0:00:04 > 0:00:06We've got over ten years of "Flog It!" behind us,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09that's hundreds of programmes and thousands
0:00:09 > 0:00:12of your antiques and collectables valued and sold.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20So, you've come to the right place to hear our Trade Secrets.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Today we're going to be looking at the family album.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53A lot of you that turn up at our "Flog It!" valuation days
0:00:53 > 0:00:57bring along something that's been passed down through the generations
0:00:57 > 0:01:02and many of those heirlooms are of particular interest to your family.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05And I particularly love it when these items reveal not
0:01:05 > 0:01:07so much the skeletons in your closet,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10as some intriguing personal stories.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16Coming up, our experts are fascinated by your family legends.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18My father used to make model boats,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21- and he used to use her hair as the rigging.- Really!?
0:01:21 > 0:01:25An enchanting tale from a far-flung land.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Screaming and shouting...
0:01:28 > 0:01:30- It's quite scary.- It is quite scary.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34And one sale exceeds everyone's expectations.
0:01:34 > 0:01:35It just went up...
0:01:35 > 0:01:373,500.
0:01:37 > 0:01:38..and up.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Fantastic, isn't it?
0:01:43 > 0:01:46We see hundreds of your inherited family heirlooms
0:01:46 > 0:01:48turning up at our valuation days and
0:01:48 > 0:01:51lots of those items you bring us have wonderful stories attached,
0:01:51 > 0:01:57which can sometimes surprise even our most-seasoned experts.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59- Hi, Maria. How are you? - I'm fine, thank you.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Who is this? You aren't selling your granny, are you?
0:02:01 > 0:02:04No, I'm not selling Granny, I'm selling Granny's frame.
0:02:04 > 0:02:05Let's have a look.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07That is absolutely lovely, isn't it?
0:02:07 > 0:02:09I think it's beautiful, yes.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12So, tell me about this lady.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15- It's my paternal grandmother.- Yeah.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17She lived to be about 98.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22And my father, her son, he used to make model boats,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26- and used to use her hair as rigging for it.- Really?
0:02:26 > 0:02:31So this is a silver and tortoiseshell photograph frame
0:02:31 > 0:02:33and if we look at the side, here,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36we have got the hallmarks for 1920.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39I think it's an absolutely glorious thing.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Tortoiseshell, which is turtle shell, really,
0:02:41 > 0:02:43falls under the DEFRA rules and if you buy it,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46it's got to have been worked prior to 1947.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49And these things fall in and out of fashion
0:02:49 > 0:02:53but it is an expensive material, an expensive commodity,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55so would only have been used on really, really good things
0:02:55 > 0:02:57and that is always a good pointer.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58Why do you want to sell it?
0:02:58 > 0:03:02I'm getting older and all my bits and pieces need to go somewhere.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05They will only fight over it so I might as well sell it.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Another real quick point about tortoiseshell.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09Have a good look at it because sometimes,
0:03:09 > 0:03:11tortoiseshell can be coloured plastic.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14The plastic imitation can be a lot softer,
0:03:14 > 0:03:15it's more malleable, you can see
0:03:15 > 0:03:19light through it and very often, it cracks a lot easier.
0:03:19 > 0:03:25I think we can put an estimate on this at auction of £300-£500.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27And I think it will do really, really well.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29- Are you happy with that?- Yes, fine.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32There is one thing we have to do first.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35- We can't send Granny to the saleroom, can we?- No, no, no.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38- So I'm going to take out Granny for you.- Never sell your grandmother.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Never sell your granny. Let's just take that out.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44There's Granny for you. You hang on to Granny.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Do you know, it has lost a bit of its attraction now, hasn't it?
0:03:51 > 0:03:52- Don't you think?- Yes.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54I totally agree, Philip.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Luckily, the bidders thought differently.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58560. 580.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01620.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04640. 660.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07680. 700.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08And 50.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11At £750. 800 now.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12And 50.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- HE WHISPERS - 900.- Yes!
0:04:15 > 0:04:17And 50.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20At £950 then, last chance.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23- At £950 here. - GAVEL BANGS
0:04:23 > 0:04:26BASH! That's a sold sound - £950!
