AMATEUR historians have shed some light on an old love letter that was discovered in a Malvern home.

Edmund Price, aged 90, found the letter behind a Welsh dresser at his former home Bosbury Lodge, in Worcester Road, Malvern.

He believes the artefact is over 100-years-old and decided to share it in a bid to find out more about the history of the document.

Mr Price praised the endearing language used in the letter, which was written by a man called 'Tom' and sent to a woman named 'Alice'.

Paul Ferris, aged 65, of Bellars Lane, Malvern, checked census records to find out more about the letter after he read last week's Malvern Gazette article.

He said: “In 1911 the head of house at Bosbury Lodge was Mrs Kate George. She was living with her son, a retired locomotive superintendent, her daughter Vera, aged 28, and housemaid Gertrude A Franklin, who was 19 and born at White Ladies Aston.

“There was also a ‘paying guest’ named Alice L Jones, aged 42, born in Clifton, Gloucestershire. At the end of the entry has been added ‘mentally insufficient’.

“The ‘mentally insufficient’ does detract a little from the romantic aspect, although it might fit in with the comment [in the letter] about Alice’s ill health.

“My only doubt is the age of Alice. I have tried to find Tom at Beacon View, Upton, but unfortunately the houses aren’t named for Old Street, which makes it near impossible to go further.”

The retired teacher also discovered that the Ms Jones listed on the census married Thomas Henry Randy on April 3, 1915, raising doubts over whether she was the recipient of the letter.

Mr Ferris said an alternative theory was that the letter was intended for Ms Franklin, whose middle name was also Alice.

But Mr Ferris is not convinced by this explanation as it was uncommon to refer to a person by their middle name in a letter.

He also noted that Ms Franklin married Reginald Hyde in 1915.

He thanked members of the Malvern History Facebook page for helping to research the letter's history.

If you have another theory about the letter email md@malverngazette.co.uk