18th century love letters opened by Cambridge professor

The notes were never opened when they were written almost three hundred years ago.

Personal letters confiscated by Britain's Royal Navy 265 years ago before they could reach French sailors during the Seven Years' War have been read for the first time.

Written between 1757 and 1758, the billet-doux (love letters) were meant for the crew onboard the Galatee, a French warship captured by the British.

The wives, fiances, siblings and parents who wrote the letters did not know the ship was taken when they sent them to the French postal administration for delivery.

When the couriers learned the ship had been captured, they forwarded the letters to England, where they were given to the admiralty in London and left in storage.

The academic who discovered the 104 letters from the National Archives in Kew said it was "agonising" how close the letters got to reaching the right people.

Professor Renaud Morieux, from Cambridge University, believes the British opened two letters to see if they gave away any military plans.

Seeing they contained only "family stuff", they gave up and tucked them away in storage and they would remain unread for more than two centuries.

Professor Renaud Morieux from Cambridge University:

"There were three piles of letters held together by ribbon.

"The letters were very small and were sealed so I asked the archivist if they could be opened and he did.

"I realised I was the first person to read these very personal messages since they were written.

"Their intended recipients didn't get that chance.

"It was very emotional."

Photo: Cambridge University

Professor Morieux identified every member of the Galatee's 181-strong crew after months decoding the letters, which were written with wild spelling and no punctuation.

The letters were addressed to a quarter of the crew and he carried out genealogical research into the men and their correspondents to learn more about their lives.

His research is published in the journal Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales.