1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:18,079 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Mankie. Listener discretion advised. Just about 3 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:22,640 Speaker 1: halfway between Edinburgh and London, on the outskirts of the 4 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 1: northern English city of Leeds sit an idyllic Palladian country 5 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: manner known as Harewood House. Although I will say between 6 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: the magnificently kept gardens and freshly manicured lawns decorating the 7 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: thousand acre estate, the word house is really too modest 8 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: a word to describe the Downton Abbey fantasy fever dream 9 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: the property more closely resembles, especially considering Downton Abbey actually 10 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: used Harewood House as a location to film the latest 11 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: installment in their franchise. But should you decide to visit. 12 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: If you venture beyond the estate's front doors and into 13 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: one of the many drawing rooms, you might encounter a 14 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: portrait whose subject doesn't quite aligne with the fairytale romance 15 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: esthetic of the place. At first glance. Maybe nothing about 16 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: the painting or the woman it depicts is notably out 17 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:31,640 Speaker 1: of the ordinary. If anything, the eye might be first 18 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: drawn toward what the woman is wearing juxtaposed against a 19 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:41,679 Speaker 1: backdrop of muted brown foliage. The woman in the portrait, 20 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: Lady Worsley, faces the viewer wearing a striking vermilion red 21 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: riding habit and satin white kitten heels. She stands with 22 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: her right foot peeking forward, her left hand perched on 23 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: her hip, in a gesture that els intentional powerful. Even 24 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: this is not a woman wearing bright red who shrinks 25 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: into the background, especially not if the writing crop in 26 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: her right hand has anything to say about it. The 27 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 1: lapels and sleeve cuffs of her jacket are lined with 28 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: a deep navy trim and white button detailing, akin to 29 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: an eighteenth century British military uniform. It's an artistic choice 30 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: which may on its own seem peculiar, but only until 31 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 1: the viewer understands that this portrait is one in a 32 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: set of two. There is a matching portrait of the 33 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:48,359 Speaker 1: woman's husband, Sir Richard Worsley, in a similar red British 34 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 1: military uniform. But anyone coming to Harewood House in hopes 35 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 1: of comparing the two paintings side by side will be 36 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 1: sorely disappointed. In fact, the two paintings have not been 37 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 1: in the same room in well over two hundred years, 38 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: mirroring the dismal relationship of their real life counterparts. In truth, 39 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:18,799 Speaker 1: the primary reason anyone these days really remembers the woman 40 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: in the portrait is because she was the subject of 41 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 1: one of the most infamous sex scandals of the eighteenth century. 42 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 1: The papers would accuse Lady Worsley of having sexual relations 43 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: with upwards of twenty seven men, but it wasn't the 44 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: men who caused the scandal so much as it was 45 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: who had asked them to appear in court to testify 46 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: in the first place. On this podcast, it's a rare 47 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: day that I get to tell a story before the 48 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: twentieth century, or frankly even after it, in which a 49 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: woman has any sort of control over her own life. 50 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: It's hard for women to hold any power in a 51 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 1: society that essentially considered them property. But in the case 52 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: of Lady Worsley, when her husband chose to sue her 53 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:16,039 Speaker 1: lover to attempt to bankrupt him, her husband could never 54 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 1: have imagined that his wife would choose to rather orchestrate 55 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: her own social ruin than watch him take even one 56 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: more piece of happiness away from her. When looking at 57 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:34,279 Speaker 1: her portrait in Harewood House, it's easy to read into 58 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: Lady Worsley's red dress and riding crop as cheap symbols 59 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 1: of sexuality that perhaps further carved the metaphorical scarlet a 60 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: into her legacy. But you can also see a woman 61 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: dressed for battle, waiting for her moment. In her uniform. 