Mary Louise Montagu, Duchess of Hamilton (Mary Louise Elizabeth Montagu; 27 December 1854 – 10 February 1934) was the eldest daughter of William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester and Countess Luise von Alten. By marriage to William Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton, she was Duchess of Hamilton and Brandon.
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Family
Lady Mary Louise Elizabeth Montagu was born on 27 December 1854 at Kimbolton Castle as the eldest daughter and second child of William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester and Countess Luise von Alten, daughter of Count von Alten of Kingdom of Hanover.
Lady Mary Louise Montagu was regarded by contemporaries as beautiful. She rode horses, played music, and worked with brush, pencil, and needle.
Duchess of Hamilton
On 10 December 1873, the eighteen-year-old Lady Mary Louise Montagu married William Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton, eldest son of William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton and Princess Marie Amelie of Baden at Kimbolton Castle in Cambridgeshire, which had belonged to the Montagu family since 1615. The Duke of Hamilton was a man of the same rank of life as her. As his mother was a princess of Baden, he was also of German descent on one side like her. The couple only had one daughter:
Lady Mary Louise Hamilton (1 November 1884 – 21 February 1957). Lady Mary Louise Hamilton married James Graham, 6th Duke of Montrose on 14 June 1906 and had four children.
The marriage appears to have been a congenial one. As the Duchess of Hamilton, she took part in the social life associated with the family's estates and was known for hosting gatherings connected with activities such as deer stalking, fishing, steeplechasing, and yachting. Her upbringing and experience prepared her for the social expectations of aristocratic country-house life.
Later life and death
The Duke of Hamilton died on 16 May 1895. As the late duke's only daughter could not inherit her father's title, a fourth cousin of the late duke become the next Duke of Hamilton. The Dowager Duchess of Hamilton then lived a relatively quiet life at Easton Park with her daughter. She was an over-protective mother to Lady Mary. A later account suggests that the Dowager Duchess refused to allow other children to attend her daughter's dancing classes so the classes were populated with chairs to represent the other couples. Just like the Dowager Duchess, Lady Mary was a skilful horsewoman and hunter.
On 20 July 1897, the Dowager Duchess of Hamilton remarried Robert Carnaby Forster of Easton Park, Wickham Market, Suffolk. He died on 24 June 1925. They had no issue.
The Dowager Duchess of Hamilton died on 10 February 1934.
Orders
Mary Louise Elizabeth was awarded the title Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1918.