For the first time in over 250 years, a box of love letters sealed during the Seven Years’ War have been opened. They reveal the affection, anxiety, and strife of loved ones attempting to connect with French soldiers onboard a warship. “I could spend the night writing to you,” wrote Marie Dubosc in a letter to her husband Louis Chambrelan, the ship’s first lieutenant. 

Written between 1757 and 1758, the collection of 104 letters were sent by the family, lovers, and friends to the crew of the Galatee. The French postal administration attempted to deliver them at multiple ports in France, but they never could reach them. After the Galatee was captured in 1758, Britain’s Royal Navy confiscated the love notes to London.  Every single unopened letter was bound in ribbon and placed in storage, never to be seen by the French crew. For 265 years they gathered dust until Professor Renaud Morieux, a University of Cambridge academic, stumbled across them in The National Archives.  

“I realised I was the first person to read these very personal messages since they were written,” Morieux said. “Their intended recipients didn’t get that chance. It was very emotional.” 

Dubosc’s letter continued: “I am your forever faithful wife. Good night, my dear friend. It is midnight. I think it is time for me to rest.” Sadly, the couple were never to see each other again as Dubosc passed away a year after her husband was captured. Another letter by Anne Le Cerf passionately declares to her husband, Jean Topsent; “I cannot wait to possess you.” 

As a result of Morieux’s discovery, we now have a richer insight into the lives of 18^th-century French families. Morieux identified all 181 members of the Galatee’s crew as part of his upcoming book. The Seven Years’ War was mainly fought between Britain and France about control of North America and India. Britain ended the war with greater success, gaining territories that reconstructed European and global political order.  

“These letters are about universal human experiences, they’re not unique to France or the 18th century,” explained Morieux. “When we are separated from loved ones by events beyond our control, like the pandemic or wars, we have to work out how to stay in touch, how to reassure, care for people and keep the passion alive.”