62 00:04:55,400 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: She faces the viewer head on the hand on her hip, 63 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:04,919 Speaker 1: almost challenging us, as if she's saying, if I'm going down, 64 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: then I'm taking you down with me. I'm Dana Schwartz 65 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: and this is noble blood. From an early age, it 66 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: was clear Richard Worsley was never destined for greatness. The 67 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 1: Worsley family may have owned the Epoldercombe estate in the 68 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: Isle of Wight, but the Worsley name had long since 69 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:44,480 Speaker 1: slipped into social obscurity. They may have enjoyed political prominence 70 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: sometime around the early seventeenth century, but by the mid 71 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: eighteenth they were characterized as little more than a family 72 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: of uncultured country bumpkins, another mindless vote for the Tory Party. 73 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: One anonymous source described the family as quote never having 74 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 1: been remarkable for producing either heroes or conjurors. It's an 75 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: opinion which seemed to have extended to the newest baronet 76 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: of Apaldcombe. As a teenager, Young Richard Worsley's schoolmates had 77 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: taken to calling him Dick Tardy due to the lengths 78 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:29,479 Speaker 1: in which he consistently quote lagged so far behind, and 79 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:33,159 Speaker 1: unfortunately for him, it seemed as if this name would 80 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:36,920 Speaker 1: become a self fulfilling property. When it came time for 81 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:40,039 Speaker 1: him to court a wife. As is the case for 82 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:45,160 Speaker 1: most average men, Sir Richard Worsley was convinced he deserved 83 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: nothing less than the absolute best, which is why in 84 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: seventeen seventy two Worsley made it clear that he would 85 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,159 Speaker 1: make none other than Jane Fleming his wife by the 86 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,919 Speaker 1: year's end. If you're a fan of the net Show Bridgerton, 87 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: Jane Fleming would have been what they described as the 88 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 1: diamond of the season. The elder of the two daughters 89 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: born to Sir John and Lady Jane Fleming, the younger 90 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: Jane was a pinnacle of late eighteenth century femininity. Her delicate, 91 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:22,320 Speaker 1: almost ethereal beauty was only accentuated by the effortless grace 92 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:26,440 Speaker 1: she carried herself with, inspiring some to describe her as 93 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 1: quote an ornament to her sex. The eager eyes of 94 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 1: society gossips watched closely as she charmed her way through 95 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:40,160 Speaker 1: London's most elite circles. They were all keen to see 96 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: exactly who would win over the coveted Jane Fleming, especially 97 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: since rumor had it that her heart came with the 98 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: attached incentive of a whopping seventy thousand pound inheritance. In reality, 99 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: the Fleming sisters were each given an inheritance of about 100 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:05,520 Speaker 1: fifty two thousand pounds, but considering that translates to around 101 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: sixty six million pounds to day, that's more than a 102 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 1: sizeable amount for any bride in London society. In any case, 103 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:20,000 Speaker 1: Sir Richard Worsley had his heart set on Jane Fleming 104 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: and was convinced he was quote to marry her in 105 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: five months, or he would have had Jane Fleming been 106 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:34,160 Speaker 1: at all interested in accepting his proposal. Unfortunately, for our 107 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 1: Dick Tardy, even after a summer spent flaunting his title 108 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 1: and sizable fortune at the elder Fleming sister, his infatuation 109 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: was decidedly one sided. But that didn't mean he would 110 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:53,720 Speaker 1: come away entirely empty handed. If Jane Fleming was the 111 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 1: season's diamond then her younger sister, Seymour, was something more 112 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:04,120 Speaker 1: along the lines of courts. Where Jane was poise and grace, 113 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 1: Seymour was blunt and unyielding, comparatively plain and not especially bookish. 114 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 1: The younger Fleming daughter was once chastised for quote, possessing 115 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: more forwardness than discretion, which earned her a reputation that 116 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:27,200 Speaker 1: may have proved entertaining at parties, but was decidedly less 117 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 1: than desirable on the marriage market. In the end, Seymour 118 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 1: may have been the less sparkly of the two sisters, 119 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:39,400 Speaker 1: but she did come with the same absurdly sized inheritance, 120 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: a detail Sir Richard Worsley was all too aware of 121 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:49,000 Speaker 1: when he began courting the young Seymour just three years 122 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 1: after his fixation on Jane, with one friend assessing that 123 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 1: his interest was likely built upon the noblest foundations of quote, 124 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:04,680 Speaker 1: love and eighty thousand pounds. Their nuptials in September seventeen 125 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:08,720 