Love letters reveal secrets of century-old affair

A collection of more than 100 letters telling a tale of forbidden love a century ago have been uncovered by English Heritage.

The correspondence between Dora Smith and her lover, Noel Murray "Fred" Pearson, dates from the 1920s, when Dora was living at Witley Court, a now-ruined stately home in Worcestershire - including a period when she was married to her first husband.

"It details their love affair - and it was known to be an affair," said assistant curator Matty Cambridge. "But we do know that Dora and Noel eventually tied the knot in 1929.

"What is really evident is how much they genuinely care for each other."

Dora was the daughter of Sir Herbert Smith, a carpet manufacturer and baronet who was the home's last private owner.

The collection of 108 letters, postcards and envelopes was first discovered in a shoebox in the archives of a local accountancy firm in the 1960s, but has only recently been acquired by English Heritage.

"They are really quite special because they give us insights into Witley Court itself," Cambridge told BBC Hereford & Worcester.

"We've got Dora mentioning seeing her daughter playing, wonderful mentions of the gardens and the flowers in bloom.

"But they are also filled with their pet names for each other.

"Clearly they are incredibly fond of each other.

"I'm not so much a fan of some of the pet names, because it's constant. We're talking every other sentence in some of the letters.

"But what is really evident is how much they genuinely care for each other. It's not just soppy; they are concerned about each other.

"He really does want to drive her away from her worries.

"What's interesting is they get to the point where they're putting the time of day on the letters, because they're sending multiple letters a day."

English Heritage is now studying the letters to determine their historical significance and conservation needs.

The organisation is also hoping to track down anyone who may be able to shed more light on the later lives of the lovers.

"We know they got married in 1929 but we also know that Noel, who was in the RAF, unfortunately passed away in 1941," said Cambridge.

"Dora had a child from her first marriage, so we know there are descendants.

"We don't think that she had children from her marriage with Noel, but that is as far as we've got with the picture.

"Any help from members of the public that know anything about the two would help us build up that picture.

"We're at the very start of something incredibly interesting."

"My wonderful little baby gazelle,

"Baby darling, if only I could have my precious little baby sweetheart nestled up in the car with me, I'd want to drive right away from all your worries and find you a little nest where troubles didn't exist and everything was one long wonderful dream."

"Dear my love, never did I think that you would be the very cornerstone of my life and all that I hold precious to my heart.

"Indeed, I did not believe that anyone, man or woman, could claim such wholehearted affection."

Until any further information emerges, the focus for experts will be on studying the contents of the letters and their story of an intense love affair.

"There is another letter from Dora that implies that she tore up the first version of it because she felt it was a little too racy," said Cambridge.

"So they're clearly very passionate."

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