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Quality, quality, quality all the way through.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31That was really a boom time for tortoiseshell.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34If anything, the market might just have dipped a little bit
0:04:34 > 0:04:37but the thing oozed quality. It really did.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40It reeked quality and there is an expression in this business,
0:04:40 > 0:04:44if the only thing you've got to apologise for is the price, buy it.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47We all know fashions change with the seasons
0:04:47 > 0:04:50and what was acceptable in Granny's younger days
0:04:50 > 0:04:54might not be so popular now. It's not just tortoiseshell.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Ivory, animal skin and taxidermy
0:04:56 > 0:05:01were all common in Britain 100 years ago but these days,
0:05:01 > 0:05:05we tend to be more sensitive. So, whatever you think about them,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09the market has shrunk. As Philip said, there is also EU legislation
0:05:09 > 0:05:13which governs how these items can be sold.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17This means dating is crucial, so make sure you keep hold of any
0:05:17 > 0:05:20provenance you can get your hands on.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Don't assume that just because you are familiar with an old
0:05:25 > 0:05:28family piece that's been sitting unremarked on a sideboard
0:05:28 > 0:05:32for generations, that it's not worth a lot of money.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33It may be the one piece that
0:05:33 > 0:05:35completes somebody else's collection,
0:05:35 > 0:05:40so if you want to sell it, take it to an auctioneer to get some advice.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Michael, you've brought old Tom along to see me today.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Can you give me a bit of history?
0:05:45 > 0:05:49That's the family name, over the door, there.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- Your family name?- Yeah.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55- You are Mr Charles? - That's right.- Amazing.
0:05:55 > 0:06:01The fact that the owner of this picture, his name was above the door
0:06:01 > 0:06:04of the stable where the horse was,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07it was just so exciting to see that.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11He had been out riding on the Cotswolds, and someone had been
0:06:11 > 0:06:16doing a little bit of quarrying, quite deep for a horse to jump down.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Anyway, the horse plunged straight on and down
0:06:20 > 0:06:24and it didn't unseat the rider, my ancestor.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26- Was that due to the rider or the horse?- I'm not sure.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Probably the horse, I should think.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32He was so impressed by the fact he hadn't fallen off
0:06:32 > 0:06:35that he commissioned the artist to paint it.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Wonderful.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Any picture that has a story attached to it must have more
0:06:41 > 0:06:45charm and marketability about it, whether it be
0:06:45 > 0:06:51the Battle of Trafalgar or whether it simply be this horse.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54It's dated 1834 so we have got a painting here that's the best
0:06:54 > 0:06:56part of 200 years old.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58And it's in marvellous condition.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02What I love about it is it's very, very primitive.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04It had a delightful, naive quality to it.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07That doesn't mean it was poor quality.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Some people will look at a painting and say,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11"It's naive, it's badly painted."
0:07:11 > 0:07:14This was extremely well painted in a very simplistic way.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16- So why are you selling it? - There is no-one to follow me.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20I am the last of our line and I've got three daughters.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24Whatever it fetches I would share out between them.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28I really want to set an estimate at an achievable level.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32- Perhaps 500-800. Are you happy for us to go along with that?- Yes, I am.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Thank you so much for bringing it in. I think it's a great picture.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37I think it should do very well.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39I must admit, I would keep it.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43I would keep it in my family for ever.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Don't start saying that! They'll withdraw it!
0:07:46 > 0:07:48They won't, it's too late now.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52471. Very interesting and local oil on board.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Start the bidding at 700.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57750. 800. 850.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59900. 950. 1,000.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02- 1,050.- We are already on 1,000!
0:08:02 > 0:08:06One naturally wants to be reasonably conservative,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09in order for a vendor to be pleased at the end of the day.
0:08:09 > 0:08:112,100?
0:08:11 > 0:08:162,200. 2,300. At 2,300 on my right.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- At 2,300, going at 2,3... - GAVEL BANGS
0:08:19 > 0:08:24Yes! The hammer has gone down. £2,300.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27- Very good.- That's what it's all about, isn't it?