Speaker 1: seventy five made them the talk of London's high society, 126 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:13,200 Speaker 1: but behind the closed doors of the Epuldercoma estate, the 127 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: two were little more than strangers who occasionally shared a bed. 128 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:22,760 Speaker 1: Richard had budding political aspirations, meaning he often found himself 129 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:26,400 Speaker 1: traveling between London and his home on the Isle of Wight, 130 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: leaving little time or energy to spend on his new wife. 131 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:35,360 Speaker 1: And yet, even with his sparse attentions, in August of 132 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,880 Speaker 1: the following year, Seymour managed to give Richard an air 133 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: in the form of their son, Robert Edwin. And while 134 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: the birth of their first child, a son, was a 135 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:50,840 Speaker 1: cause for celebration, it was also the final nail in 136 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:56,640 Speaker 1: the sexual coffin, so to say, for Richard and Seymour's marriage. 137 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:00,920 Speaker 1: With an air secured for the worsely line, the two 138 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:05,559 Speaker 1: had little reason to continue any of the extracurricular activities 139 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:09,960 Speaker 1: their marriage once required. Instead, Richard made himself busy with 140 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:15,360 Speaker 1: his political aspirations, and Seymour quickly found herself immersed in 141 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:20,280 Speaker 1: the height of London's late eighteenth century social scene, the 142 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 1: Devonshire House Circle. Now, if you are a frequent listener 143 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:30,439 Speaker 1: of this podcast, you may remember our two part series 144 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:35,680 Speaker 1: on the Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Cavendish and yes, I 145 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:39,840 Speaker 1: promise that is how she pronounced her name. But in 146 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:43,560 Speaker 1: case you need a recap, allow me to quickly summarize 147 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: the ins and outs of the Duchess and her elite 148 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 1: circle of friends. By the late seventeen seventies, approximately one 149 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:54,720 Speaker 1: hundred people made up the core of what was known 150 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:59,440 Speaker 1: as the Devonshire House Circle. The mixture of artists, politicians 151 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:04,000 Speaker 1: and aristocrats all gathered at Devonshire House for parties and 152 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 1: political events under the guise of exchanging intelligent conversation, only 153 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: to have most nights and in various stages of drunken debauchery, 154 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 1: while several lifetimes worth of riches were inevitably lost to 155 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:24,400 Speaker 1: the gambling tables. But the circle was more than just 156 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:28,160 Speaker 1: a front for parading the latest fashions or campaigning for 157 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 1: parliament behind closed doors. The prim and proper ladies and 158 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:39,040 Speaker 1: gentlemen of London's most titled houses used the circle as, 159 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:44,720 Speaker 1: let's say, a sexual playground. Within the Devonshire House Circle, 160 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:51,800 Speaker 1: affairs were almost commonplace, with partners essentially playing musical chairs 161 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 1: to see whose bed they would be ending up in 162 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:59,640 Speaker 1: that evening. Adultery may have been illegal, but the Lazy 163 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:03,920 Speaker 1: fair Her attitude regarding sex and sexuality within the circle 164 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:09,480 Speaker 1: emboldened many to experiment with friends. It was a mentality 165 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 1: which lent itself well to Seymour Worsley upon meeting her 166 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:18,079 Speaker 1: neighbor in the Isle of Wight, a man named Maurice 167 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:22,800 Speaker 1: George Bessett, at twenty three years old. Beset came to 168 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,240 Speaker 1: the Isle of Wight after he inherited the estate only 169 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: four miles from the Worsley's, and he wasted no time 170 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:34,480 Speaker 1: in befriending the married couple. It's impossible to say exactly 171 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:38,679 Speaker 1: when the affair between Seymour and Beset began, but by 172 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: the end of September seventeen eighty the pair had become inseparable. Richard, 173 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:49,800 Speaker 1: always looking to strengthen his political capital, often invited Beset 174 00:13:49,880 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: to campaign events and parties at his home, and while 175 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 1: her husband schmoozed his peers for political gain, Seymour took 176 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 1: it upon herself to make sure that their newest acquaintance 177 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: was well taken care of. Now, I think it's important 178 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:12,199 Speaker 1: to note that despite his unfortunate and hilarious nickname Dick Tardie, 179 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:16,840 Speaker 1: Richard Worsley wasn't an idiot. He may have had singular 180 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:19,880 Speaker 1: mind when it came to his political career, but he 181 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:24,160 Speaker 1: couldn't ignore the overwhelming attention that Besset gave his wife 182 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 1: and vice versa, especially not when, despite the fact that 183 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:31,600 Speaker 1: he and his wife had not shared a bed for months, 184 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:36,560 Speaker 1: there was an unmistakable swell to Seymour's stomach in the 185 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:40,520 Speaker 1: early months of seventeen eighty one. There are, of course, 186 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:44,280 Speaker 1: a number of reactions one might have when discovering one's 187 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:49,880 Speaker 1: wife is pregnant with another man's child, anger, separation, exile. 