A Victorian vampire murder set with crucifixes, a pair of pistols and a hammer will fetch up to £3,000 at auction.
The eerie wooden box containing anti-vampire weapons belonged to Lord Hailey, a British colleague and former administrator in British India.
The tools and sacred objects are stamped with his initials and it contains his full name and address.
The lockable box has two brass crucifixes on the lid that act as a sliding secret locking device.
Inside are more crucifixes, a matching pair of pistols, copper powder flask, holy water, Gothic bible, wooden hammer, stake, brass candlesticks, rosary beads and police papers from the period.
It is expected to fetch between £2,000 and £3,000 when it goes on sale at Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire on June 30.
The Victorians were known for their obsession with the supernatural, with tales of vampires and ghosts proving hugely popular.
A Victorian vampire murder set with crucifixes, a pair of pistols and a hammer will fetch up to £3,000 at auction
Auctioneer Charles Hanson said: ‘Items like this always capture the world’s imagination.
The belief in vampires, an undead creature that needs human blood to survive, goes back hundreds of years and persists in some parts of the world.
“Its origins remind us that the vampire myth affects people from all walks of life.”
The eerie wooden box containing anti-vampire weapons belonged to Lord Hailey, a British peer and former administrator of British India
The owner, whose full name was William Malcolm Hailey, was known for his intellect.
Educated at Corpus Christi College Oxford, he was the Governor of the Punjab region of India between 1924 and 1928.
He later became governor of the United Provinces – another region of India when it was part of the British Empire – from 1928 to 1934.
Mr Hanson added: ‘And yet, in the midst of his illustrious career, he was drawn to this vampire-killing gear.
‘That is very understandable. These objects are both curious and intriguing.
“Vampires have been part of popular culture for over 200 years. They are anchored in European folklore.
The task of killing a vampire was extremely serious and historical accounts suggested the need for certain methods and tools.
“Objects of religious significance, such as crucifixes and bibles, would repel these monsters, hence their presence in the kit we found.”
The lockable box has two brass crucifixes on the lid that act as a sliding secret locking device
Inside are more crucifixes, a matching pair of pistols, brass powder flask, holy water, Gothic bible, wooden hammer, stake, brass candlesticks, rosary beads and Metropolitan police paper of the period
The hammer and stake can be seen above in part of the box. Auctioneer Charles Hanson said: ‘Items like this always capture the world’s imagination’
Author John Polidori’s The Vampyre was published in 1819 and had a major impact, followed by Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1897.
The seller, from Derbyshire, only recently discovered the macabre kit.
They said, ‘It’s a fascinating item, a topic of conversation. I came across it quite recently in Southwell, Nottinghamshire.
“I liked it because of its novelty and historical value.
“Interestingly, Lord Hailey has a memorial stone in London’s Westminster Abbey, which pays a warm tribute to him.”