0:08:27 > 0:08:31Whether an artist is alive or dead,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34I think you can almost be certain
0:08:34 > 0:08:38that the price will be better in the area in which he practised.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Unless, of course, you happen to
0:08:40 > 0:08:45have someone like Monet or van Gogh, or whatever, at that super level.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50But if you have a good Cotswold artist, as was the case here,
0:08:50 > 0:08:54I think there's no doubt that the Cotswolds is the place to sell it.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Of course, local connections can be worth their weight in gold.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02But nowadays we all live in a global village.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04And as Caroline Hawley discovered,
0:09:04 > 0:09:09our diverse ancestry can throw up some unusual pieces.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13I remember my day at Normanby Hall in Lincolnshire was fantastic.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15The lady in the queue, first in the queue - she'd been there
0:09:15 > 0:09:18since about six o'clock - Sarah,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21had some wonderful worry beads round her neck.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24It's beautiful. Now tell me about it?
0:09:24 > 0:09:27My mother brought it back from China when she was working out
0:09:27 > 0:09:32there as one of the first expats that was sent out way back in 1948.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34She brought that back with her then.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Well, I think these would date probably from a little earlier.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42- Possibly, the 19...late '20s, - '30s? Right.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44And your mother obviously wore them.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46I'm not sure anybody has actually worn them.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49I think they might use them for, like worry beads,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51for religious reasons.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Yes. And some of these fellows look pretty worried to me, don't they?!
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Each single bead was carved intricately by hand
0:09:58 > 0:10:04out of peach stones, immortals - or lohan, the Chinese word is -
0:10:04 > 0:10:07each one with either a grimace or a smile.
0:10:07 > 0:10:08Fabulous!
0:10:08 > 0:10:11And have you seen, there's one I particularly like,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13screaming or shouting here!
0:10:13 > 0:10:16- It's quite scary. - It is quite scary, that one.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19But, as you say, it's not something you wear, so...
0:10:19 > 0:10:24- No. Something that we kind of seen as children, but then put away.- Yes!
0:10:24 > 0:10:28And then when my mother passed away, it went up into the loft.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Where it's been until today.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- Chinese items are very fashionable at the moment.- Oh!
0:10:33 > 0:10:37And I think this would probably sell quite well in today's market.
0:10:37 > 0:10:44Would you be happy if we put it in to auction with an estimate of...
0:10:44 > 0:10:47£80-£120, perhaps, about that?
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Yes. OK.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Yes, they're weird, they're quirky. Not everybody can buy them.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55So that's why they're valuable.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Each bead carved with the head of an immortal.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00110, 120, 130.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02130, 140, 150.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05- 150, 160, 170.- Yes!- Oh, wow!
0:11:05 > 0:11:07170, 180, 190.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10190. No more here? 190 in the room.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14At 190, bid at 190, is there 200 anywhere else now?
0:11:14 > 0:11:18At £190 in the room then, going at 190!
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- Yes!- Very happy with that, £190.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- Well done.- Thank you. - Well done, well done.- Fantastic.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27That was worrying for you a little bit.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I don't know about worry beads, worrying Sarah here!
0:11:31 > 0:11:34She got £190. She was absolutely thrilled.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38And they were an heirloom that had been sitting in a drawer for years.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41She'd never worn them, apart from to attract my attention.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42Then it paid off.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48- Christine, John.- Hello.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- Charming little Victorian brooch you've brought in.- It is, isn't it?
0:11:51 > 0:11:53- Is it a family piece?- It is.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56I believe it was John's great-great-grandmother, was it?
0:11:56 > 0:11:59- Probably just grandmother, I think. - Grandmother.- Do you wear it?
0:11:59 > 0:12:01No, I don't. I don't.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04The things that stood out about it was the design element.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07It had that lovely Aesthetic period.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10The two birds covered in little rose-cut diamonds
0:12:10 > 0:12:12and the enamel faces.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Both birds were positioned with a pearl in the centre,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18so it all spoke of romanticism.
0:12:18 > 0:12:19It's a really lovely piece.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23The whole thing, to me, is that sort of Japonesque sort of period -
0:12:23 > 0:12:25the 1870s.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27I had no idea, had you, it was as old as that?
