Lily Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough

Lily Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (née Lilian Warren Price) (June 10, 1854 – January 11, 1909) was an American heiress and socialite during the Gilded Age.

Lily Spencer-Churchill
Lily Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (née Lillian Warren Price)
Born
Lilian Warren Price

June 10, 1854
Troy, New York, US
DiedJanuary 11, 1909(1909-01-11) (aged 54)
Hove, East Sussex, England
EducationEmma Willard School
TitleDuchess of Marlborough
Spouse(s)
Louis Carré Hamersley
​
​
(died 1883)​


​
​
(m. 1895⁠–⁠1900)​
ChildrenWilliam Warren de la Poer Beresford
Parent(s)Cicero Price
Elizabeth Homer Paine

Early life

Lilian Warren Price was born on June 10, 1854 in Troy, New York.[1] Her father was Commodore Cicero Price (1805–1888), an officer in the United States Navy who served in the American Civil War and was Commander of the East India Squadron, and her mother, Elizabeth Homer Paine (1828–1910).[1][2][3][4] She attended Emma Willard School in Troy, New York.

Marriages

Her first marriage was to Louis Carré Hamersley, a millionaire heir to a real estate fortune in New York City, who died in 1883 and was buried in the Trinity Church Cemetery.[1][2][3][4][5] As stipulated in his will, the bulk of his estate went to the first male child of his cousin, J. Hooker Hamersley, whose estate in turn went to his son, Louis Gordon Hamersley.[4] However, she was guaranteed to receive an annual income of US$150,000 from the estate.[4]

Blenheim Palace, which Lily helped restore with her inheritance. She later sued her stepson to be repaid.

Second marriage

Her second husband was George Charles Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough (1844–1892), son of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough and Frances Anne Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough; they were married in New York City in New York City Hall by Mayor Abram Hewitt in May 1888.[1][2][3][4] As a result of this marriage, she became the Duchess of Marlborough on June 29, 1888.[2] The inheritance she received from her first husband was used to restore Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire.[2][4]

After she remarried, she sued her stepson, Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough, then married to Consuelo Vanderbilt, to retrieve the money spent on its restoration.[6]

Third marriage
Adelaide Crescent in Hove, where she spent her last years.

Her third husband was Lord William de la Poer Beresford (1847–1900), son of John Beresford, 4th Marquess of Waterford (1814-1866) and Christiana Leslie.[1][3][4][5] As a result of this marriage, which took place on April 30, 1895, she became known as Lady William Beresford.[2] Before his death on 30 December 1900, they were the parents of one child:

  • William Warren de la Poer Beresford (1897–1919).

Later, she resided at 35 Adelaide Crescent in Hove, East Sussex, where she was convalescent.[7] She died on January 11, 1909 in Dorking, Surrey, England.[3] She was buried in Woodstock, Oxfordshire.

References
  1. Henry Hall, America's successful men of affairs, New York: New York Tribune, 1895-1896, p. 291
  2. 'An American Duchess', Boston Evening Transcript, January 11, 1909
  3. 'Lady William Beresford Dies in Dorking, England', Los Angeles Herald, Volume 36, Number 103, January 12, 1909
  4. Dexter Marshall, 'Lily Price's Visit', The Day, March 20, 1899
  5. 'Leaves Nearly $1,000,000', Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, Volume 36, Number 225, May 14, 1909
  6. STEPMOTHER SUES DUKE.; Lady William Beresford Wants Marlborough to Repay Money She Spent in Improving Blenheim.
  7. Judy Middleton, The Encyclopaedia of Hove & Portslade, Brighton & Hove Libraries, 2002, Vol. 1, pp. 18-19

Further reading
  • Sally E. Svenson, Lily, Duchess of Marlborough, Dog Ear Publishing, 2011.
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