British Library reportedly paid 92,000 pounds to save one of its oldest English dictionaries from going abroad.
The dictionary Catholicon Anglicum, is thought to have been written in northern England and dates from 1483 and is one of its kind, the Daily Express reported.
Experts said that losing the manuscript would have been a misfortune since it was so closely connected with the country's history.
A buyer from overseas had reportedly offered 92,500 pounds at the auction but an export bar was imposed to prevent the sale.