188 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:53,800 Speaker 1: By eighteenth century standards, any of those would have been 189 00:14:53,800 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 1: considered acceptable consequences to an illegitimate pregnancy, But Richard Worsley, 190 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:04,600 Speaker 1: generous man that he was, chose instead to give his 191 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:09,840 Speaker 1: wife's lover a job, specifically a captain's commission for the 192 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:15,240 Speaker 1: Southampton Militia, a position which conveniently meant he would be 193 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 1: traveling with him and his wife for the majority of 194 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:24,040 Speaker 1: the following year as they visited encampments of soldiers training 195 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 1: to be sent overseas. The fact that Worsley was not 196 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 1: only willing to pass the child off as his own, 197 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:37,520 Speaker 1: but then secured besets, travel and lodgings during his travels 198 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:41,200 Speaker 1: with his wife residing within the same home as him 199 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 1: and Seymour, gives us a pretty good idea that he 200 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 1: knew about the affair. It would be during that summer 201 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:52,600 Speaker 1: that not only the Devonshire House circle, but also Worsley's 202 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 1: own staff would be watching the three with barely disguised fascination, 203 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:04,480 Speaker 1: questioning exactly how their dynamic worked behind closed doors. But 204 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:09,120 Speaker 1: come fall, when the rain and chilling autumn weather made 205 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:13,640 Speaker 1: it impossible to continue their travels, the happy little bubble 206 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:17,880 Speaker 1: that the trio had been living in that summer abruptly popped. 207 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 1: For Worsley, the departure from the militia affected him very little. 208 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:28,000 Speaker 1: He had his political aspirations to keep him occupied. But 209 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: for Seymour and Beset, the two lovers, who had grown 210 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:35,600 Speaker 1: accustomed to waking up under the same roof and spending 211 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 1: time together as a new family with their newborn daughter, 212 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:43,480 Speaker 1: the new distant between them proved to be too much. 213 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:49,160 Speaker 1: After barely more than a month of separation, Beset unveiled 214 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:53,720 Speaker 1: his plan to Seymour, and on the evening of November nineteenth, 215 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:57,680 Speaker 1: seventeen eighty one, the two rode off into the night 216 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:01,960 Speaker 1: to Elope, throwing caution to the wind and hoping that 217 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 1: come morning Richard Worsley would not stand in their way. 218 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:12,120 Speaker 1: While he may have been all right with his wife's 219 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:16,920 Speaker 1: adultery under his own roof, Worsley apparently took issue with 220 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:19,719 Speaker 1: his wife and her lover, running off to a lope 221 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:23,040 Speaker 1: in the middle of the night. After the no doubt 222 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: initial wave of rage had passed and he was no 223 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:29,639 Speaker 1: longer banging down the doors of every residence he thought 224 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 1: his wife might be in, Worsley sat down to consider 225 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: his next steps. Now, before we go any further into 226 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:40,400 Speaker 1: this story, I want to take a second to explain 227 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:46,640 Speaker 1: the illegal act known as quote criminal conversation. For those 228 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:49,760 Speaker 1: of you who don't spend your free time looking up 229 00:17:50,119 --> 00:17:56,480 Speaker 1: eighteenth century legal terminology, criminal conversation or crim con if 230 00:17:56,520 --> 00:18:01,080 Speaker 1: you're cool and in the know, is essentially legal catch 231 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 1: all term for crimes of adultery, as women in this 232 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 1: time were still seen as all but property in the 233 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:11,880 Speaker 1: eyes of the law. If a wife cheated on her husband, 234 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:15,840 Speaker 1: he could then act as a plaintiff and sue his 235 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 1: wife's lover for would basically boil down to property damage 236 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:26,119 Speaker 1: and they say romance is dead. Well, Richard Worsley, now 237 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 1: stewing in his estate alone following the betrayal of his wife, 238 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:33,399 Speaker 1: and what he had considered to be his best friend, 239 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:36,680 Speaker 1: who he had been nothing but generous to. Saw no 240 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:40,800 Speaker 1: other option than to take legal action in order to 241 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:45,280 Speaker 1: take back what he saw as rightfully his. During this time, 242 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:50,640 Speaker 1: typical criminal conversation cases could ask the defendant for anything 243 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:55,400 Speaker 1: from ten to fifteen thousand pounds in damages, but Worsley 244 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:59,399 Speaker 1: was determined to teach Besset and his wife a lesson. 