Lady Mary Mortimer, The Duchess of Dorchester

Lady Mary Mortimer (nee. Gore) was the Duchess of Dorchester, through her marriage to Sir Alexander Mortimer, The 2nd Duke of Dorchester. Mary was born the eldest child and first of three daughters of Sir Edward Gore, The 2nd Duke of Easthampton and Camilla Gore, The Duchess of Easthampton. Her mother was Mistress of the Robes to Queen Yolanda, and her family were of key political importance in the Kingdom.

Mary was born The Lady Mary Gore, the eldest child and daughter of The Duke and Duchess of Easthampton. Her family had traditionally been close allies of the Monarch and House of Carnarvon. The family lived at Springfield Castle. Mary was the sister of Sir Edward Gore, The 3rd Duke of Easthampton, Lady Catherine Whaley, The Baroness of Westfeild, Lady Victoria Lascelles, The Countess of Medford, Lord Richard Gore, The 4th Duke of Easthampton.

Mary was married to Sir Alexander Mortimer who had become The 2nd Duke of Dorchester after his father's death. The couple were married in the presence of family members on both sides. The Mortimer family were a very wealthy noble family. The 1st Duke had been a key general under Edward II as well to Edmund I in his early reign.

After her marriage, Mary's husband played a very little role in the politics of the time. The family stayed in almost complete isolation at Audley House. Their Mary would enjoy the quiet country life that wa denied to her as a child. Her family consisted of her husband, two children: The Lady Anna and Sir Oscar Mortimer, and for a short time Arabella Mortimer, The Duchess of Dorchester (Mary's mother-in-law) until her own death a few years after the birth of Oscar.

In later life, Mary's daughter married Sir Thomas Beaufort, The Duke of Beverly, the paternal uncle of King Henry II. This marked a rise in the family's social rank, as the Duke and Duchess of Beverly became a powerful influence on the Crown. The Duke of Beverly was eventually executed on the command of King Henry II, once he reached majority. All of the Duke's estates were left to The Duchess of Beverly and eventually to Mary's grandson: Sir Alexander Mortimer, The 4th Duke of Dorchester, on the Duchess's own death.

Mary witnessed the birth of only one her grandchild, The Lady Ada Mortimer. She died soon after her birth at Audley House. Her son died only six years after her own death, he was succeded to the dukedom by his eldest son Sir Alexander Mortimer, The 4th Duke of Dorchester, named after her own husband.