A TUDOR coat of arms found in a cottage wall near Banbury has fetched £8,000 at auction.

The six-foot stone carving was discovered in March by a couple in Hanwell while renovating their labourer’s cottage.

It went under the hammer at JS Auctions in Banbury and was expected to fetch between £5,000 and £10,000.

Historians from Oxford University said the carvings could date back to the reign of Henry VIII or Elizabeth I, and may have been originally designed as a centrepiece for the great hall at Hanwell Castle.

Auctioneer Joe Smith said: “I was hoping for a bit more but I think bidders were put off by so much of it missing and the possible restoration costs.

“But it made a solid mid-estimate and the vendors were happy.”

He added: “It’s one of the rarest things we have put up for auction but rarity and value don’t always go hand in hand.

“I’ve never seen a complete one or as complete as this one come onto the market in twenty years in the business – it’s pretty rare.