Christopher Lewin will share his findings from reading the correspondence of Charlotte Burrow, a 19th-century Exonian.

Ten years ago, Christopher Lewin bought, on eBay, an unknown archive of letters written in the Regency period. The dealer was planning to sell them individually if the archive remained unsold, in which case the present story would never have emerged. The letters bring to light a fascinating correspondence from 1808 to 1811 between Charlotte Burrow, a young woman in Exeter, and her friend in London. Their friendship gradually blossoms into romance, though with some bumps along the way.

In his voyage of discovery, Christopher Lewin found that the letters contain a considerable amount of information about the people Charlotte meets, and in particular about William Nation, merchant and banker, and his daughter Eliza, who live in Southernhay.

Christopher Lewin writes “Shining through these letters is Charlotte’s forthright but compassionate and endearing personality. Her life turns out differently from that of Jane Austen, her contemporary from a somewhat similar background. My book ‘Charlotte Burrow: A Real-Life Regency Romance’ will be published by Author Gate later this year. Readers will hopefully enjoy this true account, told in the participants’ own words while it progresses and quite distinct from the many existing fictional romances of the Regency period. The book contains some of the interesting new insights into Exeter’s social history which emerge from the letters and my talk will include additional information of this nature.”

Christopher Lewin will share some of his fascinating findings in his talk.

If you are a member of the Exeter Local History Society, tickets are free for you - please select a £0 ticket when registering for the event. If you are not a member of the Society, there is a small (£5) entry fee. If you would like to attend as a non-member, please select a non-member ticket when registering.

More information about the Society and its events can be found on the Society's website at www.exeterlocalhistorysociety.co.uk.

Description supplied by the event organiser.