LOVE letters between a former MP for Haddington and his wife are being published online for Valentine’s Day by National Records of Scotland.

The correspondence from 1843 between James Maitland Balfour, MP for the county town, his wife Lady Blanche Cecil and their relatives are among a huge collection of family papers bought for the national archives by NRS last year.

The couple’s son, Arthur Balfour, was Prime Minister from 1902 to 1905 and is buried at Whittingehame Church in the county.

Veronica Schreuder, archivist, said: “History already documents the union of these two immensely influential families but these private letters show us the tender young couple in love, eager that they would get on with each other’s families.

“We’re putting extracts online today so people can read them for themselves.”

In a letter dated July 15, exactly one month to the date of their wedding, JM Balfour writes: “My dearest Lady Blanche, I cannot leave town with no chance of seeing you again for many months without doing that which must either make me the happiest or most wretched of men.

“O Lady Blanche, I love you deeply fervently and O how happy should I be if I could only hope that that love was returned.”

Lady Blanche accepted his proposal and triggered a flurry of excited letters between family members.

There are congratulations from his parents, his brother-in-law and even her nine-year-old brother.

Lady Eleanor, Balfour’s mother, confesses she had “fears and dread of a daughter-in-law” but is now “quite delighted to think my fate is fixed so delightfully”.

She also tells her son that his father approved.

He quickly forwards the letter onto his fiancée “you will see by [the letter] what a good impression you have made on all of them…I cannot tell you what pleasure it gives me to see that they all like you as much I certainly never have done anything to deserve being so very happy as I now am.”

Her brother, Lord Robert Cecil playfully joked with his sister: ‘you the cool, unprejudiced, and romantic Blanche have condescended to marry your first season; without having teazed a hundred loves with fruitless hopes without having caused any duels or created any animosity between your admirers…’

The couple were married at Lady Blanche’s family home Hatfield House in Hertfordshire.

The Duke of Wellington, then leader of the House of Lords, was among the guests and he gave them the use of a property on his estate for their honeymoon.

James Balfour was 23 and Lady Blanche 18 years old at the time.

The archivist added: “In some ways their story is a sad one as James Balfour died only 13 years later at the age of 36 from TB but it was also a successful marriage.

“They had eight children; three daughters and five sons who would all go on to lead influential lives.

“Their eldest son Arthur followed in the footsteps of his uncle the Marquess of Salisbury to become Prime Minister in 1902.

“He would also serve as Foreign Secretary in 1916-1919.”

Last year, it was announced that National Records of Scotland had bought thousands of items from the family archive for £500,000.

At that time, Dr Alan Borthwick, head of private records for National Records of Scotland, said: “This collection offers a remarkable insight into life in a family whose influence stretched around the world; revealing them at home, at work and at play.

“We are pleased to have secured this collection, which includes items from 1577 to 1956, for the nation.”