A RELIC of the British Empire fetched £11,000 when it went under the hammer in the Dales this week.

The taxidermy Bengal tiger, dating from 1929, was the top lot of the natural history sale at Tennants of Leyburn.

The skin rug, with full head mount, was taken by Lieutenant Colonel Percy Albion Hitchcock on the Jubbulpore Garrison, India.

The skin was sold alongside a host of photographs of Hitchcock detailing the hunt, as well as personal items such as his dog tags.

After Hitchcock died of diphtheria in Peshawar at the age of 54, the skin was put into storage and had never before been on the open market.

Other natural curiosities in the sale included a taxidermy Northern Brown Kiwi which sold for £5,200 against an estimate of £1,500-2,500.

With its unusual pale plumage, it created a saleroom stir, with five phone lines and multiple internet bidders from across the world competing against those in the room.

  • All auction entries were sold strictly in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.