A RARE Jewish manuscript discovered in a garage in Bury could fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds when it goes under the hammer next month.

The Haggadah, which is a text used by Jewish people on the first nights of Passover, is thought to date back to 1726.

The handwritten text was found in a cardboard box in a house clearance in August, after the Jewish family who lived there had died.

It is listed to sell between £100,000 and £150,000, but experts believe it could command much more at auction.

The location of the property and the identity of the family is unknown. However, it is believed that the family moved to Bury around 10 years ago from London.

The manuscrupt is thought to have been in the same family for more than 100 years, and reached the UK after being smuggled out of Belgium by the family during the Second World War.

Bill Forrest, of Adam Partridge Auctioneers, discovered the item, and said that he was shocked to find something of such value.

He said: “You just get excited when you handle something of this magnitude. It was very exciting to discover it, as we didn’t have any idea about it.”

Mr Forrest says the firm has already received interest from around the world for the rare item, including the United States and Israel.

He said: “We have never sold a similar example but we are aware of there being other examples in private collections or museums.”

The 20-leaf prayer book is written in Hebrew, and is filled with scripture and songs used in the religious holiday.

It was illustrated by Aaron Wolff Shreiber Herlingen, and It is thought the manuscript was commissioned to mark the birth of Emanuel Mendel Oppenheimer, the first child of Samuel Emanuel Oppenheimer.

The Austrian was a Jewish banker, diplomat and military supplier for the Holy Roman Empire.

The manuscript will go under the hammer on November 23 in Macclesfield.