Century-old love letters found at stately home reveal tale of forbidden romance
A collection of love letters, some written more than 100 years ago, tell the story of forbidden love in a now dilapidated stately home.
English Heritage has uncovered a “remarkable collection” of love letters between Dora Smith, daughter of Witley Court’s last private owner, Sir Herbert Smith, and Noel Murray “Fred” Pearson.
Witley Court in Worcestershire is a now ruined mansion that was first built in the seventeenth century and developed during the Victorian period. The structure was destroyed by a major fire in 1937, and in 1972 the ruins were handed over to the care of the government.
The letters from home were kept safe in a shoebox in the archives of a local accounting firm in the 1960s by an employee named Elizabeth Jones. It is not yet known how the letters reached the archives of the accounting firm from the destroyed mansion.
Long-standing correspondence sheds light on the forbidden love between Noel and Dora, who was married and had a child when they met. The couple give each other affectionate nicknames throughout their correspondence, calling each other “Snuffy Scruffy” and “Little Baby Gazelle.”
In one letter, Noel told his future wife: “My wonderful little gazelle,
“Baby darling, I wish I could have my precious little baby with me in the car, just to get away from all your worries and find you a little home where there are no problems and everything is one long, wonderful dream.”
Matty Cambridge, assistant curator at English Heritage, said: “It was a delight to come across these letters. They are so warm and funny but what is really moving is the time period of these letters.”
“They continue for a number of years – including the period when Dora lived at Witley Court and then married her first husband. We know Dora and Christmas eventually married in 1929, but no further. If anyone has more information about what their story was like, we’d love to hear from you!”
It appears from the letters that Dora went through a turbulent divorce in 1929 before she could be with Noel. Not much is known about the couple’s life together after marriage.
The trove of letters is currently being examined by English Heritage’s curatorial team to determine its historical significance and conservation needs.
Witley Court was transferred from state ownership to the newly formed charity English Heritage in 1984; The organization restored the formal gardens and the Perseus and Andromeda fountain in 2002.
