Background
Maria was the daughter of a mayor of Delft and came from a long line of Delft beer brewers.
Maria was the daughter of a mayor of Delft and came from a long line of Delft beer brewers.
The couple had a daughter who died in infancy. Because he was a nobleman in Renswoude and above the law there, he escaped imprisonment or hanging. 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.
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.
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. These schools operated according to her vision until the 19th century, when they suffered from the Tiercering and due to lack of funds became boarding addresses associated with public day schools.
In this capacity they continued to operate into the 20th century, but now all three are closed.