A Haworth woman known to villagers as The Baroness, a descendant from European aristocracy, has died at her home in Oak Street.

Marie-Therese Josephine de Bertouch died the day before her 80th birthday following a battle against stomach cancer.

Thieves last week broke into the house -- where she kept a treasure trove of antiques and family documents -- and stole two swords she had inherited from her father.

The Baroness de Bertouch originally lived in Cornwall and moved to Haworth about 24 years ago, becoming well-known in the Mill Hey area.

Distant cousin Charmian Goldwyn, the baroness's nearest relative, said Marie-Therese worked for many years with horses and trained actors to ride horses for films.

Dr Goldwyn believes her cousin's family moved to the UK about three generations ago from the Brabant region of what is now Belgium and the Netherlands.

Family documents and pictures show that the de Bertouch family can trace its baronetcy back at least to 1387.

The family has links with the Luxemburg royal family, with one, Baron Eric Rudolph Bertuch-Lehn, the 1,381st in line to the British throne.

Dr Goldwyn said the baroness began to suffer from paranoia in the late 1980s but continued to benefit from the pleasant atmosphere generated by fellow villagers.

She paid tribute to Mill Hey shopkeepers John and Andrew Snowden, and Mary Parker, for looking after Marie-Therese over the past few years.

She believes the trio's care of the Baroness, and toleration of her idiosyncrasies, prolonged her life and helped her endure her psychological condition.

Dr Goldwyn, who lives in London, also praised the village GPs and nurses for their recent care.

She added: "My cousin died in dignity in her home and in no pain."

Andrew Snowden said he had looked after the Baroness for more than two decades since she began coming into the greengrocer's shop he runs with his father John.

The stolen items were a Scottish claymore, about 4ft long and kept inside a sheath, and a sword hidden inside a walking stick, with an emblem showing the letter B and a crown.

Other valuables inside the Oak Street house have been moved to a safe location, along with extensive family historical documents.

Police are investigating the thefts.