An Infamous Mistress by Joanne Major

Author:Joanne Major
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781473844841
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books
Published: 2016-01-31T00:00:00+00:00

Further witnesses were examined who swore that Edward Foley was besotted by his beautiful wife, his supposed acceptance of her affairs due to not being able to believe any ill of her and simply being far too trusting in his care of her. Lord Peterborough’s case failed; Edward Foley was believed. The jury found in favour of the aggrieved husband and Lord Peterborough was ordered to pay damages in the sum of £2,500 plus costs.

Perhaps, as suggested by the Morning Herald newspaper, if Lord Peterborough was going to pay, then he was going to have a return for his money and he continued in his relationship with the fallen lady.212 Their subsequent movements are recorded in the Foley’s Divorce Bill heard in the House of Lords on 29 March 1787 before a goodly number of the earl’s noteworthy peers; Lady Anne Foley had been personally served with the order for the first reading of the bill at the Earl of Peterborough’s house at Brompton in Middlesex, although they also resided on his estate at Dauntsey in Wiltshire.213

The divorce was granted, Lady Anne was now free to remarry and plans were afoot for her to become the next Countess of Peterborough. The Peterborough estate of Clifton Reynes was sold in February 1787, no doubt to pay the damages awarded to Edward Foley and to provide for the forthcoming nuptials. The Public Advertiser intimated that the sale had been at the ‘particular instance’ of Lady Anne and others and had yielded some £72,000.214 William Cowper must have been delighted by the news. However, there was one further twist in the story to come. Just weeks after the sale of Clifton Reynes, Lady Anne had told Lord Foley ‘That notwithstanding she was in a few days to be a Countess, she had rather live with him on any terms, than be united to Lord Peterborough – whom she hated.’215 Lord Peterborough behaved very justly to his inconstant lady who, after providing him with two years of trouble, a tarnished reputation and costing him a considerable amount of money, had now professed her desire to return to her husband, should he want her (he didn’t!). He allowed Lady Anne to remain in his Brompton house, to be attended by his servants and have the occasional use of his carriage for another month before she finally packed her belongings and left.216 By summer Lord Peterborough was consoling himself with the attractions on offer at Margate and Lady Anne was at Lowestoft.217

Joseph Bouchier Smith was in France, avoiding his creditors and unable to return home due to the debts that had mounted up behind him. Their friend Maurice George Bisset, having long since abandoned Lady Worsley, finally made it up the aisle, becoming Lord Peterborough’s brother-in-law when he married the earl’s sister Harriat, that haughty beauty having eventually, at the age of 34, consented to become his wife.

Charles Henry stood as bondsman on the marriage allegation for the soon-to-be-wed couple. With Bisset’s departure from her side,

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