Nancy Sumner belonged to the senior Hawaiian nobility and maintained a long friendship and correspondence with Beresford. Their marriage could have offered diplomatic and social advantages to Britain, but she declined his proposal. Racial or cultural differences may have mattered, though her later marriage to her coachman points more strongly toward personal affection than strategic matchmaking. Sumner made a choice that Beresford's otherwise powerful connections could not secure for him.
Notable Point · 20:59-22:56
Nancy Sumner, Hawaiian nobility, and personal choice
Beresford's relationship with the Hawaiian noblewoman Nancy Sumner opens a short discussion of rank, imperial advantage, race, and marriage for love.