Seymour Dorothy Fleming
Encyclopedia
Seymour Dorothy Fleming was an 18th century British noblewoman, notable for her involvement in a separation scandal.
(d. 1763), of Brompton Park, Middlesex, and his wife, Lady (Jane) Coleman (d. 1811). Her father and two of her sisters died when she was 5 and she and her elder sister, Jane were then raised by her mother. Her mother remarried in 1770 to a rich sexagenarian born in Barbados
, Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood
.
At the age of 17, Seymour Fleming married Sir Richard Worsley, 7th Baronet
of Appuldurcombe House
, Isle of Wight
, on the 20th of September 1775, and assumed the title of Lady Worsley until his death. She was rumoured to have been worth £70,000 upon her marriage, but in truth only brought £52,000 to the union.
The couple had one legitimate child, a son, Robert Edwin who died young. Lady Worsley bore a second child, Jane Seymour Worsley in August 1781, fathered by Maurice George Bisset but whom Sir Richard claimed as his own to avoid scandal.
Badly suited to one another, the couple's marriage began to fall apart shortly after marriage. Lady Worsley was rumoured to have had 27 lovers and in February 1782, Sir Richard brought a criminal conversation
case for £20,000 against one of them. In November 1781, Lady Worsley ran off with a captain in the South Hampshire militia by the name of George M Bissett
. Bisset had also been Sir Richard's closest friend and neighbour at Knighton Gorges on the Isle of Wight. Although Sir Richard looked to have a strong case against Bisset it was undone by the shocking revelations of the criminal conversation trial, which included testimony by a number of Lady Worsley's lovers and her doctor, William Osborn, who related that she had suffered from a venereal disease which she had contracted from the Marques of Graham
. It was later proven that Sir Richard had displayed his wife naked
to George Bisset at the Bath house in Maidstone. This evidence destroyed Sir Richard's suit and the jury awarded him only 1 shilling in damages.
Eventually, George Bisset left Lady Worsley when it became clear that Sir Richard was seeking separation rather than divorce (meaning Seymour could not re-marry until Richard's death). Seymour was forced to become a professional mistress or demimondaine and live off the donations of rich men in order to survive, joining other upper-class women in a similar position in The New Female Coterie. She had two more children; another by Bisset after he left her in 1783 whose fate is unknown, and a fourth, Charlotte Dorothy Hammond (née Cochard) who she sent to be raised by a family in Belgium. Lady Worsley was later forced to leave for Paris
in order to avoid her debts.
In 1788 she and her new lover the Chevalier de Saint-Georges
returned to England and her estranged husband entered into articles of separation, on the condition she spend 4 years in exile in France. She was trapped in France 8 months before the expiration this exile by the events of the French Revolution
and so she was probably imprisoned during the Reign of Terror
, meaning she was abroad on the death of her and Sir Richard's son in 1793. Early 1797 saw her quietly return to England, and she then suffered a severe 2 month illness. Due to the forgiveness of her mother, her sister and her sister's husband, the Earl of Harrington, she was then able to move into Brompton Park, the home that was hers but which the laws on property ownership prevented her from officially holding.
On Sir Richard's death in 1805 her £70,000 jointure reverted to her and just over a month later, on 12 September, she re-married to John Lewis Cuchet at Farnham
. Also that month, by royal licence, she officially resumed her maiden name of Fleming, and her new husband also took it. After the armistice of 1814 ended the War of the Sixth Coalition
the couple moved to a villa at Passy
, where she later died in 1818.
Life
She was the younger daughter and coheir of the Irish-born Sir John Fleming, 1st BaronetSir John Fleming, 1st Baronet
Sir John Fleming, 1st Baronet was an English baronet, created first Baronet Fleming of Brompton Park, Middlesex in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 22 April 1763....
(d. 1763), of Brompton Park, Middlesex, and his wife, Lady (Jane) Coleman (d. 1811). Her father and two of her sisters died when she was 5 and she and her elder sister, Jane were then raised by her mother. Her mother remarried in 1770 to a rich sexagenarian born in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood
Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood
Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood was a West Indian plantation owner of English ancestry.-Life:He was the son of Henry Lascelles and Mary Carter. His father split the family fortune leaving Edwin's elder brother Daniel as head of the business whilst raising Edwin as a lord of the manor over...
.
At the age of 17, Seymour Fleming married Sir Richard Worsley, 7th Baronet
Sir Richard Worsley, 7th Baronet
Sir Richard Worsley, 7th Baronet was an English antiquary and politician.- Early life :Worsley was born on 13 February 1751, Appuldurcombe, the son of Sir Thomas Worsley, 6th Baronet . Worsley succeeded his father as baronet on 23 September 1768...
of Appuldurcombe House
Appuldurcombe House
Appuldurcombe House is the shell of a large 18th-century baroque country house of the Worsley family. The house is situated near to Wroxall on the Isle of Wight....
, Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, on the 20th of September 1775, and assumed the title of Lady Worsley until his death. She was rumoured to have been worth £70,000 upon her marriage, but in truth only brought £52,000 to the union.
The couple had one legitimate child, a son, Robert Edwin who died young. Lady Worsley bore a second child, Jane Seymour Worsley in August 1781, fathered by Maurice George Bisset but whom Sir Richard claimed as his own to avoid scandal.
Badly suited to one another, the couple's marriage began to fall apart shortly after marriage. Lady Worsley was rumoured to have had 27 lovers and in February 1782, Sir Richard brought a criminal conversation
Criminal conversation
Criminal conversation, commonly known as crim. con., is a tort arising from adultery.-History of criminal conversation:It was based upon compensation for the husband's loss of property rights in his wife, the wife being regarded as his chattel. Historically a wife could not sue her husband for...
case for £20,000 against one of them. In November 1781, Lady Worsley ran off with a captain in the South Hampshire militia by the name of George M Bissett
George Bisset
George Bisset is a former Australian rules footballer. He played as a rover and spent most of his career at Footscray.Bisset was one vote away from winning the Brownlow Medal in 1969. Bisset had been reported during a round 14 clash against Carlton and as a result was not eligible to receive votes...
. Bisset had also been Sir Richard's closest friend and neighbour at Knighton Gorges on the Isle of Wight. Although Sir Richard looked to have a strong case against Bisset it was undone by the shocking revelations of the criminal conversation trial, which included testimony by a number of Lady Worsley's lovers and her doctor, William Osborn, who related that she had suffered from a venereal disease which she had contracted from the Marques of Graham
James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose
James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose KG, KT, PC , styled Marquess of Graham until 1790, was a Scottish nobleman and statesman.-Background:...
. It was later proven that Sir Richard had displayed his wife naked
Candaulism
Candaulism is a sexual practice or fantasy in which a man exposes his female partner, or images of her, to other people for their voyeuristic pleasure. According to Gugitz, the term is derived from ancient King Candaules who made a plot to show his unaware naked wife to his servant Gyges of Lydia...
to George Bisset at the Bath house in Maidstone. This evidence destroyed Sir Richard's suit and the jury awarded him only 1 shilling in damages.
Eventually, George Bisset left Lady Worsley when it became clear that Sir Richard was seeking separation rather than divorce (meaning Seymour could not re-marry until Richard's death). Seymour was forced to become a professional mistress or demimondaine and live off the donations of rich men in order to survive, joining other upper-class women in a similar position in The New Female Coterie. She had two more children; another by Bisset after he left her in 1783 whose fate is unknown, and a fourth, Charlotte Dorothy Hammond (née Cochard) who she sent to be raised by a family in Belgium. Lady Worsley was later forced to leave for Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in order to avoid her debts.
In 1788 she and her new lover the Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George was an important figures in the Paris musical scene in the second half of the 18th century as composer, conductor, and violinist. Prior to the revolution in France, he was also famous as a swordsman and equestrian...
returned to England and her estranged husband entered into articles of separation, on the condition she spend 4 years in exile in France. She was trapped in France 8 months before the expiration this exile by the events of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and so she was probably imprisoned during the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
, meaning she was abroad on the death of her and Sir Richard's son in 1793. Early 1797 saw her quietly return to England, and she then suffered a severe 2 month illness. Due to the forgiveness of her mother, her sister and her sister's husband, the Earl of Harrington, she was then able to move into Brompton Park, the home that was hers but which the laws on property ownership prevented her from officially holding.
On Sir Richard's death in 1805 her £70,000 jointure reverted to her and just over a month later, on 12 September, she re-married to John Lewis Cuchet at Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
. Also that month, by royal licence, she officially resumed her maiden name of Fleming, and her new husband also took it. After the armistice of 1814 ended the War of the Sixth Coalition
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
the couple moved to a villa at Passy
Passy
Passy is an area of Paris, France, located in the XVIe arrondissement, on the Right Bank. It is traditionally home to many of the city's wealthiest residents.Passy was formerly a commune...
, where she later died in 1818.
External links
, with information on his wife- http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=47510
- http://holmesacourt.org/d3/i0001304.htm
- http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=7&CATID=-4310065&FullDetails=True&j=1&Gsm=2008-08-08 www.odoc.com