245 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 1: When Beset was served his papers, he was horrified to 246 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:09,199 Speaker 1: find Worsely was suing him for twenty thousand pounds, the 247 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:13,240 Speaker 1: equivalent of more than two point five million pounds to day. 248 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: Faced with a future of debtors prison, or life on 249 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:22,200 Speaker 1: the run, Seymour and Beset were forced to rethink their options. 250 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:28,240 Speaker 1: Seymour's sizeable inheritance now belonged to her husband, and should 251 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 1: he lose this case, without Beset to support her, she 252 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 1: would be left all but destitute. There were more than 253 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:40,200 Speaker 1: enough witnesses to confirm their affair, but Seymour was done 254 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:45,439 Speaker 1: letting her husband dictate her happiness, and so, with nothing 255 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:50,240 Speaker 1: but pen and paper, Seymour decided that if her husband 256 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:53,160 Speaker 1: was set to blow up her life, she was going 257 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:56,959 Speaker 1: to give herself the pleasure of striking the match to 258 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:02,760 Speaker 1: do it. On the warning of February twenty first, seventeen 259 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:07,040 Speaker 1: eighty two, the Worsley verse Beset trial began in Earnest. 260 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: Worsley's team predictably came forward with overwhelming evidence of Beset 261 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:17,640 Speaker 1: and Seymour's affair, but to the prosecution's surprise, the defense 262 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:22,480 Speaker 1: didn't seem at all bothered by their impending loss. It 263 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:26,199 Speaker 1: was only when Beset and Seymour's fate seemed all but 264 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:31,360 Speaker 1: sealed that the defense came forward with their actual strategy. 265 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:35,840 Speaker 1: With what I imagine to be a smug glint in 266 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 1: his eye, the lead defense lawyer turned to the court 267 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:46,439 Speaker 1: and unveiled the defense's secret weapon, the defamation of Lady 268 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:53,000 Speaker 1: Seymour Worsley. He began, quote, the licentious conduct of Lady 269 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: Worsley was so notorious that it had been the subject 270 00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:01,399 Speaker 1: of common conversation. Ladies of distinction in the Isle of 271 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:05,840 Speaker 1: Wight had frequently remonstrated with Sir Richard on the subject, 272 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:08,640 Speaker 1: and told him that if he did not attempt to 273 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 1: restrain her conduct, her character would be ruined and destroyed. 274 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:17,800 Speaker 1: And quote. It was with this framework that the defense 275 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:23,560 Speaker 1: finally laid out their argument in the defense's estimation Richard 276 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:28,960 Speaker 1: Worsley had been adequately warned to contain his wife's lewd behavior, 277 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:34,640 Speaker 1: but refused to do so because quote Lady Worsley liked it. 278 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:39,479 Speaker 1: But not only did the defense accuse Richard Worsley of 279 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:43,240 Speaker 1: allowing his wife to live her life of depravity, but 280 00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:47,240 Speaker 1: they went on to accuse her of consorting with quote 281 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:53,720 Speaker 1: many prior connections, so many quote connections in fact, that 282 00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:59,000 Speaker 1: quote the idea of seduction by the present defendant was 283 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:04,800 Speaker 1: totally done away. In essence, the defense was rather than 284 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:10,040 Speaker 1: attempt to defend the overwhelming evidence of Beset and Seymour's affair, 285 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:14,159 Speaker 1: they would seek to prove that Lady Worsley had taken 286 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:17,840 Speaker 1: so many lovers over the course of her and Sir 287 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 1: Richard Worsley's marriage that there was no feasible way that 288 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:25,960 Speaker 1: the damages incurred by their elopement could be equal to 289 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:30,439 Speaker 1: twenty thousand pounds. It was then that the defense called 290 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:34,880 Speaker 1: the first of their requested twenty seven witnesses up to 291 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:39,920 Speaker 1: the stand, and Richard Worsley began to see his undoing. 