An invitation to the funeral of Britain's greatest naval hero could fetch more than £1,000 at a Bradford auction.

A black-edged invite to Horatio Nelson's funeral at St Paul's Cathedral in London is one of the lots for sale at an antiques auction tomorrow.

Michael Lewis, consultant at John H Raby & Sons in Manningham, said the card had belonged to a Bradford lady but he did not know of its history.

"It has come to us from a private source," he said.

"It is a black-edged piece of card, measuring about 5ins by 3ins and faded to a beige colour.

"It reads: 'Funeral of Lord Nelson, St Paul's, Jan 9, 1806. Admit bearer in duty'.

"Then there is a black wax seal and a signature that looks like G Lincoln Brown but it is indecipherable."

A similar invitation to the same funeral sold for £1,175 last May at Christie's in London.

The Bradford auctioneers, of St Mary's Road, hope the card will generate a similar level of interest in the city.

Mr Lewis added: "It is quite a collector's piece and we are hoping it will fetch a respectable sum.

"We are expecting quite a lot of interest in it."

Admiral Lord Nelson, who received all the honours of his profession during his lifetime, died fighting the combined Spanish and French fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805.

Lord Nelson's life and death is honoured every year by the Royal Navy on October 21 as Trafalgar Day.

They hold a special ceremony on Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory, now permanently docked in Portsmouth and open to the public.

The funeral card at John H Raby & Sons can be viewed with other antiques lots between 10am and 4pm today.

The auction begins at 10.30am tomorrow.