Hertfordshire garden decoration is artefact worth £2,600

The seller was unaware of the cannon's value and had used it as a garden decoration

A medieval hand cannon dating back 600 years sold for £2,600 at an auction after being used in a garden rockery.

The owner bought the weapon at a flea market in Hertfordshire for less than £20.

Charles Hanson, owner of Hanson Ross Auction Centre in Woburn, Bedfordshire, described it as a "remarkable find".

He told BBC Three Counties Radio the cannon was sold to a collector in Germany with a special interest in pre-17th Century military items.

"Perhaps it was used by a knight in shining armour," Mr Hanson said. "In more than 20 years in the antiques business I have never seen one like it."

Hand cannons were widely used in China from the 13th century onwards

Hand cannons appeared on the battlefields of Europe in the 14th and 15th Centuries. The first English mention dates back to the early 15th century.

Mr Hanson said: "Originally this cannon would have been mounted on wood with a powder bag and ram rod."

It is not known how the firearm was discovered before it was sold at a flea market. However, remnants of soil on the cannon have led the auctioneers to believe it might have been dug up.

"From a flea market to a garden rockery, this was a remarkable medieval discovery," Mr Hanson said.