292 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:46,000 Speaker 1: The first witness was a gentleman named George William Coventry, 293 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:50,040 Speaker 1: also known as the Viscount Deerhurst. The Viscount first became 294 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:53,760 Speaker 1: acquainted with the Worsleys in the fall of seventeen seventy nine, 295 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:59,959 Speaker 1: following the unexpected passing of his wife. Viscount Dearhurst was inconsolable, 296 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:03,800 Speaker 1: that is, until he was introduced to the baronet and 297 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:07,800 Speaker 1: his wife. It was at this point that Sir Richard 298 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:12,440 Speaker 1: Worsley was undoubtedly sweating in his seat, for he knew 299 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:16,640 Speaker 1: exactly which bombshell the defense was about to lay on 300 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:21,560 Speaker 1: the courtroom floor. Upon visiting their estate in the Isle 301 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:25,639 Speaker 1: of Wight, the Viscount recalled a conversation he had with 302 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:30,720 Speaker 1: Worsley in which he made him an unforgettable proposition in 303 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:35,080 Speaker 1: regards to his wife. He did then say that many 304 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:38,240 Speaker 1: young men had tried her to no effect, and that 305 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:41,560 Speaker 1: I had his permission to try my chance with her 306 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:47,680 Speaker 1: end quote. Chaos rippled in whispers throughout the courtroom as 307 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:52,080 Speaker 1: the gravity of this statement sank in and the truth 308 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:58,000 Speaker 1: about Sir Richard Worsley's sexual proclivities began to come to light. 309 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:02,399 Speaker 1: Even though shared and his wife Seymour, had not shared 310 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:07,280 Speaker 1: a bed in years, Richard found sexual pleasure in their 311 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:13,000 Speaker 1: marriage by watching seymour bed. Other men remember how Worsley 312 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:16,880 Speaker 1: was fine with Seymour and Beset having their affair so 313 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:20,960 Speaker 1: long as it was under his roof. Well, Besett was 314 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:24,679 Speaker 1: hardly the first when it came to that peculiar arrangement. 315 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:27,760 Speaker 1: According to the Viscount, at first he thought it was 316 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:33,119 Speaker 1: a joke, and Quote took it in a laugh. Eventually, though, 317 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 1: during his stay at Appoldercombe, Viscount Deerhurst did find his 318 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:42,280 Speaker 1: way into Seymour's bed, only to find a most unexpected 319 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:45,919 Speaker 1: surprise when he ventured out of her bedchamber in the 320 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:49,919 Speaker 1: early hours of the morning. Being careful so as to 321 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 1: not wake the rest of the house, the Viscount stumbled 322 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:59,040 Speaker 1: into none other than Sir Richard Worsley himself. The Viscount 323 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 1: recalled quote, he found me in her dressing chamber adjacent 324 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:06,479 Speaker 1: to her bed chamber at four o'clock in the morning, 325 00:25:07,119 --> 00:25:11,280 Speaker 1: at which point he remembered Worsley scrambling saying, Dearhurst, how 326 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:15,760 Speaker 1: came you here? It's likely that from Seymour's dressing room, 327 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:20,680 Speaker 1: Worsley was watching the Viscount and his wife through the keyhole, 328 00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:25,600 Speaker 1: if not simply deriving his pleasure from the unmistakable sounds 329 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:28,439 Speaker 1: that must have been coming from the other side of 330 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:31,159 Speaker 1: the door. I want to be clear, I do not 331 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:35,280 Speaker 1: mean to kink shame anyone. Whatever fully consenting adults decide 332 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:39,280 Speaker 1: to do behind closed doors is entirely their business. But 333 00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 1: in the case of Richard Worsley trying to cash out 334 00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:46,800 Speaker 1: twenty thousand pounds for an act he himself derived sexual 335 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:50,639 Speaker 1: pleasure from and convinced his friends to take pardon because 336 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:54,040 Speaker 1: it then later resulted in the more public humiliation of 337 00:25:54,119 --> 00:25:58,760 Speaker 1: his wife leaving him doesn't seem exactly above board. As 338 00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:04,440 Speaker 1: they say, a stupid game's win stupid prizes. The next 339 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:07,480 Speaker 1: witness for the defense was not a former lover, but 340 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:12,719 Speaker 1: Seymour's personal physician, doctor William Osbourne. Like the majority of 341 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:17,080 Speaker 1: the twenty seven witnesses Seymour called to slander her own reputation, 342 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:21,800 Speaker 1: Osbourne was hesitant to give his testimony. After all, he 343 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:25,080 Speaker 1: was a doctor and the privacy between a physician and 344 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:29,280 Speaker 1: his patients was of the utmost importance, and with such 345 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:33,040 Speaker 1: a high profile case being covered in the gossip rags 346 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:35,600 Speaker 1: for all of London to see, he had his own 347 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 1: client base to think about. But Seymour was clear in 348 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:42,639 Speaker 1: her letter to quote, make a point of attending and 349 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:46,320 Speaker 1: declare everything you know of me end quote, which in 350 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:50,520 Speaker 1: the end is exactly what he did. When asked why 351 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:56,160 Speaker 1: he had been summoned in August seventeen eighty, the doctor replied, quote, 352 00:26:56,280 --> 00:27:00,439 Speaker 1: Lady Worsley had some complaints on her which I fancy 353 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:05,119 Speaker 1: were the consequence of a veneerial disorder. What was most 354 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:08,480 Speaker 1: interesting about this diagnosis was that it was Seymour who 355 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:13,880 Speaker 1: had employed the doctor's services for treatment, not Richard Worsley. Additionally, 356 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:18,919 Speaker 1: Richard was not treated for the same or any venereal disorder. 