Maria Duyst van Renswoude

Maria had already enough money of her own however without her grandmother's money, even though she lent large sums to her husband, and she lived on the Lange Voorhout in the Hague and was a member of the "De Haegsche Sociteyt" and was friends with Anthonie van Leeuwenhoek.

[1] After the public outcry subsided he could visit his wife in Utrecht, but he never returned to The Hague.

In 1749 she made up her testament as lady of Renswoude en Emmickhuysen and declared that her fortune should be divided into thirds and spent on the technical education of poor young boys in the cities of Utrecht, The Hague, and Delft.

[1] The boys would be the smartest of the orphanages Stads Ambachtskinderhuis (in Utrecht), the Weeshuis der Gereformeerden (in Delft) and the Burgerweeshuis of The Hague.

[1] After she died in 1754, her testament was contested by distant family members, but those rights were settled and in 1756 three foundations were created according to her wishes and were each called the Fundatie van Renswoude in all three cities.