Orchard Cottage contents auction 1998

Following the death of Dorothy Bacon at the age of 92 in 1998, the contents of her cottage in Church Lane, Braishfield were auctioned in the Church Rooms. Many of the items involved had belonged to her father Admiral Reginald Bacon. Dorothy Bacon had lived in Braishfield since being brought here by her parents in 1919. She was an active member of village life throughout her life and was a Parish Councillor from its inception in 1951 until 1976.

Much of the auction related to the naval career of Admiral Bacon who was, amongst many other things, the Captain of the first HMS Dreadnought in its first commission in 1906. This was a prestigious appointment as HMS Dreadnought was a revolution in naval architecture, rendering all other naval capital ships in the world obsolete overnight. Admiral Bacon was born in 1863 and entered HMS Britannia in 1877. He received a silver medal from the Italian Government for saving life at the wreck of the Utopia in 1891 and, as Commander Bacon, started the submarine boat service in the Royal Navy. After HMS Dreadnought he became Director of Naval Ordnance and Torpedoes before 'retiring' to become managing director of the Coventry Ordnance Works. At the start of the First World War he was gazetted Colonel and commanded the heavy howitzer brigade in France. He was appointed to command the Dover Patrol in 1915 and rose to the rank of Admiral in 1918.

After the war, he retired with his family to Braishfield Lodge in Paynes Hay Road. Sadly, however, his son Dudley died in 1915 as a result of wounds received at the Hohenzollern Redoubt in the Battle of Loos on 2nd October. His naval cadet son Robin died in 1919. Admiral Bacon died in 1947 and the whole family is commemorated in the Braishfield Churchyard.

Many of the items at the auction were collected during Admiral Bacon's long naval career. Of particular importance was a logbook from HMS Victory and an envelope signed by Nelson with his left hand. In those days, peers of the realm obtained free postage! There was also a complete set of eleven First World War Wilkinson toby jugs designed by the political cartoonist Sir Francis Carruthers Gould 1844-1925. Individually, some of these jugs are very rare. The one of General Botha is particularly rare as only 150 were made and this resulted in an auction price for this jug of £1200. The jugs were sold separately in the Orchard Cottage auction but a complete set made £9000 at an auction elsewhere in 2006.

Television was on hand to record the auction and the clip from Meridian Tonight is provided here with the kind permission of Meridian Television. Andrew Lalonde, who is featured in the video, was Clerk to the Parish Council in the 1970s and its Chairman from 1995 to 2007. A copy of the auction catalogue is also provided and this includes hand written sale figures for many of the items.

Auction catalogue

Auction video

Detail of Toby Jugs