REMARKABLE photographs of Scottish agricultural life, some of them dating back to 1867, have been discovered in an auctioneers in Lanark.

The find was made at the Lanark Agricultural mart run by Lawrie & Symington, which this year is celebrating 150 years in the auction trade. The treasure trove of rare photographs offers a whole range of insights into the livestock trade in Scotland from the mid-19th century to more current times.

The collection which features images of livestock, customers and auctioneers as well as sales reports dating as back to 1867.

So old are some of the images that one breed of sheep featured in them, the Blackface, no longer exists in that form as a result of selective breeding over the past century and a half.

The images also include the meticulous record of the first ever sale conducted by Lawrie & Symington on Tuesday, 24 September, 1867, during which cows, lambs and pigs were sold.

Also among the archive is images which show auctioneers and buyers from 1867, including Lawrie & Symington’s first four customers. There is also a sales report from the Hamilton Advertiser newspaper dated 28 September 1867 as well as a variety other images from over the last 150 years.

The auctioneers are now looking to the farming community and wider public to see if anyone is able to help identify who some of the people in the photographs might be.

Four customers who have already been identified are David Ogilvy of Rottal, James Weir of Sandilands, Charles Howatson of Glenbuck and William Robb of Flemington who all bought livestock at that first sale.

Willie McCulloch of Lawrie & Symington, who discovered the collection, said: “Lawrie & Symington has been at the centre of Scotland’s livestock trade for 150 years and as this fascinating collection of photos illustrates a lot has changed during that time.

“This archive offers us a fascinating glimpse of what the trade was like in 1867 and how it has evolved in the decades since. The animals shown here, such as the Blackface ram, have changed massively during this period as a result of selective breeding so they are of real interest to anyone with a hand in agriculture or a general interest in history.

“What is of particular significance is that a number of the pictures we discovered have the names of farms and farmers on them, so we have a good idea of who some people might be related to all these years later.

“If any members of the public are able to help us work out who the people are that we don’t have names for we’d be hugely grateful.

“We’ll be posting the photos on our Facebook and Twitter pages in the hope that local families and the agricultural community might be able to help us find out who they are.”