Stuart Hartley, of history group Dewsbury Matters, bought the diary on eBay and his research led him on an intriguing trail around Yorkshire.

The first few pages of the diary were missing, and the author was not identified in any of the entries.

But Stuart and fellow Dewsbury Matters members Alan Thomas, and his wife Jaqui, discovered that the writer was one of the family of mill owner Joseph Bailey Newsome.

It is thought she was one of Newsome's daughters, though her true identity is still a mystery.

The family owned a mill at Staincliffe, and lived at Wellfield in Halifax Road near Healds Road. The house has since been turned into flats.

The writer recorded facts and figures with great diligence, including that she wrote 194 letters in 1911.

She records daily shopping trips to Batley Carr, which was a thriving town centre at the time.

Stuart, of Thornhill, said: "I can't prove either way who wrote the diary, but that became a side issue because it led us on such a fascinating journey. It took us all over the area."

Stuart will share the journey with his illustrated talk The Diary of a Dewsbury Lady at Dewsbury Library on Saturday February 27, at 10.30am.
Tickets are available from the library.