George William Tighe

George William Tighe
Born 25 February 1776
Died 1 March 1837 (aged 61)
Pisa, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (now Italy)

George William Tighe 25 February 1776[1] – March 1837[1]) was the common-law husband of Margaret King, Lady Mount Cashell.

Tighe was living in Rome when he met Lady Margaret King, who was visiting the city with her then husband, the 2nd Earl Mountcashell. They began a passionate affair around 1803 which continued until Margaret's death at Pisa in January 1835. Lady Mountcashell remained with her husband, however, until 1805 when Lord Mountcashell left her in Germany.[2] Lord and Lady Mountcashell did not legally separate until 1821, by which time she had been living with Tighe for almost 20 years. Around 1806,[2] Tighe and Lady Mountcashell moved to Jena where Lady Mountcashell was to assume the guise of a man to study medicine. Sometime later they then moved to live in Pisa[2] where she then studied under Andrea Vaccá Berlinghieri, at the University of Pisa. Tighe and Lady Mountcashell then remained at Pisa until their deaths.

According to Marchand's biography of Lord Byron, Tighe and Lady Mountcashell lived together at Casa Silva, Pisa under the name of "Mr and Mrs Mason".[3] In 1821, Tighe became involved in the attempts of Claire Clairmont (Mary Shelley's sister) to remove her daughter by Byron from a convent in Ravena. Tighe made a "secret trip to Ravenna and Bagnacavallo to find out what he could about the convent and Allegra's treatment there".[4] Around the same time, Marchand mentions a "orphan girl named Elizabeth Parker, who was living with them [the Masons]" who seems to have shared the poor opinions held by Tighe regarding Lord Byron.[5]

Tighe outlived his wife by two years before dying at Pisa in the March of 1837. They are both buried in the Old English Cemetery, Livorno. A copy of Tighe's will is held in the National Archives at Kew. This received English probate on 22 August 1837[6] as Tighe remained a British citizen at his death.

Marriage

Lady Mount Cashell left her husband, Stephen Moore, 2nd Earl Mountcashell, for Tighe circa 1803[7] and they subsequently had two daughters, known as Lauretta and Nerina. Although it is suggested that Tighe and Lady Mountcashell were married circa 1822,[2][8] her grave inscription refers to her as "Margaret Jane MOUNTCASHELL, neé KING".[9]

Family

Tighe and Lady Margaret King had two daughters:

Shelley's uncle, brother to his mother Elizabeth Pilfold, was Captain John Pilfold, a famous Naval Commander who served under Admiral Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar.[10]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "George W. Tighe". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Hopkins, Keriann. "Margaret King, Lady Mount Cashell and Mrs. Mason: A Biography of One Woman". University of Notre Dame. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  3. ↑ Marchand, Leslie A. (1957). Byron : A Biography, Volume III. New York: Alfred A. Knopff. p. 945.
  4. ↑ Marchand, Leslie A. (1957). Byron : A Biography, Volume III. New York: Alfred A. Knopff. p. 973.
  5. ↑ Marchand, Leslie A. (1957). Byron : A Biography, Volume III. New York: Alfred A. Knopff. p. 976.
  6. ↑ "Will of Giorgio Guglielmo otherwise George William Tighe of Pisa, Italy". Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  7. ↑ "Stephen Moore, 2nd Earl Mountcashell". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Lady Margaret King". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  9. ↑ Giunti, Matteo. "Burials at the Old English Cemetery of Livorno (Via Verdi)". Leghorn Merchant Networks Blog. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  10. ↑ The Life and Times of Captain John Pilfold, CB,RN; Hawkins, Desmond, Horsham Museum Society, 1998