For over two and a half centuries, a collection of over 100 letters penned by family members intended for their loved ones serving aboard the French warship Galatée remained unopened and preserved with their original red wax seals, as they never reached their intended recipients.
The circumstances surrounding these letters date back to 1758 when the ship was captured by the British while en route from Bordeaux to Quebec during the Seven Years’ War. Following the capture, the crew was imprisoned, and the letters, which narrowly missed reaching the ship, were seized and subsequently delivered to the Admiralty of the British Royal Navy in London.
Recently, these long-forgotten letters have been unsealed and read for the first time, shedding light on a captivating historical backdrop of diverse segments of society during that era. Renaud Morieux, the lead author of the study and a professor of European history at Pembroke College, Cambridge, underscores the invaluable historical insights derived from these letters. The findings have been published in the French journal Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales, marking a significant contribution to our understanding of the past. a collection of over
“These letters are about universal human experiences, they’re not unique to France or the 18th century,” Morieux said in a statement. “They reveal how we all cope with major life challenges. 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. Today we have Zoom and WhatsApp. In the 18th century, people only had letters but what they wrote about feels very familiar.”