Lily, Lady William Beresford, formerly Lily Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (née Price, June 10, 1854 – January 11, 1909) was an American heiress and socialite during the

Gilded Age In History of the United States, United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mar ...

Early life

Lilian Warren Price was born on June 10, 1854, in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

.Henry Hall, ''America's successful men of affairs'', New York: New York Tribune, 1895-1896, p. 29

/ref> Her father was Commodore Cicero Price (1805–1888), an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

who served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and was Commander of the

East India Squadron The East India Squadron, or East Indies Squadron, was a Squadron (naval), squadron of American ships that existed in the nineteenth century. It focused on protecting American interests in the Far East, while the Pacific Squadron concentrated on ...

, and her mother, Elizabeth Homer Paine (1828–1910).'An American Duchess', ''

Boston Evening Transcript The ''Boston Evening Transcript'' was a daily afternoon newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, published for over a century from July 24, 1830, to April 30, 1941. History Founding ''The Transcript'' was founded in 1830 by Henry Dutton and James We ...

'', January 11, 190

/ref>'Lady William Beresford Dies in Dorking, England', ''Los Angeles Herald'', Volume 36, Number 103, January 12, 190

/ref>Dexter Marshall, 'Lily Price's Visit', '' The Day (New London), The Day'', March 20, 189

/ref> She attended

Emma Willard School Emma Willard School, originally called Troy Female Seminary and often referred to simply as Emma, is an independent university-preparatory day and boarding school for young women located in Troy, New York. Located on Mount Ida, it offers grade ...

Marriages

Her first marriage was to Louis Carré Hamersley, a millionaire heir to a real estate fortune in New York City, who died in 1883 and was buried in the

Trinity Church Cemetery The parish of Trinity Church (Manhattan), Trinity Church has three separate cemetery, burial grounds associated with it in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The first, Trinity Churchyard, is located in Lower Manhattan at 74 Trinity Place, n ...

.'Leaves Nearly $1,000,000', ''

Los Angeles Herald-Examiner The ''Los Angeles Herald Examiner'' was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published in the afternoon from Monday to Friday and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. It was formed when the afternoon ' ...

'', Volume 36, Number 225, May 14, 190

/ref> As stipulated in his will, the bulk of his estate went to the first male child of his cousin, J. Hooker Hamersley, whose estate in turn went to his son, Louis Gordon Hamersley. However, she was guaranteed to receive an annual income of US$150,000 from the estate. Blenheim Palace cropped

Second marriage

Her second husband was George Charles Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough (1844–1892), son of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough and

Frances Anne Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough Frances Anne Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, VA (15 April 1822 – 16 April 1899), was an English noblewoman, the wife of British peer and statesman John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough. One of her sons, Lord Randolph Ch ...

; they were married in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York City Hall New York City Hall is the Government of New York City, seat of New York City government, located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center, Manhattan, Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway, Park R ...

by Mayor Abram Hewitt in May 1888. As a result of this marriage, she became the ''Duchess of Marlborough'' on June 29, 1888. The inheritance she received from her first husband was used to restore

Blenheim Palace Blenheim Palace ( ) is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough. Originally called Blenheim Castle, it has been known as Blenheim Palace since the 19th century. One of England's larg ...

Woodstock, Oxfordshire Woodstock is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish, north-west of Oxford in West Oxfordshire in the county of Oxfordshire, England. The United Kingdom Census 2021, 2021 census recorded a parish population of 3,521, up from t ...

. After the 1892 death of the 8th Duke and her subsequent remarriage, she sued her stepson,

Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough (13 November 1871 – 30 June 1934), styled Earl of Sunderland until 1883 and Marquess of Blandford between 1883 and 1892, was a British soldier and Conservative ...

, then married to

Consuelo Vanderbilt Consuelo Vanderbilt-Balsan (formerly Consuelo Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough; born Consuelo Vanderbilt; 2 March 1877 – 6 December 1964) was an American socialite and member of the Vanderbilt family. Her first marriage to the 9th D ...

, to retrieve the money spent on its restoration.

Third marriage

Her third husband was Lord William de la Poer Beresford (1847–1900), son of John Beresford, 4th Marquess of Waterford (1814-1866) and Christiana Leslie. As a result of this marriage, which took place on April 30, 1895, she became known as Lady William Beresford. Before his death on 30 December 1900, they were the parents of one child: * William Warren de la Poer Beresford (1897–1919). Later, she resided at 35 Adelaide Crescent in

Hove Hove ( ) is a seaside resort in East Sussex, England. Alongside Brighton, it is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove. Originally a fishing village surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th century in respon ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

, where she was convalescent.Judy Middleton, ''The Encyclopaedia of Hove & Portslade'', Brighton & Hove Libraries, 2002, Vol. 1, pp. 18-19 She died on January 11, 1909, in

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England about south-west of London. It is in Mole Valley, Mole Valley District and the non-metropolitan district, council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs ro ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, England. She was buried in Beresford Family Crypt at Clonagam Churchyard in Portlaw (

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

References

External links