0:12:27 > 0:12:30It was probably my great-grandmother's.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31I think it must have been.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34- It must have been in the family from new, maybe.- Yeah, probably.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38- Have you ever thought of the value? - No. Not at all.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39It has literally just sat in a box?
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- Really, it has just sat in a box, in a cupboard...- It is a shame, isn't it?- ..for years.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Something like this needs to...
0:12:45 > 0:12:50- I would suggest an auction estimate, maybe, £150-£200.- What?- Yes.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56- There you go.- But I think it deserves that estimate.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58- That's wonderful. - But you've had it a long time.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01- I guess you're selling it because... - Well, we're clearing out.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03At our age, we don't want to keep everything.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06This little Victorian brooch, there, with the 15 carat gold,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08with ruby, pearl. Where do you start me on that?
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Can I say £100, surely, to start me at £100 for that lot? There, at 100.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Thank you, bid at 100 now.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17In the main, general Victorian brooches are not sought after,
0:13:17 > 0:13:23but rare pieces with a story to tell will always find a romantic buyer.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26At £400 now. And 20. 440.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30- 440!- At 440, I'm bid 460. 480 now.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35- 500. I'll take 20.- 500! - At 500, are you sure?
0:13:35 > 0:13:37- I don't believe this.- £500!
0:13:37 > 0:13:39In front, at £500. All done elsewhere.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42- Are you sure, then, at 500? Your bid.- Thank you.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45- Absolutely incredible. £500.- £500?- Quality.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Quality, quality, quality.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Thank you very, very much.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Selling at auction is a good way of dispersing pieces
0:13:52 > 0:13:54that you might have some sort of connection to
0:13:54 > 0:13:57because at least you know the buyers are going to want the pieces.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59They're bidding for them because they want them,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01it is not like just taking them down the tip.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04This just proves again that the great British loft is
0:14:04 > 0:14:06full of wonderful objects.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Go up there now, look through the boxes,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11you might find something as stunning as this.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19We've seen how many of your objects
0:14:19 > 0:14:21have captivating family tales behind them.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25But sometimes, these pieces relate to a different kind of family story.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Take Wedgwood, for example,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31a family-run business for over 200 years.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34These exquisite pieces often turn up at our valuation days.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37It's made by Wedgwood.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Wedgwood. One of the great factories.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42- It is a piece of Wedgwood.- Wedgwood.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44This is the Wedgwood fairyland bowl.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48It's quintessentially English pottery, a business that
0:14:48 > 0:14:53passed through generations of one family for 200 years.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58It was all started by Josiah Wedgwood on May Day in 1759.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Ceramics was in his blood
0:15:00 > 0:15:04and he joined the family pottery business when he was nine years old.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07But it was when his path crossed with another famous family
0:15:07 > 0:15:10that his own business really took off.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14After impressing Queen Charlotte, wife of George III,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17he was allowed to call his earthenware Queensware
0:15:17 > 0:15:21and refer to himself as "potter to Her Majesty".
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Josiah also invented the highly-prized black basalt ware
0:15:25 > 0:15:30and the style most associated with Wedgwood, jasperware.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33After Josiah's death in 1795, the business was
0:15:33 > 0:15:39passed down to his son and it stayed in the family for over 200 years.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44Josiah himself is now known as the father of English potters.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49If you're interested in collecting Wedgwood,
0:15:49 > 0:15:54one of its huge advantages is that unlike most English potters,
0:15:54 > 0:15:59Josiah and his descendants marked the majority of their products.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02The name Wedgwood is spelt with only one E
0:16:02 > 0:16:06and should be either printed or embossed on the bottom of the piece.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Beware, there are fakes on the market
0:16:09 > 0:16:13and there are also other potters who copied the Wedgwood style.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17The whole thing sits very nicely but of course, it isn't Wedgwood.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19It's Adams ware.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22With that in mind, look out for Wedgwood jasperware in blue,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25green, yellow, lilac and black.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28These are the most collectables items.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30And as we have seen on "Flog It!",
0:16:30 > 0:16:33fairyland lustre is also very popular.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37- If we are all done.- £2,800.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40A wonderful "Flog It!" moment.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46It's so easy to overlook often-told family stories.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Because we've heard them so many times before,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50they are just not interesting any more.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53But Thomas Plant believes in cherishing these
0:16:53 > 0:16:55memories before they get lost for ever.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00MUSIC: The Dam Busters Theme
0:17:00 > 0:17:02I am holding a photograph of a woman standing
0:17:02 > 0:17:04in front of a Lancaster bomber.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Her name was Rosemary Anderson
0:17:08 > 0:17:13and I suppose 70 years ago she had a pretty rotten time.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18This is my grandmother in front of a Lancaster bomber.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20617 Squadron, the Dam Busters.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26She had lots of friends who were
0:17:26 > 0:17:29part of those, that wonderful squadron.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31That very, very brave squadron.
