Maria Mathilda Bingham met twee van haar kinderen Rijksmuseum SK-C-1649

Maria Matilda, Marquise du Blaisel (; 1783–1849) was an American born heiress who married several prominent European aristocrats and statesmen.

Early life

Maria was born in Binghamton, New York in 1783. She was the second daughter of

William Bingham William Bingham (March 8, 1752February 7, 1804) was an American statesman from Philadelphia. He was a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress from 1786 to 1788 and served in the United States Senate from 1795 to 1801. Bingham was o ...

and Ann Willing Bingham. Her elder sister, Ann Louisa Bingham, in 1798 became the wife of Alexander Baring, later the first

Baron Ashburton Baron Ashburton, of Ashburton in the County of Devon, is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since 1835, the title has been held by members of the Baring fam ...

. Her younger brother, William Bingham, was married to Marie-Charlotte Chartier de Lotbiniere, Seigneuresse de Rigaud, the second daughter and co-heiress of

Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière (August 31, 1748 – January 1, 1822), 2nd Marquis de Lotbinière, though to keep political favour with the British he never used the title. He was seigneur of Vaudreuil, Lotbinière an ...

. Following her birth, her father was a delegate to the Continental Congress for Pennsylvania from 1786 to 1788. He later served as a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

and President ''pro tempore'' of the U.S. Senate in 1797. Bingham helped broker the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...

in 1803 and was one of the richest men in America, having made his fortune during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

through trading and ownership of

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s. After her father's death in 1804, Maria and her sister both stayed in England. Her maternal grandfather was

Thomas Willing Thomas Willing (December 19, 1731 – January 19, 1821) was an American merchant, politician and slave trader who served as mayor of Philadelphia and was a delegate from Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress. He also served as the first pre ...

, who served as president of the First Bank of the United States.

Personal life

Maria married three times. On April 11, 1799, at the age of 15, she became the Comtesse de Tilly upon her elopement and secret marriage to French aristocrat, (1761–1816), in Philadelphia. After the marriage's quick end, Tilly "demanded an annual pension as his price to leave the country," and wrote to Maria "insisting he would have the rights to her inheritance upon the death of her wealthy parents." He was paid £5,000 and an annual pension of £500, and, in March 1800, "the Philadelphia newspapers announced that the

Pennsylvania state legislature The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania ...

had passed an act declaring null and voide the marriage of Maria Matilda and Alexandre de Tilly." After their brief marriage, he returned to Europe, where the

King of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...

named him his chamberlain in 1801. According to Tilly, her mother, who died shortly after the episode, was a lover of

Louis-Marie, vicomte de Noailles Louis-Marie, vicomte de Noailles (17 April 1756 Paris7 January 1804 Havana) was the second son of Philippe, duc de Mouchy, and a member of Mouchy branch of the famous Noailles family of the French aristocracy. Career He served under his brother ...

(the brother-in-law of the

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

), who had introduced Tilly to Maria and was her father's business partner. On 19 April 1802, she married her sister's brother-in-law,

Henry Baring Henry Baring (18 January 1777 – 13 April 1848) was a British banker and politician. He was the third son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, the founder of the family banking firm that grew into Barings Bank. His grandfather Johann Baring em ...

(1777–1848) in England. Henry, a son of Harriet (née Herring) Baring and Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, served as a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

and Bossiney during their marriage. Before their 1824 divorce, Maria and Henry were the parents of five children, three sons and two daughters, including: * Anna Maria Baring (b. 1803), who married William Gordon Coesvelt. * Henry Bingham Baring (1804–1869), a

for the

rotten borough A rotten or pocket borough, also known as a nomination borough or proprietorial borough, was a parliamentary borough or constituency in England, Great Britain, or the United Kingdom before the Reform Act 1832, which had a very small electorate ...

Callington Callington ( kw, Kelliwik) is a civil parish and town in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom about north of Saltash and south of Launceston. Callington parish had a population of 4,783 in 2001, according to the 2001 census. This had inc ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. He later represented the

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

constituency in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. He married Lady Augusta Brudenell, a daughter of

Robert Brudenell, 6th Earl of Cardigan Robert Brudenell, 6th Earl of Cardigan (25 April 1760 – 14 August 1837) was an English peer and Member of Parliament. Early life Robert Brudenell was born in Westminster, the posthumous son and heir of Colonel the Hon. Robert Brudenell and h ...

, in 1827. * James Drummond Baring (1806–1901) * Frances Emily Baring (1813–1886), who married Henry Bridgeman Simpson in 1830. * William Frederick Baring (1822–1903), who married Emily Jenkins, daughter of Sir Richard Jenkins (chairman of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

), in 1845. After their divorce, her husband remarried to Cecilia Anne Windham, a daughter of Vice-Admiral

William Lukin Windham Vice-Admiral William Lukin, later William Lukin Windham (20 September 1768 – 12 January 1833), was a Royal Navy officer who rose to the rank of Vice Admiral and served with great distinction through the Napoleonic Wars. Eventually he inherit ...

, with whom he had another eight children. On April 17, 1826, at the Chapel of the British Ambassador in Paris, Maria married Auguste, Marquis du Blaisel (1790–1870), thereby becoming the Marquise du Blaisel. Her husband, a Chamberlain to the

Emperor of Austria The Emperor of Austria (german: Kaiser von Österreich) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A hereditary imperial title and office proclaimed in 1804 by Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, a member of the Hou ...

, was a son of Camille Joseph du Blaisel and his wife ''née'' Baroness Anne Elisabeth de Tornaco. Maria died in England in 1849. After her death, her widower remarried to Zoé de Digoine du Palais, a daughter of Chevalier Léopold de Digoine.

Descendants

Through her son Henry, she was a grandmother of Lieutenant-General Charles Baring, the father of

Sir Godfrey Baring, 1st Baronet Sir Godfrey Baring, 1st Baronet KBE, DL, JP (18 April 1871 – 24 November 1957) was a Liberal Member of Parliament for the Isle of Wight and later Barnstaple. A member of the influential Baring family, he was the son of Lieutenant-General ...

, a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

for the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

and later Barnstaple. Through her eldest daughter Anna Maria, she was a grandmother of Anna Maria Helena Coesvelt, who married Charles-Antonin, Count de Noailles, second son of Antoine-Claude-Just de Noailles, duc de Mouchy and prince-duc de Poix. Best known by this married title as Helena, comtesse de Noailles, she used her wealth and influence to improve the lot of women, financing the ''

English Woman's Journal The ''English Woman's Journal'' was a periodical dealing primarily with female employment and equality issues. It was established in 1858 by Barbara Bodichon, Matilda Mary Hays and Bessie Rayner Parkes. Published monthly between March 1858 a ...

'' of the

Langham Place Circle The ''English Woman's Journal'' was a periodical dealing primarily with female employment and equality issues. It was established in 1858 by Barbara Bodichon, Matilda Mary Hays and Bessie Rayner Parkes. Published monthly between March 1858 an ...

References

External links

Memoires du Comte Alexandre de Tilly pour servir a l'histoire des mouers de la fin du 18e siecle. Vol. 2.
The

Royal Collection Trust The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

, (1828) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bingham, Maria Matilda 1783 births 1849 deaths Maria Matilda American emigrants to the United Kingdom