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Amy
Conquest was baptised on 19th October 1729, the daughter of Thomas
and Mary.
By
the age of 16 she had grown into a tall, fine young woman and her
charms had attracted the attention of a local youth in the parish
of Whittlesey.
History
does not record his name. When the association began to get serious,
Amy’s father warned her of the dangers of becoming too familiar
out of wedlock.
She had given her all to the youth and now he was deserting
her  |
Despite
this advice, Amy continued to see her young man and it was not long
before the two became intimate.
In
the summer of 1748 Amy was under the impression that she was engaged
to be married. However, her lover suddenly announced his intention
of travelling to London. He did not say when he might return but
he indicated that when he did, they would be married.
Initially,
Amy’s response was one of shock. She had given her all to the youth
and now he was deserting her. After
a short while she began to harbour thoughts of revenge…
Another
love interest
Another
local youth, John Hutchinson, had previously shown an interest in
Amy. She turned to him for companionship. John proposed marriage
and, to spite her absent true love, she agreed.
After
a short courtship, John visited Amy’s home on 24th August 1748 and
formally asked Thomas Conquest for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Amy’s
father preferred John Hutchinson to the other youth, so readily
gave his permission. He suspected that Amy’s former lover might
soon return, so he arranged the marriage for the following day.
His
suspicions were confirmed, for Amy’s lover was in fact not far away.
He quickly heard of the intended ceremony and returned to Whittlesey.
But he arrived too late
on 25th August as Amy and her husband were leaving the church.
The
sight of her true love deeply affected Amy and it was only a matter
of days before the two were secretly meeting...
More
about Amy's misdemeanours»
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