0:17:31 > 0:17:37She was a member of the WAAF and she drove the bombs. Not for 617.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42I did get that out of her. She never really spoke about it.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45And I didn't get enough information out of her before she died.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49I should have. And I regret it.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Cos I don't know what went on and I wish I did.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55So my tip is speak to your grandparents.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Get their fabulous stories.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Cos so many times I sit at the table at "Flog It!"
0:18:01 > 0:18:05and they can produce, people produce whatever they can,
0:18:05 > 0:18:10whether it be medals, whether it be an object from the past.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12You know, "My mother had this when she was in service,"
0:18:12 > 0:18:15or, "My grandmother was working for this family."
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Get the story before it's too late.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Like Thomas, many of you can trace your family back a few generations,
0:18:29 > 0:18:31but some can claim to go back centuries,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35and theirs could be called true family sagas.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42In 2007, I went to Dunham Massey, to find about its long line of owners.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Originally built in the middle of the 17th century,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51the house itself reflects the changing fortunes of the
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Earls of Warrington and Stanford, who lived here for 500 years.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01George Booth, the 2nd Earl of Warrington,
0:19:01 > 0:19:05inherited the estate from his father at the age of 19.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07The year? 1694 -
0:19:07 > 0:19:10the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12which put William and Mary on the throne.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16Booth's father and grandfather nearly ruined the family with
0:19:16 > 0:19:20their involvement in the turbulent politics of the 17th century.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23So, not only did the 2nd Earl inherit the house
0:19:23 > 0:19:26and the estates, he also inherited massive debts.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Booth wrote of his sadness at seeing his father reduced to
0:19:31 > 0:19:35weeping from the greatness of his father's debts
0:19:35 > 0:19:38and determined to improve the family's fortunes.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40I have come to meet Katie Haslam,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43house steward here at Dunham Massey, to tell me more.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48So, Katie, what are we talking about? How bad was the debt?
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Well, he inherited about £50,000 of debt from his father,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53which equates to about 4.4 million today.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Gosh! That is a lot of money, isn't it?
0:19:56 > 0:19:57How did he go about paying it off?
0:19:57 > 0:20:01He made quite a successful marriage to the daughter of a local merchant, Mary Oldbury.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03- She was a wealthy lady? - Well, the father was wealthy.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05He sent her with a dowry of about £20,000,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07about 1.7 million today.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09- OK, so that was a good fund to start with.- Yeah.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11What was his marriage like? Was he really happy?
0:20:11 > 0:20:13He wasn't happy at all, by all accounts.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15- They lived at opposite ends of the house.- Gosh!
0:20:15 > 0:20:19- And barely spoke for about 40 years. - Really? Did they have kids?
0:20:19 > 0:20:20They had one daughter - Lady Mary.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22He left the estate in trust to her,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24which was quite unusual in that time.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Usually, it would have passed straight to her husband
0:20:26 > 0:20:28when she married.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30So, I guess by this stage, the pressure was off -
0:20:30 > 0:20:32they didn't have to live frugally.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Yes, by this stage, with careful management and, obviously,
0:20:35 > 0:20:37the success of the area at the time, they didn't have to live
0:20:37 > 0:20:40frugally at all. They were quite wealthy by this point.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42- So it is a happy ending.- Yes, it is. Yes, it was, for Lady Mary.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47Let's jump history here, about 100 years. The 19th century.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50I gather the 7th Earl of Stamford was a bit of a character as well.
