Experts Restoring A Historic Home Found Two 400-Year-Old Notes Hidden Beneath The Floorboards

How fascinating is it to get a 400-year-old handwritten note? No matter what the content is, the note itself becomes an artifact. The property where the note was discovered is pretty old and dates back to 1445. The manor house is in Sevenoaks, England. The great house is known as Knole and it stood the test of time, even during the tumultuous periods of England. The Sackville family owned the manor from the very beginning. The 4th Baron Sackville handed over the manor to the National Trust, so that they could take care of the huge building and protect its rich historical past. Once the National Trust took over the maintenance and restoration charges, they opened up several estate’s rooms for public display. They wanted the general public to have a feel of how the rich people used to stay almost 350 years ago. The note didn’t make the manor popular, rather Knole became popular due to The Beatles song ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’. The Beatles fans still visit the place to figure out where the video was shot. The 7th Baron Sackville is still residing in one wing of the manor even when the property belongs to the National Trust now. Knole has a big hallway, 420 rooms and staircases connecting each one of them. The National Trust for maintaining this huge manor has put huge staff and volunteers to work. A 5-year restoration project had been launched in 2014. During this period, the staff and volunteers went for inspection to the forgotten corners. While inspecting, the volunteers found some letters from the attic. The condition of the letter was very fragile, so it was sent to the experts who could restore the letter and help in reading the message. Jim Parker, a team member of the archaeological department, discovered the first letter. It was merely a shopping list, but it definitely gave an insight to the lifestyle of the rich people back then. Initially, the ballroom, king’s room and Cartoon gallery were explored, but nothing significant was found. It was in the attic space, that the letter was discovered. Jan Cutajar took up the painstaking job of returning the letters in a legible state. It was a combination of brushes, rubber powder, and special document cleaners that helped him restore the letter. The two letters were dated May 1603 and October 1633. The 1633 letter was the shopping list that had items like a frying pan, greenfish, pewter spoons, and a fire shovel. The letter was written on an expensive piece of paper and the fine handwriting proved that the member was a highly regarded staff. The 1603 letter is not yet deciphered. Another letter dated 1622 that was discovered from the Upper King’s room, was a thank you note. This is how the archaeologists found letters from the past. Fascinating, isn’t it?