A centuries old Hebrew prayer book has fetched tens of thousands of pounds at auction, much to the shock of a Cumbrian couple.

The 18th-century manuscript of Tikune Shabat sold for a hammer price of £57,000 to an international phone bidder at Hansons Auctioneers.

It had been estimated to sell for between £5,000 and £10,000.

The total paid with buyer's premium was £71,250.

Retired teachers Martin and Susan Wilson, from Grange-over-Sands, were astonished to discover the value of the prayer book.

The prayer book was originally discovered by Susan's Dutch uncle, who had lived in Amsterdam for most of his life.

After his passing, the book was looked after by Susan's aunt, and following her death last summer at the age of 98, the book, which has been in the family for around 50 years, was passed down to Susan.

Martin said: “We were selling a Harry Potter book with Hansons and, by chance, took the prayer book with us to show their books expert Jim Spencer. He took an interest in it and organised expert consideration.

“We were aware it was old, exquisitely made and of some historical significance. However we were not aware of just how much significance."

The British Library was contacted to assess the manuscript.

Jim, head of Hansons’ Library Auction, said: “Our research helped us grasp how important this manuscript was. Similar examples exist in museums. Bidders were not slow to understand its value. Advance bids reached £11,500 soon after the auction catalogue went live. The final result surpassed all expectations.

“One man from London came to view it and his reaction on studying it made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. He just kept saying, ‘this is so important’. He was completely in awe. I've never had a client appreciate an object like that before.

“And yet it was shown to me as something of an after-thought. The vendor visited me to consign a Harry Potter book. However, before we shook hands to leave, he pulled this little leather case out of his bag and asked me if it was anything worth looking at.

“I was completely bowled over by it. It’s beautiful. I reached out to museums and eventually received the kind help and immense knowledge of Ilana Tahan, lead curator of Hebrew and Christian Orient Collections at the British Library. Ilana provided the information necessary to catalogue the item. It’s an important part of Jewish history, a museum piece that deserves to be treasured.”

The book itself states that it belonged to Abraham ben Meir Emden and is dated Thursday, February 3, 1757.

It is possible that Abraham was the son of Meir Emden, whose father was the esteemed German rabbi Jacob Emden.

The manuscript contains Sabbath hymns, the prayer for the New Moon, and Perek Shirah, an ancient hymn of praise.

The decorated title page features Moses holding the Tablets of the Law and Aaron dressed in high priest vestments.

The text is written in Rashi unvocalized script, a semi-cursive script based on a 15th-century Sephardic handwriting.