Author Charles Dickens is most famous for his

catalogue of literary masterpieces.

But his elegant flowing prose adapts equally well to begging letters. In 1847 he wrote to Sussex actress Julia Fortescue asking her to perform in two amateur theatre productions he was directing.

Writing on blue gilt-edged paper, the author asks if she will play her "old part" of Miss Dame Kitely in Ben Jonson's Every Man And His Humour and Mrs Ford in Shakespeare's comedy The Merry Wives Of Windsor.

The letters were uncovered in a box of family correspondence by Miss Fortescue's great-grandson Valentine Gardner, from Telscombe. They are expected to reach between £500 and £700 each when they are auctioned on Wednesday.

In the first letter, dated June 21 1847, Dickens asks: "I don't know whether you have heard that we, the old original amateurs of that very small theatre in Dean Street are going to act twice at Covent Garden for the benefit of Mr Leigh Hunt ... But if you should have heard of it I hope a sense of the impossibility of our thinking of doing anything of the kind without you, has also been present in your thoughts.

"Of those representations we can speak when I shall have the pleasure of seeing you. If I find, as I hope, that we yet live in your favourable remembrance and that we may welcome you as our kind assistant again, I will beg Willmott to send you a list of the rehearsal calls for Covent Garden commencing on Thursday the 8th of July.

"Allow me to assure you of, and to thank you for, the interest and pleasure with which I have seen you publicly since our last meeting in private."

The faded pieces of parchment are signed with Dickens' trademark scrawl.

Mr Gardner, 74, said: "A history friend of mine went through the letters with me. I am not particularly interested in the theatre but if you sit there with them in your hand you feel there really is something quite special about them."

Miss Fortescue did perform in at least one of the plays Dickens asked her about. An 1888 book on Dickens' theatre career shows a copy of a play bill for the Theatre Royal Haymarket which names Miss Fortescue in the role of Dame Kitely.

In the past letters written by Dickens have sold for as much as £2,200. Auctioneer Aaron Dean, of Gorringes, said there is no doubt they are authentic and already has at least four international telephone bidders lined up.

He said the fact the letters have not been published should increase their value, adding: "There is no mistaking the flow and style of Dickens' writing."