A BOOK which was owned by one of the Brontes and contains unpublished manuscripts by Charlotte will return to Haworth in the new year after being bought by The Bronte Society.

The copy of Robert Southey's The Remains of Henry Kirke White, which was owned by Maria Bronte - the mother of the literary sisters, will go on display at the Bronte Parsonage Museum.

A grant of £170,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, in addition to funding from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund and the Friends of the National Libraries, has allowed the society to acquire the volume, which is one of the rare surviving possessions of Mrs Bronte.

A box containing all her property was shipwrecked off the Devonshire coast shortly before her marriage to Patrick Bronte in 1812, and this book was one of the items saved.

It contains Latin inscriptions in Mr Bronte's handwriting stating that this was ‘….the book of my dearest wife and it was saved from the waves. So then it will always be preserved'.

The pages of the book contain annotations, markings and sketches by various members of the Bronte family. A poem and a fragment of prose by Charlotte Brontë are also includes, as well as a letter by Arthur Bell Nicholls, Charlotte’s husband, written shortly after her death in 1855.

Ann Dinsdale, collections manager at the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, said: “Mrs Bronte's book is one of the most significant Bronte items to come to light in many years.

"It was clearly well-used and of great sentimental value to the Bronte children, who lost their mother while they were very young. In addition, the unpublished writings by Charlotte offer new opportunities for research, which is really exciting. This acquisition is a wonderful start to our celebrations marking Charlotte Bronte bicentenary next year.”

Juliet Barker, historian and author of the acclaimed biography, The Brontes, said: “The book alone is a valuable acquisition because of its rare associations with Mrs Brontë before her marriage to Patrick, but its importance is immeasurably increased by the unpublished manuscripts tipped into it. There could be no better place for it to be preserved for the future than the Bronte Parsonage Museum.”

Sir Peter Luff, chairman of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: “The enduring popularity of the Bronte sisters and their contribution to English literature makes this treasured family possession an incredibly precious piece of our national story.

"However, the unpublished manuscripts, doodles and annotations contained within it elevates its importance, offering new insight into Charlotte that meant the trustees of the National Heritage Memorial Fund felt it must return to the UK where can be studied and enjoyed.”

The book was sold at the sale held at the parsonage following the death of Patrick Bronte in 1861 and has spent most of the last century in the United States. It will go on display in the parsonage museum in the new year alongside another book owned by Mrs Bronte.