The Times newspaper has been looking into the background of Jeffrey's Archer's mother whose death temporarily halted the novelist's trial this week.

A report yesterday revealed that Lord Archer's mother Lola Hayne, who died aged 87 at a nursing home in Essex, had given up two children for adoption, including, bizarrely, one called Jeffrey Archer.

The three-times married Mrs Hayne gave birth at 17 to Wendy, who was adopted and now lives in Canada.

Four years later she gave birth to a son, who she christened Jeffrey Archer. She gave him up for adoption four years later and he is now called David Brown.

She kept the existence of the two adoptions a secret from Lord Archer because she thought he would think badly of her.

According to The Times when the first Jeffrey was born, Mrs Hayne lied about the fact that she was not married by entering false names at the registration of birth. Seven months later the form was corrected as she was planning to give up her only son for adoption. The father's name was deleted.

Wendy was brought up by adoptive parents in Cardiff before emigrating in the 1960s to Canada. She lives in Ontario, married a lay preacher, and was reunited with Mrs Hayne after 60 years apart.