Henrietta Liston

Henrietta was born on 19 December 1751 in Antigua to Scottish planter Nathaniel Marchant and his wife Sarah Nanton.

Unusually for the time, her marriage contract allowed Henrietta to maintain control over her own wealth.

After their wedding, they traveled directly down to London where Robert met with King George III, ahead of his posting to the United States in 1796.

[2] While in the US, Henrietta Liston visited 16 states with her husband and collected botanical specimens that she sent back to Scotland.

The couple also established friendships with George Washington and John Adams, of whom Henrietta's diaries contain favourable impressions.

Henrietta kept a journal of her time in the Ottoman Empire and sent back botanical species from Turkey to her home in Scotland.

[2] Henrietta's journals provide deep insight into early American politics and the intellectual current.

[8] On 2017 International Women's Day, the National Library of Scotland made a selection of her papers relating to her time in America available online.