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FEUCHERES, SOPHIE, BARONNE DE (1795-1...

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Originally appearing in Volume V10, Page 296 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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FEUCHERES, SOPHIE, BARONNE DE (1795-1840) , Anglo-See also:French adventuress, was See also:born at St Helens, Isle of See also:Wight, in 1795, the daughter of a drunken fisherman named See also:Dawes. She See also:grew up in the workhouse, went up to See also:London as a servant, and became the See also:mistress of the duc de See also:Bourbon, afterwards See also:prince de See also:Conde. She was ambitious, and he had her well educated not only in See also:modern See also:languages but, as her exercise books—still extant—show, in See also:Greek and Latin. He took her to See also:Paris and, to prevent See also:scandal and to qualify her to be received at See also:court, had her married in 1818 to Adrien See also:Victor de Feucheres, a See also:major in the Royal See also:Guards. The prince provided her See also:dowry, made her See also:husband his aide-de-See also:camp and a See also:baron. The baroness, See also:pretty and See also:clever, became a See also:person of consequence at the court of See also:Louis XVIII. De Feucheres, however, finally discovered the relations between his wife and Conde, whom he had been assured was her See also:father, See also:left her—he obtained a legal separation in 1827—and told the See also:king, who thereupon forbade her See also:appearance at court. Thanks to her See also:influence, however, Conde was induced in 1829 to sign a will bequeathing about ten million francs to her, and the See also:rest of his estate—more than sixty-six millions—to the duc d'See also:Aumale, See also:fourth son of Louis Philippe. Again she was in high favour. See also:Charles X. received her at court, Talleyrand visited her, her niece married a See also:marquis and her See also:nephew was made a baron. Conde, wearied by his mistress's importunities, and but See also:half pleased by the advances made him by the See also:government of See also:July, had made up his mind to leave See also:France secretly. When on the 27th of See also:August 1830 he was found See also:hanging dead from his window, the baroness was suspected and an inquiry was held, but the See also:evidence of See also:death being the result of any See also:crime appearing insufficient, she was not prosecuted.

Hated as she was alike by legitimatists and republicans, See also:

life in Paris was no longer agreeable for her, and she returned to London, where she died in See also:December 1840.

End of Article: FEUCHERES, SOPHIE, BARONNE DE (1795-1840)

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