An Imagined Blue Plaque for Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989); a little-known connection with Grimsby

We are running The Archive of Unmarked History to remember local people whose lives, achievements and sacrifices deserve to be remembered, but who may never have a physical plaque or memorial of their own. Real plaques are an important way of marking a place and remembering a person, but they are expensive, and funds cannot be found to put plaques everywhere they are deserved. There may also be other reasons why a physical plaque is not possible: a building may have disappeared, a location may have changed, permission may not be available, or there may simply be nowhere suitable for one. But the absence of a physical plaque should not mean that the person and their story are forgotten. A virtual plaque is better than no plaque at all.

Through this growing archive, the Grimsby & Cleethorpes Museum will create a permanent digital record of people whose stories might otherwise be overlooked. Each virtual plaque will tell their story and connect them with the places and communities where they lived and worked. The Archive of Unmarked History does not replace real plaques. Where a physical plaque is possible, that is wonderful. But where it isn't, we can still remember.

Daphne du Maurier, one of Britain's best-known novelists, had a little-known personal connection with Grimsby through her daughter, Tessa Browning, and son-in-law, Major Peter de Zulueta.

Tessa was the daughter of Daphne and Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Browning. She married Peter de Zulueta, of the Welsh Guards, on 2 March 1954 at St James's Church, Spanish Place, London. Peter had strong family connections with Grimsby. His mother was a member of the Marshall family, and he was the grandson of George Marshall of Claremont, Welholme Avenue, and nephew of Andrew Marshall of Welholme Road.

In August 1959, a substantial town residence named Belmont, at 31 Bargate, was advertised for sale. By approximately November of that year, Peter and Tessa had made the property their home, moving to Grimsby with their two young children, Marie-Thérèse and Paul. A newspaper feature published in May 1961 stated that the family had arrived about 18 months earlier.

The article, entitled 'Absent-minded – That's Daphne du Maurier', offered a fascinating glimpse into the family's life. It identified Tessa as living at 31 Bargate and included a photograph of her reading one of her mother's stories to the children. The family also continued to spend holidays at Menabilly, Daphne's home in Cornwall.

The de Zuluetas became involved in local life. Tessa participated in charitable activities, presiding over a fundraising gift stall which helped raise £132 in 1961, and performed an opening ceremony at Grimsby Town Hall in November of that year. A newspaper photograph from April 1961 showed a litter of pug puppies, born in Grimsby and reared by Major and Mrs de Zulueta at 31 Bargate.

The house was known as Belmont, a name confirmed by contemporary property advertisements. In April 1965, Major and Mrs de Zulueta instructed estate agents Martin Maslin to sell their home. The advertisement described Belmont as a substantial freehold town residence, with three reception rooms, five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a double garage, outbuildings and an attractive garden. The family subsequently left Grimsby for London.

Tessa nevertheless retained her connections with the town. In May 1966, she was reported among two former officials of a local Ladies' Association who had left the district but returned to preside over a fundraising gift stall.

Daphne du Maurier herself visited Grimsby on several occasions to see her daughter and family. These appear to have been private family visits rather than public engagements, and no contemporary announcements of individual visits have so far come to light. Their occurrence is specifically confirmed, however, in an article published in the Evening Telegraph on 16 June 1994, which recalled that Daphne had visited Tessa and her family in Grimsby on several occasions.

Daphne du Maurier, whose celebrated novels include Rebecca, Jamaica Inn and My Cousin Rachel, died in 1989. Although she never lived in Grimsby, her visits to her daughter and grandchildren at Belmont established a little-known personal connection with the town.

Belmont, 31 Bargate, provides a tangible link between Grimsby and one of the most celebrated British novelists of the twentieth century.