A LOCK of Napoleon's hair has fetched £1,220 at auction after going under the hammer in Dorchester.

As the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo approaches, mementoes connected to the famous battle recently emerged for sale, including the lock of hair.

Napoleon’s expansionist ambitions were thwarted for good after his defeat by the Duke of Wellington at the battle in modern-day Belgium 200 years ago.

Such was the infamy of the Corsican dictator that all items linked to him were instantly of interest and collectable and have remained so ever since.

These strands of hair were taken from his head while he was exiled in St Helena in the South Atlantic where he died in 1821 aged 51.

The hair is kept in what looks like a Victorian-era box and was expected to make up to £400 at the sale at Duke’s of Dorchester yesterday, Thursday March 12, but reached more than three times that amount.

Hair of a horse that took part in the Battle of Waterloo was also expected to make a similar amount at the sale, but again made more than expected with a total price of £610.

A note with the horse hair that is kept in an envelope states: “Hair of the charger [obscured] that carried Wheeler in the Battle of Waterloo.”

Before the sale, Duke’s auctioneers anticipated interest from collectors around the world who wanted a little piece of history.

Timothy Medhurst, from Duke’s, said: “Napoleon’s hair is held down with some red wax and has an historic note about where it came from.

“Two hundred years after Napoleon was finally defeated, there is still huge interest in him and the battles of that era.”