User:GraceHespere/sandbox

Foundling Hospital
The duchess was one of twenty-one 'ladies of quality and distinction' who supported Thomas Coram's campaign for the establishment of a Foundling Hospita l, signing his petition to King George II on 7th May 1735. Their recognition of the need for a home for orphans and abandoned children was crucial in encouraging male relatives to support Coram's project. As a result of their influence he gained signatures from the nobility, professionals, gentlemen and the judiciary for two further petitions in 1737. A Royal Charter was granted in 1739 to which her husband, William Bentinck, was one of the first signatories. Her father, Edward Harley, signed Coram's gentlemen's petition on the same day.