Sale of contents from one of Yorkshire's most important landed estates makes £425,900s

The sale comprised the selected contents of Dykes Hill House, Masham, North Yorkshire, formerly the property of the 2nd Earl and Countess of Swinton, and sold on the instructions of the 4th Earl and family, and trustees of the Lord Swinton Will Trust.

Fine Objects of Vertu were among the most in-demand lots, with many soaring well above estimates.

Among star lots were A Gold-Mounted Agate Snuff Box, with Pseudo Marks for Paris, perhaps made in Hanau in the 19th century and modelled as a dolphin, which sold for £25,000 (all figures exclude buyer’s premium).

Selling for £15,000 was A George IV Irish Gold Freedom Box, which had the maker’s mark ‘HF’, possibly for Henry Flavell, and made in Dublin in 1826. The box was presented, along with the Freedom of New Ross, to Reverend James Thomas O’Brien, Bishop of Ossory.

A German Gold-Mounted Mother-of-Pearl Bôite-à-Deux Tabacs, apparently unmarked, but perhaps made in Dresen of Augsburg in the 18th or 19th century sold well, too, at £12,000, and a German Silver-Gilt Casket, perhaps made in Augsburg in the late 17th century, sold for £7,200.

The top lot of the sale, however, was a 19th Century Gilt Bronze Gueridon, possibly Russian, with circular specimen marble top and central panel within a border of fossil marbles, which sold for £40,000.

Also of note in the furniture section was a Japanned and Gilt-Heightened Cabinet on Stand, probably Anglo-Dutch, late 17th century, which sold for £6,500.

Of historical interest were a George VI Silver Seal Matrix of the Duchy of Lancaster and a George VI Silver Seal Matrix of the County Palatine of Lancaster, which belonged to Philip Cunliffe-Lister, Viscount Swinton and later 1st Earl of Swinton, who held the position of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

As tradition dictated, holders of this office were presented with the official seals on the death of the monarch. The Duchy of Lancaster Seal Matrix sold for £12,000, and the County Palatine of Lancaster Seal Matrix for £10,000.

Among a strong offering of silver was a Pair of William IV Silver Candelabra by John Houle, which belonged to the former Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel and sold for £11,000.

Leading pictures in the sale were a View of Santa Maria della Salute at the Entrance to the Grand Canal in Venice, attributed to a Follower of Bernardo Bellotto, which sold for £14,000, and Farmyard Pond with Goats, Ducks and Ducklings by Edgar Hunt, which sold for £10,000.

Further notable lots included a Pair of French Gilt-Metal-Mounted Chinese Turquoise-Glazed Vases and Covers, the porcelain Kangxi, the mounts later, which sold for £15,000, a Pair of French Gilt-Metal-Mounted Chinese Celadon-Glazed Porcelain Pot Pourri Bowls and Covers, Qianlong Period, which sold for £13,000, and a Two Similar Chinese Porcelain Platers, 17th Century, which sold for £9,500.

The Swinton Estate spans approximately 20,000 acres and encompasses some of the most beautiful landscape in North Yorkshire.

It has been in the ownership of the Cunliffe-Lister family since the 1880s.

The Earl of Swinton is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, that was created in 1955 for the prominent Conservative politician Philip Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Viscount Swinton.

The 1st Earl, who was a close friend of Sir Winston Churchill, was succeeded by his grandson in 1972 because his son, Major the Hon. John Yarburgh Cunliffe-Lister lost his life whilst serving his country in the Second World War.

The 2nd Earl, David Yarburgh Cunliffe-Lister, notably served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard and deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords under Margaret Thatcher from 1982 to 1986.

In 1959 the 2nd Earl became engaged to Susan Sinclair, the daughter of Sir Ronald Sinclair of Dunbeath Bt. but shortly before their marriage, Susan, the future Lady Masham, suffered a life changing injury when she was thrown from her horse causing her to be paralysed from the waist down.

Undeterred by this tragic accident the marriage went ahead and was widely reported in the national press.

The newly married couple proceeded to design and build a spectacular house not far from Swinton Park to accommodate Lady Masham’s injury, which became the family seat and was named Dykes Hill House.

The 2nd Earl died in 2006 and his widow Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Countess of Swinton, Baroness Masham of Ilton, DL, continued to lead a full life as a British crossbench member of the House of Lords.

Among her many achievements, she was a former Paralympic athlete and was also the founder and lifelong President of the Spinal Injuries Association. She died on March 12, 2023.

While a number of the chattels have been retained by the family, the remaining contents of Dykes Hill House gave a rare glimpse of what epitomises the quintessential taste of the English aristocracy.

The sale realised a total hammer price of £425,900 for the 328 lots, and a 92 per cent sold rate.