Wooden finger of girl injured in cart accident 260 years ago snapped up for £9,000 in stately home sale
The house was recently sold for the first time in its history
A wooden finger belonging to a young girl injured in a cart accident in Edinburgh more than 260 years ago has been sold for almost £9,000 as the contents of a Scottish stately home go under the hammer.
The contents of Monreith House, which was built on the site of an historical seat of Clan Maxwell in Wigtownshire, have sold for £765,543.
The wooden finger, which belonged to Lady Jane Maxwell, later the Duchess of Gordon, who lost her finger in an accident on Edinburgh’s High Street in 1763 when she was 14, sold for £8,960 - 20 times the original valuation of between £300 and £500. The sale also included a letter of provenance, which detailed the story.
The Georgian house, commissioned in 1791 by Sir William Maxwell, 4th Baronet, was recently sold for the first time in its history. For the first time since Edward, the founding Maxwell, established his branch of the family around Monreith nearly 550 years ago, his direct descendants no longer live there.
Designed by the architect Alexander Stevens, it replaced the earlier Myrton Castle, elements of which were incorporated into the new structure, linking the site’s medieval past with its classical redesign.
The house is closely tied to the Maxwell family, a prominent Scottish lineage whose history stretches back to the 12th century and includes titles such as the barony of Caerlaverock.
Charlie Thomas, director, UK and Europe house sales, private and iconic collections and furniture at Bonhams, said: “The results achieved across both sales demonstrate the enduring appeal of great country house collections with strong provenance and historical depth.
“Monreith House offered collectors a rare opportunity to acquire objects that had evolved organically within one family collection over generations. From pieces connected to significant historical moments to deeply personal family possessions, the collection resonated with bidders across multiple categories, reflecting both its quality and exceptional coherence.”
A Mughal gem-set jade sheep head dagger hilt from North India, dating to the 18th/19th century, achieved £48,640, far surpassing its pre-sale estimate of £10,000–15,000, while another highlight was Robert Harvie’s portrait of Sir William Maxwell, 3rd Baronet of Monreith (1715–1771), which sold for £29,440, significantly exceeding its estimate of £3,000–5,000.
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