A COLLECTION of memorabilia belonging to the family of a Mid Wales suffragette has sold at auction for nearly £50,000.

The items, which were offered for sale by the family of Kate Evans, who was born in 1866 in Llansantffraid-Ym-Mechain, were auctioned at Farleigh Court Golf Club, Selsdon in Surrey.

The sale fetched £48,640, four times the expected amount, making it the most expensive item sold by the auction house in its six-year history.

Auctioneer Catherine Southern said she was “gob-smacked” at the price the lot went on to achieve, with bidders from far and wide competing in the auction.

“We were honoured to be offering such an important private and comprehensive collection once belonging to Women’s Right’s activist Kate Williams Evans during the Centenary year of Women over 30 getting the Vote in Britain,” she said.

“The interest in this lot was phenomenal with bidders on the phone from all over the world. I was absolutely staggered how people were competing to buy this fascinating collection and even more gob-smacked by the price it achieved.”