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the life and achievements of eighteenth-century inventor Henry Cort.
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“CORTSHIP” OF SECOND WIFE
The wedding of
Henry Cort (widower) to Elizabeth Haysham (spinster) on
16 March 1768 is recorded in the register of
St Thomas The Apostle, London.
The story of
their romance is apparent from a chancery lawsuit
at the PRO.
It begins with
the will of her uncle Jeremiah, a ship's purser.
Jeremiah's
financial affairs are managed by his Portsmouth-based brother-in-law Samuel Dawson,
and Dawson's London agent Eustace Kentish.
Dawson is named as executor in the will.
Elizabeth’s
brother-in-law, John Becher, is a client of navy agent Henry Cort.
In 1770 John
and Ann Becher, Henry and Elizabeth Cort will launch an action against Dawson
and Kentish.
Their complaint
is that Dawson and Kentish have grabbed a slice of Jeremiah's estate for
themselves by exaggerating Jeremiah's debt to them.
Among Jeremiah's heirs are his sisters
Elizabeth Attwick and Ann Haysham. They
both die in 1766, leaving most of their estates to Ann's daughters.
At this point
Elizabeth Haysham is 21 years old. Her
sister Ann Becher is living
in Staffordshire with husband John and three children.
Elizabeth wins
administration of her mother's and aunt's estates. Can she trust her uncle's executors?
Kentish is a
near-neighbour of Henry Cort, and in the same line of business.
We can conjecture
that John seeks Cort's help.
"My
sister-in-law needs to know, is this man Kentish reliable?"
So Becher's
sister-in-law meets Cort. She is
impressed. Doubtless feels sorry for
him, after what happened to his
first wife.
Recipe for
romance...
henrycort.net
p10