THE OLDEST VALENTINE'S DAY LETTER

February 14 annually is popularly known worldwide as the Saint Valentine's day and often simply Valentine's Day. Over the years the day has been annually celebrated all over the world by lovers who set it out to reassure their partner while others use it as an opportunity to express themselves.

There have been several version origin of St. Valentines but the commonest one is the one that portrays Valentine as a priest who refused an unattested law attributed to Roman Emperor Claudius II, allegedly ordering that young men remain single. The Emperor supposedly did this to grow his army, believing that married men did not make for good soldiers. The priest Valentine, however, secretly performed marriage ceremonies for young men. When Claudius found out about this, he had Valentine arrested and thrown in jail.

ST. VALENTINE

There is an additional modern embellishment to The Golden Legend, provided by American Greetings to History.com, and widely repeated despite having no historical basis whatsoever. On the evening before Valentine was to be executed, he would have written the first "valentine" card himself, addressed to the daughter of his jailer, who was no longer blind, signing as "From your Valentine. 

However the oldest written evidence of Valentine’s Day is a later sent by a lady named Margery Brews to her then betrothed John Paston. She was trying to plead to John not give up on her despite her parent’s refusal to increase her dowry.

 

 

 

ORIGINAL LETTER

THE LETTER TYPED OUT

Right reverend and worshipful and my right well-beloved Valentine, I recommend me unto you full heartily, desiring to hear of your welfare which I beseech almighty God long for to preserve unto his pleasure and your heart's desire and if it please you to hear of my welfare I am not in good health of body nor of heart nor shall be till I hear from you, for there knows no creature what pain that I endure and on pain of death I dare not reveal. And my lady my mother has laboured the matter to my father full diligently but she can no more get than ye know of for the which God knows I am full sorry. But if that you love me as I trust verily that you do, you will not leave me therefore. For if that you had not half the livelihood that you have for to do the greatest labour that any woman alive might I would not forsake you. And if you command me to keep me true wherever I go, I advise I will do all my might you to love and never no more. And if my friends say that I do amiss, they shall not me hinder so for to do. My heart me bids ever more to love you truly over all earthly thing and if they be never so angry I trust it shall be better in time coming. No more to you at this time but the holy trinity has you in keeping. And I beseech you that this bill be not seen of no earthly creature except yourself and this letter was written at topcroft with full heavy heart. By your own M[argery] B[rews].