0:20:50 > 0:20:51Yeah, he was quite wild in his day.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53He went to Cambridge,
0:20:53 > 0:20:58inherited the estate of Dunham Massey at 19 from his grandfather
0:20:58 > 0:21:00and, while at Cambridge, fell in love with Bessie Billage,
0:21:00 > 0:21:05who was the daughter of his bed maker. And married her.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Could you imagine being at university
0:21:07 > 0:21:10and boasting you've got this home at the age of 19?
0:21:10 > 0:21:14My word. Did he treat it as a family home?
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Well, his marriage to Bessie, she wasn't very happy here
0:21:17 > 0:21:20so they decamped and went down to a house in Hove.
0:21:20 > 0:21:21Right. A lot smaller, obviously.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25A lot smaller, where she was more comfortable. She died in 1854.
0:21:25 > 0:21:26What happened then?
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Then the family breathed a huge sigh of relief, thinking
0:21:29 > 0:21:33they could create a more suitable arrangement for their son and then
0:21:33 > 0:21:36he fell in love with a girl from the circus called Kitty Cocks, who
0:21:36 > 0:21:39was a bareback horse rider or, as we like to call it, an equestrian.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41What about his inheritance?
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Well, the 8th Earl couldn't come back to Dunham Massey
0:21:44 > 0:21:47because it was still managed by Kitty, so he lived
0:21:47 > 0:21:51in South Africa, where he married a black woman called Martha Solomon.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54- Really? There was no black aristocracy, was there?- No.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Well, he was married before he inherited the title
0:21:56 > 0:21:59so he inherited whilst being married.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02- And did he stay out in South Africa? - He did, yes.
0:22:02 > 0:22:03He never came back to Dunham Massey.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06- So, by my reckoning, we are now onto the 9th Earl.- Yes.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08- Did he actually come and live here?- He did.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11He moved in in 1906 with his family, which was his countess,
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Penelope, their son Roger and their daughter Lady Jane.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20What a great cast of characters this house has seen.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25It's been a bit like a soap opera. The 9th Earl died in 1910.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30He left the estate to his wife to run up until his son came of age.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Sadly, the 10th Earl never married and didn't have any children.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38So, in 1976, upon his death, he left Dunham Massey to the National Trust.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41He was the last in a very long line of rather eccentric,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44endearingly unorthodox aristocrats.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51I always love to see paintings coming in on the show,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54so when Alison brought along a family heirloom with a wonderful
0:22:54 > 0:23:00story to our valuation day in Cheltenham back in 2011, I pounced.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03- You know who this is, don't you?- Yes.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06John... Alfred John Arnesby Brown.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Yes, and it's signed Arnesby Brown here.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12I am Alison Leigh and this is my sister...
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Jenny Pembury from Canberra in Australia.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19And the painting belonged to our grandparents.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- What can you tell me about it? - It belongs...
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Half belongs to me and half belongs to my sister,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26who lives in Australia.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28It has been handed down through the family.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31It might have come from my father's side of the family
0:23:31 > 0:23:34because I have a very large portrait of my father as a four-year-old,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38eating an apple, by the artist's wife.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41- Your grandparents knew the artist?- Absolutely.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44They must have done, because my grandfather had
0:23:44 > 0:23:46a property down at Carbis Bay.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48No! Really?
0:23:48 > 0:23:50We lived in Cornwall. Paul was very excited about it.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55He described this painting as something quite exceptional.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57This is definitely not the south-west.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01- This is definitely the east side because it is so flat.- Yes.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03When you look at all the things from the Norwich School,
0:24:03 > 0:24:07you see very low horizons and lots and lots of sky.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11And in the sky, it had shapes that looked like tennis rackets
0:24:11 > 0:24:15and bears and things like that, and as children we always used to
0:24:15 > 0:24:18pick out the tennis racket and the bear and all that sort of thing.
0:24:18 > 0:24:24- But otherwise it didn't really float my boat.- No.
