Magna Carta barons raise £167,000 for foodbank charity

The sale of the 25 barons in Lincoln raised £167,000 for charity

Sculptures placed around Lincoln as part of celebrations for the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta have raised £167,000 for charity at auction.

The 25 Lincoln Barons were all designed by different artists and had been placed around the city centre, forming a trail for visitors.

Every one of the statues attracted bids of at least £3,500, with some going for £10,000 plus.

Proceeds will go to the Trussell Trust, a national foodbank charity.

The barons were all sponsored by local businesses

As well as being part of a trail, the barons were exhibited as a group in the grounds of Lincoln Castle

The barons were all painted by Lincolnshire artists and represented different themes.

A Bomber Baron attracted the highest price, with a winning bid of £11,000.

A Red Arrows Baron sold for £10,200 and a Wings of an Angel Baron sold for £10,000.

The Bomber Baron sold for the highest amount, £11,000

Other items included the Teacher Baron, which celebrates learning

The Wings of an Angel Baron, which represents Geoffrey de Mandeville, sold for £10,000

The Lindum Soldier Baron, which was inspired by the history of the Romans and Lincoln's heritage as a Roman town known as Lindum Colonia, sold for £7,000

A set of 25 other barons, which featured on a similar trail in Salisbury, were auctioned on the same night at Salisbury Cathedral.

The two auctions raised a combined total of £250,000.

Ahead of the auction the barons were all part of a trail celebrating the sealing of Magna Carta, including Freeman Baron, which sold for £6,800

The baron trail was part of the 800th anniversary celebrations of the sealing of Magna Carta.

Lincoln holds one of four remaining original copies of the charter, which was sealed by King John at Runnymede in 1215.