Rare botanical book going on sale

It is thought that Charles I owned a copy of the book

A rare 17th Century book of botanical drawings found at a house in Derbyshire is being auctioned off.

The item was found by auctioneers as they were clearing out a house after the death of its owner.

The 1633 book entitled Herbal - General History of Plants by Thomas Johnson will be auctioned off at Wyaston, near Ashbourne, on Thursday.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson said it was expected to fetch more than £3,000 in the sale.

'Important book'

He said that it was likely the previous owner never knew how much the book was worth.

It contains hand painted pictures of plants and describes their history and medicinal properties.

Mr Hanson said: "It's quite remarkable. We wander into these homes across Derbyshire and here was this book sitting on a bookcase unbeknown to the owner.

"The nice thing is that it's colour illustrated with more than 1,200 colour plates of all sorts of plants from that period.

"It's quite an important book and even Charles I was an owner of one back in the early 17th Century."