BRONZE wool weights once belonging to a local mill owner have been sold for £10,690.

Nine weights - some dating back to the early 1700s - were sold as separate lots by auctioneers Bonhams in Leeds.

A 7lb wool weight from the reign of Queen Anne realised £2,500.

One George III 7lb wool weight went for £1,800 and two others fetched £1,000 each.

The others, including two dating from the time of George I, were sold for between £600 and £900.

The weights were originally owned by William Haigh, who joined the family firm at Dobroyd Mill, Jackson Bridge, in 1919. He went on to become owner and managing director.

Wool weights were used to check the accuracy of the "trone" - a beam used to weigh wool for tax purposes.

Examples of the decorated weights - first used in the Middle Ages - are rare, because they were supposed eventually to be returned to Founders Hall in London.