A MAJOR collection of documents dating back 440 years, featuring letters from illustrious figures, is set to shed new light on the North's history.

Notable manuscripts in the 70-box archive from a medieval manor house near Ripon include a letter signed by Charles II while in exile, requesting a loan of £200 and letters from poet Lord Byron, artist Sir Joshua Reynolds and Jefferson Davis, the only President of the Confederate States of America.

The papers, which until recently had been stored by Sir James and Lady Halina Graham at Norton Conyers, near Ripon, where their family have lived since 1624, have been bought by North Yorkshire County Record Office, after it secured a £96,300 Heritage Lottery Fund to catalogue and open access to the archive.

Further funding was provided by the Friends of the National Libraries and Northallerton and District Local History Society for the scheme, which could reveal details about Charles I and James II, who were both guests at the house, which has recently been restored following a deathwatch beetle invasion.

Work has recently begun on the 15-month Attics and Acres scheme to conserve the historic documents from the property - which is thought to have inspired Charlotte Bronté to create Jane Eyre's Thornfield Hall and the mad woman in the attic storyline - before opening it for people for study and staging exhibitions.

Early finds include details of other estates across northern England once owned by the Graham family, a book of conundrums from the mid-19th century, early 18th century court rolls and a 1574 grant of the manor to a knight.

Archivist Maxine Willett, who is seeking volunteers to help with tasks such as cataloguing and digitisation, said: “The Graham Family archive is a significant collection that sheds light on the history of landed estates in both North and West Yorkshire.

"The position of landowners and their interactions within the national sphere ensures there is plenty here to intrigue and delight anyone wishing to learn a little more about the lives and pastimes associated with such estates.

"From the request of a cash loan by the King to how much was spent on groceries or paid to a colliery worker in 1665, the level of detail is truly fascinating.”

County councillor Chris Metcalfe, executive member for the Archive Service, said: “This is a fascinating archive which will reveal how the local gentry managed their estates and cared for their local communities over the last 400 years.”

For details about volunteering, email maxine.willett@northyorks.gov.uk or call 01609-533312.