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In May 1711, John Arthur of Cabra in Dublin opened his home to a niece of his wife who had recently returned from France. She was welcomed ‘with all Imaginable Friendship’ and acted as a tutor in French to the young man of the house, Master Benedict Arthur. 

This woman, Catherine Hackett, then seduced Benedict ‘a Minor of Sixteen Years of Age at a Time when his Resolutions were Weak, and she a Woman experienced in the World, and much above Double his Years’.

Catherine and Benedict eloped to get married in March 1712, but subsequently separated. This document was probably prepared as part of an attempt to have the marriage annulled by the Irish Privy Council.

Citation:
The Case of Bennedict Arthur, Esq; (Dublin, c.1715).,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
accessed December 6, 2025,
https://www.marshlibrary.ie/digi/items/show/481