Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood

Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood was established in 2009 when two companies, Bearne’s and Hampton & Littlewood, combined to create an auction house with expertise in fine art auctions and valuations. Bearne’s had been set up in 1945 and Hampton & Littlewood in 2001.

The company covers the south-west of England – Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset and Devon and holds regular auctions from its saleroom in Exeter.


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Moving and macabre mementoes that mattered for Jacobites

29 September 2025

A rare snuff box commemorating the escape of Charles II from Parliamentary forces after the Battle of Worcester was the highlight of Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood’s (26% buyer’s premium) silver and jewellery sale in Exeter.

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British paratrooper helmet picked out in Exeter auction for £3900

08 September 2025

Second World War airborne memorabilia is another in-demand section of the militaria market.

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Royal mail that doesn’t need a stamp

25 August 2025

While modern communications would appear to have diminished the role of the King’s or Queen’s Messengers in the 21st century, the job and title remains.

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Buttons were a bright idea to find the lost Franklin Expedition crews in the Arctic

11 August 2025

During Edward Belcher’s fruitless two-year search for the lost Franklin expedition from 1852-54, many attempts were made to communicate with Inuit hunters in the hope they would have news of Franklin’s men.

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Spencer Perceval in memorium: mourning ring among jewels auction highlights

21 July 2025

The finest mourning jewels pertain to historical events, royalty, and well-known personages. A good selection has come to market in recent weeks

Copper ‘rescue’ button

‘Rescue’ button from search for lost Franklin expedition bid to eight times estimate in Exeter

27 June 2025

A copper button, made in 1852 as part of the effort to find survivors of the doomed Franklin expedition to the Arctic, has sold at auction for £6000.

Cecilia Gave and Knut Knutson

Swedish auction house take-over as Stockholms Auktionsverk buys Uppsala

26 June 2025

The latest saleroom round-up including news of Stockholms Auktionsverk acquiring fellow Swedish auction house Uppsala Auktionskammare

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Uniforms found in a trunk find plenty of fans at auction

05 May 2025

An intriguing collection that came from a house of a well-connected Devon family caused a stir when it emerged at Exeter saleroom Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood (26/25% buyer’s premium).

Spherical Egg

Bidder shells out for one-in-a-billion spherical egg

18 March 2025

The egg had bidders scrambling for ownership at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood in Exeter

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Pocket watches with historical back-stories bring demand in Exeter auction

03 March 2025

The latest silver and jewellery sale at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood (26/25% buyer’s premium) in Exeter included two Georgian 18ct gold pocket watches from two generations of the Drummond family.

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Poem 'survives as unique text' in a late 15th century Italian manuscript

25 November 2024

A recent sale at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood (26% buyer’s premium) in Exeter included a late 15th century Italian manuscript that is thought to be a codex unicus.

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Rostrum goes under the hammer

18 November 2024

The Autumn Auction at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood (26/25% buyer’s premium) in Exeter included an array of unusual objects from the collection of the late Christopher Hawkings.

The old city of Bilbao

Bidders look beyond the grime as historic panorama of Bilbao catches the eye at Exeter auction

06 November 2024

A large and historic view of Bilbao in Spain was among the lots bringing competition at a recent sale at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood (26% buyer’s premium) in Exeter.

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Buy a rostrum offered from the rostrum

07 October 2024

The Autumn Auction at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood in Exeter on October 15-16 includes an array of unusual objects from the collection of the late Christopher Hawkings, who at one time was the co-owner of Phillips, Son & Neale in London’s Bond Street (the firm that later became Phillips).

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It's time to Spare in the saleroom

19 August 2024

Four fresh-to-market works by the Edwardian enfant terrible artist come for sale in Exeter

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Embroidered bindings boost book results

24 June 2024

Most Tudor and Stuart embroidered bindings that have survived from the 16th and 17th century cover Bibles, prayerbooks, and other devotional texts.

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Going, going, gone over the edge

20 May 2024

Cristian Beadman, chairman of Exeter auction house Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood and valuer on 'Antiques Roadshow', abseiled down the north tower of the city’s cathedral on May 4 as part of a fundraiser for a new cloister gallery.

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Steele shows his mettle in the North West Mounted Police

01 April 2024

This North West Mounted Police hat badge caught the attention when Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood (25% buyer’s premium) of Exeter sold the remaining personal effects of Canadian soldier and policeman Major General Sir Samuel Benfield Steele KCMG CB MVO (1848-1919) on March 19.

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Stand-out works on paper underline appeal of rarities from notable names

18 March 2024

If you wanted to sum up the current state of the watercolours and works on paper sector in a single sentence, you might say something like ‘flatter than ever for general works but exceptional lots routinely generating strong interest’.

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An Evelyn De Morgan drawing is among five lots to watch

15 January 2024

With estimates from £100, here are five previews of items coming up at auction this week.

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