7 . ▁Her ▁father ▁was ▁the ▁arist ocrat ▁Ferdinand ▁Se ym our , ▁Earl ▁St . ▁Maur , ▁while ▁her ▁mother , ▁Ros ina ▁Elizabeth ▁Sw an , ▁was ▁a ▁ma id . ▁ ▁Her ▁father ▁was ▁the ▁son ▁and ▁he ir ▁of ▁Edward , ▁ 1 2 th ▁Duke ▁of ▁Som erset ▁and ▁his ▁wife , ▁Georg iana ▁Sher idan ▁( a ▁daughter ▁of ▁Thomas ▁Sher idan ▁and ▁the ▁novel ist ▁Caroline ▁Call ander ). ▁ ▁Her ▁parents ▁brought ▁her ▁to ▁England , ▁where ▁they ▁had ▁a ▁son , ▁Harold ▁St . ▁Maur , ▁but ▁her ▁father ▁died ▁in ▁ 1 8 6 9 ▁and ▁they ▁never ▁married . ▁She ▁and ▁her ▁brother ▁were ▁brought ▁up ▁by ▁her ▁pat ernal ▁grand par ents ▁after ▁her ▁mother ▁married ▁again ▁and ▁her ▁step father ▁died . ▁Her ▁il leg it im acy ▁was ▁a ▁problem ▁during ▁her ▁child hood ▁but ▁this ▁was ▁bal anced ▁by ▁the ▁education ▁and ▁care ▁that ▁her ▁de ▁fact o ▁parents ▁gave ▁her . ▁They ▁also ▁gave ▁her ▁their ▁surname . ▁When ▁her ▁grand m other ▁died ▁she ▁was ▁left ▁£ 8 0 , 0 0 0 . ▁ ▁Political ▁invol vement ▁In ▁ 1 9 0 9 , ▁she ▁joined ▁the ▁Women ' s ▁Social ▁and ▁Political ▁Union . ▁This ▁was ▁a ▁milit ant ▁organisation ▁who ▁believed ▁in ▁" De eds ▁not ▁W ords ". ▁B entin ck ▁did ▁wear ▁a ▁sand wich ▁board ▁but ▁unlike ▁many ▁of ▁its ▁members ▁she ▁was ▁never ▁arrested . ▁She ▁wrote ▁The ▁Point