Susanna Harriot Hope; Susanna Harriot Gordon or Susanna Biscoe (13 June 1768 – 1839) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

subject of a

Joseph Wright Joseph Wright may refer to: *Joseph Wright of Derby (1734–1797), English painter *Joseph Wright (American painter) (1756–1793), American portraitist *Joseph Wright (fl. 1837/1845), whose company, Messrs. Joseph Wright and Sons, became the Metro ...

painting and a party to a scandalous divorce.

Life

Hope was born in

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

in 1768. Her father, Charles Hope, was the rector of

All Saints church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania *All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Henley Brook, Western Aust ...

in Derby. She was painted by a family friend

Joseph Wright of Derby Joseph Wright (3 September 1734 – 29 August 1797), styled Joseph Wright of Derby, was an English landscape and portrait painter. He has been acclaimed as "the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution". Wr ...

not in contemporary dress but in a 17th-century costume. This painting is extant and was sold at

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

in 2009. Hope married Joseph Seymour Biscoe on 22 May 1786, with the consent of her father as she was not yet 21. Biscoe's uncle was

Edward Seymour, 9th Duke of Somerset Edward Seymour, 9th Duke of Somerset, etc. (2 January 1717 – 2 January 1792) was the eldest son of Edward Seymour, 8th Duke of Somerset and his wife, the former Mary Webb. He was also a baronet. He was baptized on 27 January 1717 at East ...

. And their marriage appears happy for about seven years. They had a daughter named Mary. Mary was to eventually marry the prospective M.P.

Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet Sir Robert Harry Inglis, 2nd Baronet, FRS (12 January 1786 – 5 May 1855) was an English Conservative politician, noted for his staunch high church views. Family He was the son of Sir Hugh Inglis, a minor politician and MP for Ashburton ( ...

in 1807.Stephana Biscoe
Legacies of British Slave-ownership, UCL, Retrieved 10 January 2016 Her husband spent more time in hunting than at home and whilst he was out his Hope began an affair with Robert Gordon who was a family friend and the owner of the house where they were staying. Her husband would go out hunting early each morning but Gordon would not go out until he thought that Biscoe would return. Servants reported that Mrs Biscoe would go out riding where she would meet Gordon, but Gordon would see her home but never enter the house with her. Gordon eloped with Mrs Biscoe on 21 October 1794. Hope's husband did not file for divorce but instead sued for £10,000 damages in December 1794. The caused scandal as Hope was by then living with Gordon. Hope did not appear but in her absence her husband was granted £5,000 for the "criminal conversation". It was said that although this was a large amount of money, Gordon could easily afford to pay this amount. After the trial the proceedings were published under the title "The Trial of Mrs. Biscoe for Adultery with Robert Gordon, Etc". Hope's marriage to Biscoe was eventually dissolved by act of parliament in 1795. Biscoe married Stephanie Law in 1799. She was the daughter of Dr John Law the

archdeacon of Rochester The Archdeacon of Rochester is a senior office-holder in the Diocese of Rochester (a division of the Church of England Province of Canterbury.) Like other archdeacons, they are administrators in the diocese at large (having oversight of parishes in ...

. She died in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

in 1839, but she was described as a widow of Brighton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hope, Susanna 1768 births 1839 deaths People from Derby