357 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:24,480 Speaker 1: The final witness was, despite their low societal position, perhaps 358 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 1: the most important for the defense. Mary Marriott was a 359 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 1: bathing woman who worked in Maidstone, one of the places Seymour, 360 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 1: Besett and Richard Worsley had stayed during their blissful summer 361 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:41,880 Speaker 1: in seventeen eighty one. It was there that Mary Marriott 362 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:46,200 Speaker 1: witnessed the moment that would prove to ultimately be Sir 363 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:51,440 Speaker 1: Richard Worsley's downfall. According to the bathing woman, she had 364 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:56,040 Speaker 1: seen Seymour, Beset and Worsley more than once, as Seymour 365 00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:58,320 Speaker 1: used to come to the bathhouse and the men would 366 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:03,240 Speaker 1: usually accompany her. The men would typically stand outside as 367 00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:07,040 Speaker 1: she bathed, but on one occasion, as Seymour began to 368 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:11,920 Speaker 1: get dressed after her bath, Mary witnessed something quite different. 369 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:16,119 Speaker 1: A knock at the door alerted the undressed Seymour and 370 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:19,880 Speaker 1: the bathing woman too, Richard at the door, who excitedly 371 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:23,800 Speaker 1: told his wife Seymour, Seymour, Beset is going to get 372 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:27,880 Speaker 1: up to look at you. Moments later, from a high window, 373 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:31,960 Speaker 1: George Bessett was seen smiling down at the two women. 374 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:36,160 Speaker 1: This alone was rather damning, but the window in question 375 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:39,280 Speaker 1: was so close to the room's ceiling that it would 376 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:42,600 Speaker 1: have been impossible for Beset to have reached it to 377 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:46,800 Speaker 1: look down at the scene without assistance, meaning Richard Worsley 378 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:50,560 Speaker 1: gave him a boost, likely having him sit on his 379 00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:54,320 Speaker 1: shoulders in order for Beset to get a better view. 380 00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:59,640 Speaker 1: With this final piece of evidence, after an hour of deliberation, 381 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 1: the jury finally came to a verdict. With the irrefutable 382 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:09,280 Speaker 1: evidence presented by the prosecution, Maurice George Bessett was found 383 00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:13,480 Speaker 1: guilty of his adultery, but when the court read out 384 00:29:13,520 --> 00:29:17,760 Speaker 1: what Worsley should be owed in damages for his wife's virtue, 385 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 1: it was not twenty thousand pounds, for they felt the 386 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:28,440 Speaker 1: evidence told them what his wife's virtue was worth one shilling, 387 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:33,000 Speaker 1: And with the strike of a gavel, Seymour bested her 388 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:39,320 Speaker 1: husband and in turn ruined her own life. Quote Your 389 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:43,680 Speaker 1: ladyship has not only proved yourself an utter enemy to 390 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:49,160 Speaker 1: all amorous monopoly, but to every species of smuggling whatever. 391 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 1: For your wares have always been laid open to every 392 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:58,080 Speaker 1: fair trader, and as fairly entered in the custom house 393 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:03,680 Speaker 1: of Venus end. Quote this passage from a satire titled 394 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:07,840 Speaker 1: The Whim or the Maidstone Bath, And I'd like to 395 00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:11,840 Speaker 1: point out that there are three exclamation points after the word. Whim. 396 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:16,720 Speaker 1: Was just one of the many cutting pieces written about 397 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:20,680 Speaker 1: Seymour Worsley's character following the verdict of what would come 398 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:24,720 Speaker 1: to be known as one of the most notorious criminal 399 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:30,160 Speaker 1: conversation trials of the eighteenth century. Predictably, even though she 400 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:34,240 Speaker 1: technically won the case against her husband in terms of revenge, 401 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:39,760 Speaker 1: Seymour was cast out as a social pariah amongst London society. 402 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:45,200 Speaker 1: Even the Devonshire House Circle, known for their sexual liberty, 403 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:49,960 Speaker 1: couldn't condone the presence of such scandal amongst their ranks. 