.