Renaud Morieux did not know what to expect when he opened the box at the National Archives in Kew: he had simply asked to see it out of curiosity. Inside were three piles of letters, held together by ribbon. "The letters were very small and were sealed," he says, "so I asked the archivist if they could be opened.

"I realised I was the first person to read these very personal messages since they were written... It was very emotional."

The letters were sent during the Seven Years War, which began in 1756. It involved all the major European powers, but for Britain and France was mainly about control of North America and India.

The French navy had excellent ships, but was short of experienced men, so their enemies set out to capture as many as they could. In 1758 almost a third of all French sailors - 19,632 - were imprisoned in Britain.¹

They included the 181-strong crew of the ship for which the letters were intended, the Galatee. It was captured on its way from BordeauxA city in southwestern France. to QuebecA mostly French-speaking province of Canada. - the last straw for men who had endured rough weather, cramped conditions, bad food, savage punishments and diseases such as scurvyA disease caused by a lack of Vitamin C - most often caused by not eating enough fruits or vegetables. .

The French postal authorities had tried to deliver the letters by sending them to ports where the ship was supposed to stop - but they always arrived too late. After the Galatee's capture, they were sent to the AdmiraltyIn the past, the Admiralty was the UK government department that was responsible for the navy. in London for forwarding.

Renaud Morieux, who teaches history at Cambridge University, believes officials opened and read two of the letters, hoping for naval information. But as the letters seemed only to contain "family stuff", they were put into storage. "It's agonising how close they got," he says.

Morieux spent months decoding the 102 letters: some had terrible spelling and no punctuation. He also identified and researched the family of every member of the crew.

One letter was to the ship's first lieutenant, Louis Chambrelan, from his wife Marie Dubosc. "I could spend the night writing to you," she wrote. "I am your forever faithful wife. Good night, my dear friend. It is midnight. I think it is time for me to rest."

Tragically, Marie died the following year, almost certainly before her husband was released.

Several letters written to Nicolas Quesnel, a young sailor from NormandyA region of northern France., reflect family tensions. His mother reproaches him for writing more to his fiancee than to her, and adds, "In your letters you never mention your father. This hurts me greatly."

Morieux's research found that Nicolas's mother had remarried, so this "father" was in fact his stepfather. The implication is that the two men did not get on.

"These letters are about universal human experiences," Morieux says: "they're not unique to France or the 18th Century. 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."

Yes: The letters show that love, anxiety, sorrow and anger were felt as strongly in the 18th Century as they are today - and that the things that aroused them were very much the same.  

No: Our emotions are governed by the culture we live in. What some communities find frightening, others find exciting. Some languages have words for particular feelings that do not exist in others.  

Or... It may not change, but our ability to express it does. The art of writing letters - particularly love letters - has largely disappeared, and text messages are a poor substitute.