Stobhall Castle auction surpasses expectations

A sale of contents from Stobhall Castle in Perthshire has made more than £900,000 at auction.

The sale, at Bonhams in Edinburgh, saw many of the historic lots far surpass their original estimates.

Among them was a rare Venetian decorated copper dish from around the year 1500, which sold for £121,250. It had been estimated at £25,000-30,000.

Stobhall is one of the ancestral seats of the Drummond family and original home of the Drummond chiefs.

At the auction, an early 19th Century ivory cockade fan fetched £39,650 despite an estimate of just £5,000-£8,000.

James Drummond, the sixth viscount of Strathallan, had given the fan to his fiance as a present when the family's titles were restored in 1824.

They were forfeited after the Battle of Culloden in 1746, when the Drummond family were on the losing Jacobite side.

Bonhams' managing director in Scotland, Miranda Grant said: "This was a wonderful opportunity for collectors to acquire a slice of history from one of Scotland's most fascinating ancestral homes and I am delighted that it has been such a great success."

Among the other items sold was a silver-mounted Highland broadsword, presented to the ninth viscount Strathallan by the Duke of Buccleuch in commemoration of his ancestor's death at Culloden.

The sword's estimate was £15,000-£20,000 but it sold for £30,000.