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The hair was found in a bureau at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, in the late 19th century, 300 years after Mary was beheaded on the orders of the Queen Elizabeth I.
The curator of the museum which runs the Mary Queen of Scots exhibition in Jedburgh said they were delighted to add the hair to their collection.
It had been hidden in a secret drawer in the desk, which is known to have been used by Mary, and was wrapped in a packet bearing the handwritten inscription "My own hair - Mary Queen of Scots."
A spokesman for auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull said: "She was surprised and thrilled at the price and she hopes that it has gone to somebody who will treasure it. It is fascinating to be able to sell a piece of history and it's nice that the sale had a happy ending".
 The lock of hair was found in a bureau at the palace of Holyroodhouse |
His butler reputedly helped himself to a portion of the hair before handing the rest to a maid, who in turn presented it to an ancestor of the present owner.
Curator Fiona Colton said: "We are pleased to add a lock of Queen Mary's hair to our exhibition in Jedburgh. It will be on display to the public at the visitor centre from now until the end of November".
It has been handed down through the same family ever since, making Saturday's sale the first time it has been made publicly available.
The bureau and lock of hair were sent to Queen Victoria in London and were exhibited at the Liverpool Exhibition in the early 1900s.
Auctioneers had originally expected the lock of hair would fetch between �200 and �300.
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