0:24:24 > 0:24:25If this was mine...
0:24:27 > 0:24:30..I'd be keeping it.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Why do you want to sell it?
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- I can't hang my sister's inheritance on the wall, can I?- No.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37That's not fair.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41I did feel a bit bad about sort of selling on the family heirloom.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47- But...- We've got plenty others.
0:24:47 > 0:24:48- You have looked after this.- Oh, yes.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51You've really looked after it. There's some stickers on the back.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54It's been exhibited at the Royal Academy and some other exhibitions.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56So it has had a little bit of provenance,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58it has got a little bit of life to it.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02I'd like to put it into auction with a value of £4,000-£6,000,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05a fixed reserve of £4,000.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07I did know it was a valuable painting
0:25:07 > 0:25:10but not as valuable as what it went for.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14For me, this is what auctions are all about.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16We've got a cracking crowd here.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Things have been going so well and they're just going to get better.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20It can only get better.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Everybody was on tenterhooks.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26- I mean, it really is a nerve-racking process.- I am tingling.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- Are you tingling?- No, I'm terrified.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Lot number 291. There you are.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35The Arnesby Brown oil on canvas.
0:25:35 > 0:25:394,200. 4,500. 4,800, may I?
0:25:39 > 0:25:434,800, is it? Do they want to bid or not?
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Because I will sell it, if they don't. 4,800. 5,000, may I?
0:25:48 > 0:25:505,000. 5,200, is it?
0:25:50 > 0:25:525,200. 5,800, is it?
0:25:52 > 0:25:535,800. 6,000.
0:25:55 > 0:25:566,200, may I?
0:25:57 > 0:25:586,000.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01200 anywhere?
0:26:01 > 0:26:046,200. 6,500. 6,500.
0:26:04 > 0:26:066,800. 6,800.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08- 7,000. - PHONE RINGS
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Oh, another telephone bid. 7,000. 7,800.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14- This is marvellous.- At one point I had to say, "Ssh! Ssh!"
0:26:14 > 0:26:18because I was getting so nervous about this painting.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23And I expected it to go for about six or seven.
0:26:23 > 0:26:29I hoped it would go for about six or 7,000. And it just went up...
0:26:29 > 0:26:318,500.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34..and up...
0:26:34 > 0:26:369,200. 9,500, is it?
0:26:36 > 0:26:389,500. 9,800 now.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42- ..and up.- 10,500. 11,000.
0:26:42 > 0:26:4411,000 anywhere?
0:26:46 > 0:26:4910,500, once, twice...
0:26:50 > 0:26:52..third and last time.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56- You're all out and done, on my left, at 10,500.- £10,500!
0:26:58 > 0:27:01It went for £10,500 and I just couldn't believe it.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07That is fantastic, isn't it?
0:27:07 > 0:27:10You have got to get on the phone to Jennifer.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12It's about quarter-past-one in the afternoon here.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14It is going to be midnight in Australia.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Wake her up, get her out of bed and tell her.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20We had already decided that we were going to split the money, of course.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24And, with my half, I decided that we would go out
0:27:24 > 0:27:27and see Jen in Australia for Christmas.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31So we were waiting for this lovely, hot, wonderful Christmas.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32It was cold.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35It actually turned out to be freezing cold and wet.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38But never mind, we had a fantastic time.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43With my half of the money, we decided we would use it over here
0:27:43 > 0:27:47so we've come over for a holiday and here we are.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51So, the whole day with "Flog It!",
0:27:51 > 0:27:55and then the subsequent auction was a fantastic experience.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02And I would say to anybody who's got anything that they think
0:28:02 > 0:28:08they want to sell, put it in the safe hands of "Flog It!" cos it works.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10It really works.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12£10,500!
0:28:15 > 0:28:18It is always a shame to see a special item that belongs to
0:28:18 > 0:28:22a family being sold, but you can't split a painting in two
0:28:22 > 0:28:25and I couldn't think of a better way of spending the inheritance.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Well, sadly, we have come to the end of today's show
0:28:28 > 0:28:32but I hope you can join us again soon for more Trade Secrets.