VOLUNTEERS at a charity book shop were left surprised when they received a rare dictionary written in a long-dead language.

The volume donated to the Willow Burn book shop in Consett was written in Norn, an extinct language once spoken in the remote Scottish islands.

Norn had largely fell out of use by the early 1700s and the last native speaker is thought to have died on The Shetlands in 1850.

The dictionary will be sold to raise much-needed funds for Willow Burn hospice at Lanchester.

Rare book expert Moira Tait, of Leaf End books, said the find was the most valuable book handed into the shop up to now.

She said: "We have sold an old copy of Hans Andersen Fairy Tales by a famous illustrator, W Heath Robinson for £40, a couple of specialist motoring books, a two-volume set of Modern Architecture at £25 and quite a few other items in the £15 to £20 range.

"The Shetland Dictionaries are on sale at £120 and they are the most valuable we have on sale.

Volunteer manager Marjorie Surtees said the 20 volunteers who run the shop in Trafalgar Street, next to the town’s library, have compiled their own top ten list of customers’ favourite authors.

She said: "Lee Child is the number one choice, followed by Ken Follett, James Patterson and Andy McNab.

Our readers tend to prefer thrillers to romance, although travel books also sell well.

"Recently we were handed in some volumes on sheep farming.

"I didn’t think for a minute that we would be able to sell them on, but to my amazement they were snapped up".

The shop is open six days a week from 10am and closes at 4pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, noon on Wednesday and 1pm on Saturday.