540-Year-Old Love Letter From England Shows Timeless Love Vs Money Dilemma

Last Updated:April 22, 2026, 19:35 IST

Decoded after 540 years using AI, the 1477 English letter reveals a bride’s worries over dowry even as she reassures her fiancé of her love.

The world’s oldest known love letter has been decoded more than five centuries after it was written, revealing a familiar tension that lovers face between love and money.

Penned by Margery Brews to her fiancé John Paston III in Topcroft in February 1477 (later annotated as 1476/7), the letter captures her anxiety over dowry negotiations even as she reassures him of her commitment.

She writes of having a “full heavy heart" as her mother failed to convince her father to increase her dowry, but adds she would not abandon him even if he had “half the livelihood" he did. She also urges him to keep the letter private.

The letter was deciphered by genealogy platform MyHeritage using its Scribe AI tool, which analysed the original manuscript and translated it into modern English.

“Many historical letters are difficult for modern readers to interpret at first glance," a MyHeritage spokesperson told Wired. “But the essential information summary quickly explains the people, emotions, historical context and significance of the document."

A Daily Mail report noted that the letter’s informal style, inconsistent spelling and archaic script make it difficult to read at first glance. Margery used older linguistic forms, including the Anglo-Saxon letter “thorn" and medieval abbreviations where letters like “m" were omitted or indicated through marks and superscripts.

“The language can feel unfamiliar to modern readers because spelling, grammar and pronunciation were very different from the English we use now," the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

What Are The Paston Letters

The note is part of the Paston Letters, a collection of over 400 correspondences spanning three generations of a Norfolk family, offering rare insight into everyday life in medieval England.

As the Pastons rose from peasantry to the lower ranks of the aristocracy, the letters reflect social mobility in the period. Many were written by women and several capture exchanges between close relatives.

Despite the uncertainty in the letter, Margery and John went on to marry and had a son, William, in 1479. Margery died in 1495, followed by John in 1503.

Their descendants, traced through MyHeritage, said the letter brings the past closer to the present.

“It really reminds you that the people you are studying are very much like ourselves," said archaeologist Rob Edwards while speaking to Daily Mail.

“They have the same feelings, and the fact that they are related really does add an extra dimension. You can imagine it, trying to get a bit more towards the wedding from your parents. This money is going to set you up."

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