NI 100: Sir James Craig's walking stick sells for £10k

Auctioneer Karl Bennett says the walking stick once owned by Sir James Craig was the "star lot" of Tuesday's sale

A walking stick once owned by Northern Ireland's first prime minister Sir James Craig has sold for £10,000 at an auction in Belfast.

Described as the "star lot" at the sale, it was estimated the blackthorn cane would sell for half that figure.

The stick had been given to Sir James Craig in County Armagh in 1925.

The sale came three weeks after the same auction house sold a stick that once belonged to Irish republican leader Michael Collins.

Karl Bennett, the managing director of Bloomfield Auctions, said it was "amazing" that Sir James Craig's stick was discovered in Northern Ireland's centenary year.

Sir James Craig became Northern Ireland's first prime minister a century ago

Sir James Craig, a unionist leader, became the prime minister of Northern Ireland in June 1921 and remained in office until his death in November 1940.

The seller of his stick was a woman who bought it as part of a bundle of walking sticks at an antiques fair in England some years ago - she paid £30 for the lot.

But the historical significance of the stick, which features an inscribed silver collar, did not become apparent to her until recently.

After having a hip replaced she picked Sir James Craig's stick out of her collection in order to help her as she walked.

"She noticed the collar was blackened so she started to polish it a wee bit... she read the inscription and realised the importance of it," said Mr Bennett.

The inscription on the stick reveals that it was given to Sir James Craig on his first visit to Lurgan as Northern Ireland's prime minister

The inscription on the collar reads: "Presented to the Rt Hon Sir James Craig Bart DL on the occasion of his first public visit to Lurgan 1-4-1925."

Mr Bennett said walking sticks were "very much of the day at that particular time".

"Most gentlemen would've had walking sticks and stick stands in their hallways with 10 or 15 sticks probably in them," he said.

Last month Mr Bennett sold a century-old stick that was previously owned by Michael Collins, one of the major figures who brought about Ireland's independence from Britain and the partition of the island.

It was bought for £52,000, a price five times higher than that had been expected by the auctioneers.

The stick that belonged to Michael Collins has a silver collar and tip and was accompanied by a letter of provenance

Ahead of the auction of his latest historical lot, Mr Bennett said he did not expect the bidding to reach the same heights.

"When we look back at history it's typical that a lot of the Irish republican items do go for a lot more than the unionist items," he said.

Michael Collins' stick was bought by Irish businessman Louis Fitzgerald who intends to put it on display in one of his Dublin bars.

Mr Bennett said he was approached to sell Sir James Craig's stick after that auction.

He joked: "Who knows what stick I'm going to have in next week?"

The BBC News NI website has a dedicated section marking the 100th anniversary of the creation of Northern Ireland and partition of the island.

There are special reports on the major figures of the time and the events that shaped modern Ireland available at bbc.co.uk/ni100.

Year '21: You can also explore how Northern Ireland was created a hundred years ago in the company of Tara Mills and Declan Harvey.

Listen to the latest Year '21 podcast on BBC Sounds or catch-up on previous episodes.