A letter written by Haworth's Charlotte Bronte to a fan of her classic novel Jane Eyre has sold at auction for twice the estimate.

The note, in which the novelist thanks pharmacist David Waldie for his praise, sold for £24,000.

A spokesman for Lyon and Turnbull in Edinburgh, where the letter was auctioned last Wednesday, said: “We were very pleased with the result.

“It is a very short letter but not many by Charlotte Bronte come up for sale and it is rare to find one containing a reference to Jane Eyre. It was sold to a manuscript autograph dealer in Britain so hopefully will remain in this country.”

The letter, dated January 19, 1853, was sent to Mr Waldie, from Linlithgow, West Lothian.