Cyril Clements, 77, and Jane Doe, 85, will return to Monsal Head, where they visited in 1967 after officials had told Jane there was no official record of her existence.

Jane, who was known as Barbara Hall at the time, had been denied a passport as she had no birth certificate and discovered she was abducted by gypsies as a child.

Jane's two previous marriages to Cyril have been invalid, but she was eventually granted a passport two years ago.

Cyril plans to accept her first legal marriage proposal at the Peak District beauty spot this Saturday.

Cyril remembered their first visit well: "We'd driven up to the Monsal Head and we spent an absolutely superb day there – it was the romantic setting that clinched our relationship.

"That was when it hit home that we were in love and we wanted to return there for this special day," he added.

The couple, who live in Newstead near Mansfield, plan to marry next month.

Like any normal person, Jane Doe grew up with a couple she believed to be her parents. She married and she started a family.

But then she discovered there was no record that she had ever been born. No birth certificate. No National Insurance number. No proof of identity.

Even her six children were illegitimate.

Only when she finally received her first passport two years ago, six days after her 83rd birthday, was she finally accepted by the authorities.

Now Jane, who lives in Newstead, is to have her astonishing story told in a new book.

The Woman Who Never Was will tell the captivating tale of her mysterious early life and subsequent fight for an identity.

A fight that has included three different marriage ceremonies to her partner, Cyril Clements – none of which is recognised by the authorities in this country.

Jane also claims to have been promised 19 years worth of back pension by the Department for Work and Pensions.

But she has not received a penny yet and is determined to have her day in court to claim her cash.

Cyril explained: "The authorities can't accept her without a birth certificate, which is why she has missed out on several things, including her pension, all these years.

"She had absolutely no official identity until she got her passport two years ago."

The story began back on May 20 1923 when Jane was born. It is believed her name was Barbara Hall.

For some unknown reason, at the age of four, she became the daughter of a new 'mother and father', Violet and Bob Shaw, who possibly adopted her or even kidnapped her.

But the story really started to unfold in 1945 when Jane – then living in Nottingham and known as Barbara Hall – prepared to marry her partner, George Worrall.

"The registrar told Jane she needed to produce a birth certificate to get married and that she shouldn't return to the registry office without a parent," said Cyril.

"But when Jane told her parents, she needed the birth certificate, they were both startled.

"And Jane remembers hearing her mother saying to her father:'I told you we would get caught out one day, Bob. What are you going to do about it now?"

The birth certificate could not be found. And the marriage ceremony only went ahead after a private talk between Jane's father and the registrar.

"The registrar said he would let the ceremony go ahead but warned those present not to tell anyone because they could both go to prison!" added Cyril.

Presuming the birth certificate had simply been lost, Jane got on with her life in Nottingham and she and George had six children.

However, 22 years later in 1967, she discovered, to her horror, that the missing birth certificate could not even be traced by the powers-that-be.

In fact, there was no record of her existence and that her marriage to George was not recognised in the eyes of the law. Therefore, her six children with him were illegitimate.

Unable to cope with the shock, she walked out of her marriage and the children she loved, determined to find out who she was.

Cyril continued: "Jane believes she was kidnapped by gypsies when she was four years old. She remembers being taken away by a van.

"However she was later told that this could be false because there was no record of Bob Shaw existing.

"When she was growing up, she was told by Violet and Bob that her surname was Hall. It certainly is a tangled web.

"Sixteen years into her marriage to George, she decided to try and find her birth certificate.

"But to her dismay, she was told several times there was no certificate for a Barbara Hall.

"Instead, in 1967, she was given one for Barbara Shaw. But she knew this was a fabrication and hence her fight to this day."

That same year, Jane met up with Cyril, whom she already knew from her friendship with his sister Eileen many years earlier.

The meeting with Cyril gave her the strength to leave her family and they have been together ever since.

Jane was known by her married name of Barbara Worrall until 1995 when she changed it to Jane Doe by deed poll.

During her long fight for identity, Jane has had no fewer than seven National Insurance numbers, as well as at least five different NHS numbers.

Cyril said: "All her names in the past have been a figment of someone's imagination. There is no substance to any of them and no paper trail."

Since getting her passport, Jane has expressed a desire to travel abroad for the first time but she adds sombrely: "I waited 42 years for an identity after all those years fighting.

"If they had sent me a passport when I was younger, I would have liked to have gone travelling and see the world. Now it's probably too late.

"My goal in life now is to find out who I am and where I came from."

Cyril is the author of the book. Now he is seeking sponsors for its publication and, as an incentive, he has promised to give them 49% of any profits or royalties.

Added Cyril: "Jane doesn't want to make anything out of this at all but just wants to share her story with the world."

He is asking for 1,000 people to put in £2 a week for 26 weeks to help launch the book.

The book will be free, apart from the cost of postage and packing, but Cyril believes it will be such a hit with readers that sponsors will get a lot more back than they paid in.

In two parts, it will also be available in CD format. And special manuscripts will be produced for the 1,000 sponsors.

To view the couple's website, click here