Here is an extract from a letter sent to great cousin Dorothy in New York from a second cousin, Annie Behague, who lived in Handsworth, Birmingham. She was 95 when she wrote it in November 1971.

The Behague Family.

There were two brothers. They did some secret work for the Empress Eugene in France. For that Great Secret Service she gave them the coat of arms. The two brothers had to flee from France. They went to Holland and lived there a number of years before coming to England. There are still some Behagues living in France. They have a sheep farm. About three years ago the Queen was staying at a place in Versailles and an item on the menu was Roast Saddle of Behague Lamb.

I hope you will be able to understand this. With love from Ann Behague.

Anns, Annes and Annies abound, and I have to quote from two more letters, the first from a great aunt Annie who lived in Rednal, Birmingham, and was also well into her nineties when she wrote this to another member of the family in April, 1957:

"My mother used to tell me that we were the only family bearing the name Behague in England. But that was many years ago. People have travelled from country to country since then. She said it was in the time of a war that two brothers came to England and settled in the fen country as drainers of the land. They were Daniel and William. Daniel had a son and a daughter. The son died and the daughter married and went to America. William had two sons and three daughters - Frederick and Jeremiah, Betsy, Susan and Ann. That is all I know of the Behague history."

Another Annie was also in her nineties when she wrote this note, year unknown, in her cottage in Henly in Arden, Warwickshire:

"I do not know much of the Behague family, but my husband's name was Jeremiah Behague, and his father and uncle's names were William and Daniel Behague, and they came from Holland in war time to Huntingdonshire. They were very big men but have been dead many years."

Questions. Were the William and Daniel mentioned here, the same as the two in the first Annie's letter? And were they brothers or was one the other's uncle?

And now a letter from Prof. Gerard Behague, who lives in Austin, Texas, and is a member of the Department of Music at the University of Texas. I found his name among those forming the editorial board of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and wrote to him in October 1980. This was his reply:

I was indeed delighted to find out about the English branch of Behagues on the other side of the Channel. I know relatively little about my father's family background. My father, Armand Behague (with accent aigu in French!) was born in Noyelles-Godault (Pas de Calais) in 1912 and had two brothers who are dead. I have not been able to find out the name of my paternal grandfather, since my parents have been divorced since 1946, and I never saw my father again.

From the age of about 12, my brother, sister and I were raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. My older brother, Maurice, and younger one, Bernard, continue to live in Brazil. My sister, Christiane (b. 1948) now married, lives near Montpellier, in Southern France, where my mother also lives. My brother Maurice has two sons, Alexandre and Richard.

To my knowledge, there are not many Behagues in France. The name itself, rather exclusive, appears only in Northern France. In Southern France, I know of a Comtesse de Behague, who was a friend of the poet Paul Valery, but whether or not related to our family I don't know. My uncles Marcel Behague and Loretto Behague had each a son, respectively, Andre Behague and Guy Behague who, I believe, also live in the Montpellier area.

I myself am married to Cecilia Pareja Cucalea from Ecuador. We have two daughters. Incidentally, one of my brothers in law, Francisco Pareja Cucalon, lives in Sussex at present studying economics. He is a charming young man. He has been at the University of Sussex since the fall of 1979. His address is 22 Hogarth Road, Hove.

I was indeed interested in knowing more about the beginning of the Behagues on both sides of the Channel. So please keep in touch.

That was more than ten years ago, and I failed to keep in touch.