Peggy shippen arnold biography
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Peggy Shippen
Second wife of British Brigadier General Benedict Arnold
Margaret Shippen (July 11, 1760 – August 24, 1804)[1] was the second wife of General Benedict Arnold. She has been described as "the highest-paid spy in the American Revolution".[2]
Shippen was born into a prominent Philadelphia family with Loyalist tendencies. She met Arnold during his tenure as military commander of the city following the British withdrawal in 1778. They were married in the Shippen townhouse on Fourth Street on April 8, 1779, and Arnold began conspiring with the British to change sides soon after. Peggy played a role in the conspiracy which was exposed after British Major John André was arrested in September 1780 carrying documents concerning the planned surrender of the critical Continental Army base at West Point.
Arnold escaped to New York City and Peggy followed. They traveled together to London at the end of 1781, where she established a home and Arnold rebuilt
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About the Shippen Family
Margaret Shippen (nicknamed Peggy) (1760 – 1804) was born in Philadelphia, the fourth and youngest daughter of Judge Edward Shippen IV and Margaret Francis. Her mother was the daughter of Tench Francis, Sr., an influential member of society in his own right.
Judge Shippen (1729 – 1806) was a British-American lawyer, judge, government official, and a prominent figure in colonial and post-Revolutionary Philadelphia. He was the son of Edward Shippen III and his first wife, Sarah Plumley. He studied law under Tench Francis, who served as the Pennsylvania attorney general. Shippen married his mentor’s daughter, Margaret, in 1753; they had nine children together.
In modern parlance, Judge Shippen would be regarded as a “major player” in colonial America. He was trained in law in London, England, and returned to Pennsylvania for admission to the Bar. In 1755, he was appointed to serve as a judge of the admiralty court.[1
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Peggy Shippen
(1760-1804)
Who Was Peggy Shippen?
During the American Revolution, Peggy Shippen and her husband, Benedict Arnold, became traitors to the American colonists, sharing with the British confidential information about military strategy. Peggy was long thought to be innocent of any wrongdoing — just another victim of her husband’s deceit — but historians have become convinced that she not only committed treason with Benedict but quite possibly helped initiate the plan.
Early Life
Margaret Shippen, known as Peggy, was born on July 11, 1760, in colonial Philadelphia, the youngest daughter in a wealthy family. Her father was a well-respected lawyer and judge; her mother was the daughter of a prominent lawyer. Among her ancestors were two mayors of Philadelphia. Peggy had three older sisters and an older brother. Two younger brothers died during childhood, leaving Peggy as the youngest in the family.
Marriage to Benedict Arnold
Peggy came of age during the American