A CAMPAIGN by Jane Austen’s House Museum to purchase a rare letter written by Austen’s sister Cassandra has received a generous grant.

The Friends of the National Libraries organisation has donated £5000 to the appeal.

Written in 1817, in the days following Jane Austen’s early death, the letter sees Cassandra describing Jane as a “dear Angel”.

Born two years apart in a family dominated by boys, the sisters had been constant companions from childhood.

The letter was composed at the home they had shared in Chawton, Hampshire which is a site now preserved as the Jane Austen’s House Museum.

Thanks to this latest grant, some 100 private donations and £18,000 previously awarded under the Heritage Lottery Fund Collecting Cultures scheme, the Museum is now nearing the £30,000 total required to purchase the letter.

Mary Guyatt, the Museum’s curator, said: “Items of this importance rarely enter the market and we are naturally anxious to bring Cassandra’s letter into public ownership.

“We would like to thank all the organisations and individuals from around the world who have supported our fundraising appeal to date, and we urge others to continue donating ahead of its closing date on July 31.”

The letter is currently on loan to the Museum and will remain on display throughout the appeal.

To contribute, log on to jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk.