Mary Caroline Blair

Mary Caroline Blair or Mary Caroline, Duchess of Sutherland, born Mary Caroline Michell (1848 – 25 May 1912), was a British Duchess best known for her scandalous affair with a Duke and her prison sentence that was bestowed for interfering in the execution of her husband's will. Around the time of the death of her first husband in a shooting accident, Mary became the 3rd Duke of Sutherland's mistress. She traveled with him worldwide under the pseudonym "Lady Clare." When news reached them in 1888 while they were travelling that the Duke's wife Anne had died, they chose to marry in Dunedin, Florida. The marriage caused an immediate scandal in Florida and abroad. His children and Queen Victoria were infuriated, resulting in bitter and strained relations with them for the rest of their lives. Her contemporaries refused to call her the Duchess of Sutherland, opting to nickname her "Duchess Blair."

Early life
Blair was born in Oxford in 1848 to Richard Michell principal of Hertford College, Oxford, and his wife Amelia Blair. She had one brother - Arthur Mitchell. In 1872 she married Arthur Kindersley Blair, formerly a captain in the 71st Highland Light Infantry. He had resigned his commission in 1861 and was then employed as land agent and business manager by George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland, who was one of the richest people in Britain, owning 1.4 million acres of land and Stafford House, a mansion in London. The Queen visited Stafford House and was known for noting that Stafford House was more of a palace than her own home.

Life with the Duke
Mary Caroline became the Duke of Sutherland's mistress sometime around 1883 when her husband died in a shooting accident. There was speculation that it was suicide or murder, although the official verdict was accidental death. The affair continued after her husband's death, but in 1889, she caused a scandal when she and the Duke married only four months after the death of the Duke's estranged wife. They were married at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Dunedin, Florida, on March 4, 1889. Their marriage broke the convention that widowers should not remarry for a year, and it went against the advice of Queen Victoria to not remarry so quickly. After marriage, Mary Caroline became the Duchess of Sutherland and obtained a high rank in British society. However, the scandal surrounding their extra-marital affair and the swift marriage resulted in her being ostracized by high society. She was never fully welcomed into society life upon her return to England.[1]

Life after the Duke
In 1892, the Duke died. His children never welcomed Mary Caroline into the family. Knowing and resenting this, the Duke wrote his will to leave a large portion of his estate to Mary Caroline as he was concerned that she would be looked after and be financially stable when he died. His children, led by Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 4th Duke of Sutherland, swiftly contested the will. During official proceedings, Mary Caroline burnt some letters from the Duke to her. This action led to her being charged with contempt of court, and she was fined and sent to Holloway Jail for six weeks. After her release, negotiations continued. An agreement was reached in which Mary Caroline was given sufficient funds to build Carbisdale Castle.

The castle was built outside the family's lands near Dunrobin Castle in Scotland. It was designed with a clock tower that had just three faces. The fourth face had no clock as it faced the family's lands, and it was said that Mary Caroline did not wish to "give them the time of day." The house was lavishly furnished, and Mary Caroline bought paintings and sculptures, including Andromeda by Pasquale Romanelli.[1]

Mary Caroline would marry one more time. Her third husband, Sir Albert Rollit, was a renowned British politician and lawyer. [2] She died in London on May 27, 1912.[3]

In accordance with a clause in the will of her second husband, the Duke of Sutherland, the Dowager Duchess Mary Caroline, was buried alongside him at Trentham Mausoleum.