HOT PURSUIT: A lesson in romance from the Victorians

She was one of the most sought-after women in Victorian high society, and a collection of Valentine letters and cards has shed new light on the efforts of amorous admirers to secure her affections.

The romantic missives sent during the mid-19th century by would-be suitors to Catherine Worsley, the daughter of Sir William Worsley of Hovingham, have been unearthed in the North Yorkshire County Record Office.

The 22 illustrated Valentine messages take the form of elaborately illustrated poems, sonnets and stories.

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Catherine, whose descendant Katharine Worsley married into royalty and is now the Duchess of Kent, eventually wed her cousin George Allanson Cayley in 1859.

The Valentine letters were found by record assistant Katie Robinson and are now on display at the record office in Northallerton.

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