A love struck medieval clerk writing out romantic lyrics as he daydreams, a gay man in the 1930s who tears up a letter to his lover to hide it from the police, two women who defy 18th century conventions to marry in secret...these are some of the characters you’ll meet in this episode, which features three stories of disappointed and forbidden love. Each story comes from a real love letter in The National Archives’ collection, and if you think a government archive can’t be romantic, these documents and their powerful stories may very well change your mind.

Documents from The National Archives used in this episode:

DPP 2/224; E 163/22/1/1; PROB 10/6000.

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