404 00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:54,240 Speaker 1: They did, after all, have the good sent not to 405 00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 1: air their dirty laundry for the whole of England to see. 406 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:03,600 Speaker 1: To make matters. In the ultimate petty move, even in 407 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 1: the wake of his humiliation in court, Worsley refused to 408 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:12,120 Speaker 1: grant Seymour a divorce. This meant that not only could 409 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:15,120 Speaker 1: she not move on with her life and marry Bessett, 410 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:19,400 Speaker 1: but her inheritance continue to remain in the hands of 411 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:23,760 Speaker 1: her husband, and Bissett, with his name dragged through the 412 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:26,720 Speaker 1: mud and his property in the Isle of Wight, his 413 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:31,480 Speaker 1: only feasible legacy, needed to have a wife to bear 414 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:36,640 Speaker 1: legitimate children, and so, barely a year after she had 415 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:40,800 Speaker 1: committed herself to social ruin and life as a pariah 416 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:46,720 Speaker 1: in high society, George Bissett left Seymour in seventeen eighty three, 417 00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:52,760 Speaker 1: after being abandoned by her lover and vehemently refusing to 418 00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:56,600 Speaker 1: return to her husband. Seymour was forced to live off 419 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:01,040 Speaker 1: the meager stipend her marriage provided her. Even then through 420 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,840 Speaker 1: the years, she would ultimately have to take on lovers 421 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:07,280 Speaker 1: who could care for her financially in order to keep 422 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:11,160 Speaker 1: her debt collectors at Bay. It wouldn't be until eighteen 423 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: oh five, when Richard Worsley died, that Seymour would at 424 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:19,680 Speaker 1: long last be granted her freedom. At the age of 425 00:32:19,760 --> 00:32:24,280 Speaker 1: forty seven, Seymour finally gained back her inheritance and took 426 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:28,640 Speaker 1: back her maiden name Fleming. After years of living under 427 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:31,960 Speaker 1: the thumb of a man she despised, and free to 428 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:36,680 Speaker 1: live her life as she chose, Seymour Fleming decided to 429 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:41,360 Speaker 1: celebrate her newfound freedom by marrying her lover, a twenty 430 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:46,200 Speaker 1: six year old Swiss musician named John Louis Hummel. You 431 00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:49,880 Speaker 1: have to admire a woman who, after over two decades 432 00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:53,440 Speaker 1: of being labeled as a harlot by high society, goes 433 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:56,479 Speaker 1: and marries a man twenty one years her junior at 434 00:32:56,560 --> 00:33:00,560 Speaker 1: the first opportunity, which brings us back to the portraits 435 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:04,400 Speaker 1: of the woman in red at Harewood House. History likes 436 00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:08,120 Speaker 1: to remember Seymour Fleming in the context of her infidelity, 437 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:11,880 Speaker 1: but in looking at her portrait, you can't help but 438 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:15,959 Speaker 1: look into the face of the woman behind it. The woman, 439 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:20,640 Speaker 1: upon knowing that she was damned, decided to pick up 440 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:24,280 Speaker 1: a pen and paper and prove to the world that 441 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 1: no one but she would determine her worth. That was 442 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:42,080 Speaker 1: the scandalous life of Seymour Fleming. But stick around after 443 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:45,160 Speaker 1: the sponsor break to hear a little bit more about 444 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:58,560 Speaker 1: Seymour's second marriage after the death of her first husband. 445 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:02,680 Speaker 1: It seems counterintuitive that Seymour Fleming would be so willing 446 00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:06,800 Speaker 1: to jump into another marriage so soon after winning back 447 00:34:06,840 --> 00:34:10,959 Speaker 1: her inheritance and made a name. Well, as it turns out, 448 00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:14,840 Speaker 1: she would not have to part with the latter. In fact, 449 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:18,080 Speaker 1: the twenty six year old Swiss musician John Louis Hummel 450 00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:23,480 Speaker 1: ended up taking Seymour's last name, becoming John Louie Fleming. 451 00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:28,120 Speaker 1: The two remained happily married until Seymour's death in eighteen 452 00:34:28,239 --> 00:34:32,319 Speaker 1: eighteen at the age of sixty. John Louis kept his 453 00:34:32,440 --> 00:34:36,200 Speaker 1: late wife's name even when he decided to remarry a 454 00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:39,400 Speaker 1: year and a half after her death. Together, he and 455 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:43,320 Speaker 1: his new wife had a daughter, who they named Ceserene Fleming. 456 00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:49,080 Speaker 1: Many speculated that the younger man married Seymour for her inheritance, 457 00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:54,000 Speaker 1: but even after her death, John Louis Fleming continued to 458 00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:58,280 Speaker 1: honor her legacy, and when he finally passed in eighteen 459 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:02,800 Speaker 1: thirty six. His final request was to be buried next 460 00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:24,280 Speaker 1: to his quote, dearly beloved wife, Lady Seymour Plumbing. Noble 461 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:27,720 Speaker 1: Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild 462 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:31,920 Speaker 1: from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted by me Danis Schwartz. 463 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:36,359 Speaker 1: Additional writing and researching done by Hannah Johnston, hannah's Wick, 464 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 1: Mira Hayward, Courtney Sunder and Laurie Goodman. The show is 465 00:35:40,719 --> 00:35:45,440 Speaker 1: produced by rima il Kaali, with supervising producer Josh Thaine 466 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:50,000 Speaker 1: and executive producers Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. 467 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:55,919 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 468 00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:57,920 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.