Benjamin Leigh Smith (1783 – 12 April, 1860)[1][2] was a British Whig politician who represented the constituencies of Sudbury and Norwich.
His home was in Marylebone, London, but in 1816 he inherited and purchased property near Hastings: Brown's Farm near Robertsbridge, with a house built around 1700 (extant), and Crowham Manor, Westfield, which included 200 acres (0.81 km2).
She became pregnant by him and he took her to a rented lodge at Whatlington, a small village near Battle, East Sussex.
There she lived as "Mrs Leigh", the surname of his relations on the nearby Isle of Wight.
When their son Benjamin was born, the four of them went to America for two years, during which time another child was conceived.