The world’s oldest love letter written in English has been decoded by the newly launched Scribe AI, revealing a 15th-century bride forced to choose between the man she loved and her family's money.
Dated to February 1477, the letter was written by Margery Brews from Topcroft, England, and is addressed to her fiancé, John Paston III, whom she called her "beloved Valentine."
Brews writes of her mother, who pleaded with her father to increase her dowry for the wedding, and of her father’s refusal to put down more money for the event, putting the wedding at risk.
Despite this, Brews declared to Paston that she would still marry him even if he had “half the livelihood” he did.
She ends the letter "with a very heavy heart," and asks Paston to keep it and its content a secret.
'Paston Letters' collection
Brews’ letter is part of the famous “Paston Letters” collection of correspondence between the Paston noble family and others in England during the 15th century, including state papers and other important documents.
Notably, the collection is an important source of information about what life in England was like during the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487) and the early Tudor period (1485-1603).
Scribe AI’s decoding of the letter adds to this wealth of information, allowing historians and modern readers a rare glimpse into the delicate balance that were arranged marriages in the late Middle Ages.
Scribe AI was launched from global family history platform MyHeritage, which uses advanced AI to transcribe, translate, analyse, and explain historical letters, records, photos, and handwritten documents.