Jimi Hendrix telling his 'little girl' to spread her wings came tenth

A heartfelt birthday message from Johnny Cash to his beloved wife June has been voted the greatest love letter of all time.

The simple, but plainly expressed missive in which the singer dubbed the Man in Black writes 'you're the object of my desire, the #1 Earthly reason for my existence,' has topped a list of passionate penmanship.

Written in 1994, the letter beat notes by Keats, Churchill, Jimi Hendrix and the great Hollywood lovers Richard Burton and Liz Taylor.

Johnny Cash's birthday letter to his wife June in 1994 has been voted the greatest love letter of all time

In the Valentine's Day poll, the country music legend Johnny Cash's letter in which he writes to 'the greatest woman I ever met' on his wife June Carter's 65th birthday was regarded as the most moving.

In it he wrote, 'We got old and got used to each other. We think alike. We read each others [sic] minds. We know what the other wants without asking. Sometimes we irritate each other a little bit. Maybe sometimes we take each other for granted.

'But once in a while, like today, I meditate on it and realize how lucky I am to share my life with the greatest woman I ever met.

'You still fascinate and inspire me. You influence me for the better. You're the object of my deskre, the #1 Earthly reason for my existence. I love you very much.'

Winston Churchill's words of undying love to his 'darling Clemmie' in 1935 came second.

Despite his many wives King Henry VIII makes an appearance in the list confessing his love to his second wife Anne Boleyn in 1527.

Poet John Keats came in third place with his letter to his next door neighbour Fanny Brawne telling her that he couldn't live without her in 1819

Composer Ludvig Van Beethoven takes eight place as pens his love for his 'Immortal Beloved' whose true identity remains a mystery

The much-married monarch, who later had his wife executed, wrote: 'I beg to know expressly your intention touching the love between us. Necessity compels me to obtain this answer, having been more than a year wounded by the dart of love, and not yet sure whether I shall fail or find a place in your affection.'

Poet John Keats may be famous for his odes but he only manages third place on the table despite his way with words telling his next door neighbour Fanny Brawne that he can not live without her in 1819.

Jimi Hendrix's letter to his 'little girl' comes in at tenth as he encourages her to 'spread her wings'. The recipient of the letter is unclear but still earns itself a place in the top spot.

The poll to discover our favourite romantic message was commissioned by British life insurance company Beagle Street to encourage Brits to be more romantic on February 14.

In the battle of the sexes, it was men who came out on top in the romance stakes with nearly one in four (24 per cent) saying they have sent a love letter within the last year.

But after 38 per cent of women admitted that they had never written a love letter, 46 percent declared the tradition outdated.

Gerald Ford earns himself ninth place on the list with his letter to wife Betty after her cancer diagnosis

Londoners proved the most romantic in the country with 74 percent claiming to have penned a love note, while in the North East it was just 55 percent.

Beagle Street's managing director Matthew Gledhill says that a hand-written note is still appreciated even in the modern age.

'A well-written love letter can stand the test of time and be a permanent record of affection so it is important the tradition doesn't die out.

'We hope our research inspires people who have never written a love letter to take some time out and write down and share exactly how they feel with a loved one.'