MANUSCRIPTS from Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns have been saved after a UK-wide consortium raised £15 million to buy a rare collection of works.

Friends of the National Library (FNL) has purchased the “literary treasure trove” and will ensure it remains permanently accessible to the public.

The collection – now known as the Blavatnik Honresfield Library – has the complete working manuscript of Scott’s iconic novel Rob Roy.

It also includes some of Burns’ earliest recorded literary works, as well as the only extant letter to his beloved father.

Giles Ingram, chief executive of the Abbotsford Trust, said: “This is simply the most incredible achievement and we are deeply grateful to all those individuals and organisations who have made the saving of such a remarkable collection for the British public possible.

“To think that manuscripts written by Walter Scott in his own hand, will be returning to his homeland, many to his own home is a triumph.

“The Lay of the Last Minstrel, Rob Roy and Scott’s diary of his lighthouse tour are each evocative of turning points in contemporary culture, and of Scott’s fame and fortune.

“Emerging from private ownership after so many years, it is heartwarming to know they will be available for the public to enjoy at long last.”

Amina Shah, chief executive of the National Library of Scotland, described the purchase as a “triumph for the people”.

Much of the collection has been largely unseen for the last 80 years.

When the sale of the library was announced in May 2021, FNL managed to postpone the sale of the first tranche planned for July 2021.

This gave the charity the opportunity to purchase the entire collection outright on behalf of appropriate recipient libraries within the UK.

By raising the £15 million, the collection will now “never be lost to overseas institutions or to private collections”.

The fundraising bid was helped by the largest donation ever given to the UK by an individual for a literary treasure.

Sir Leonard Blavatnik match-funded the £7.5 million sum raised by FNL and the consortium institutions.

A £4 million grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund – the largest it has ever awarded towards the acquisition of literary manuscripts since its foundation in 1980 – also helped to buy the works.

Geordie Greig, chairman of FNL, said: “The generosity of all the donors has been incredible in saving this unique library, especially Sir Leonard Blavatnik, who wonderfully matched the £7.5m that we had raised ensuring that our campaign to save the collection was successful.”

Scott’s manuscripts will be donated to the National Library of Scotland and Abbotsford, while Burns’ will go to the National Library of Scotland and the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Alloway.