Born: 1863, Ireland (assumed)
Died: 1943
Country most active: Ireland
Also known as: Muds, Mary Edwards
This biography is republished from The Dictionary of Irish Biography and was written by Shaun Boylan. Shared by permission in line with Creative Commons ‘Attribution’ (CC BY) licencing.
Mary (‘Muds’) Locke (1863–1943), was one of ten children. After the death of her father, an engineer working under William Dargan, while working on the railways at Mullingar, the family were left in financial difficulties. She therefore married John Edward Locke at the age of seventeen. A keen huntswoman, she earned the nickname ‘Muds’ due to her fondness for hunting with the Westmeath Hunt. Lively, vivacious, and unfaithful, she had a number of extramarital affairs with gentlemen in the surrounding area. As a result John Edward forced her to leave Brusna House in 1895. Given the social standing of the Locke family in Kilbeggan and its association with the local convent, the divorce proceedings that followed (February 1896) attracted much attention within the community and the local press. She received an allowance of £600 a year. Despite the reduction in her fortunes she continued to follow the Westmeath Hunt and was one of the first women to drive a car in Westmeath.