Mary Hamilton

Who is Mary Hamilton?

Mary Hamilton was the subject of a notorious 18th century case of bigamy and female cross-dressing, in which Hamilton, under the name of Charles, duped other women into marriage. According to the Newgate calendar on no less than 14 separate occasions did she marry to another woman.

In 1752, Hamilton was brought to the summer Quarter Sessions in Tauton, Somerset, and sentenced that "he or she prisoner at the bar is an uncommon, notorious cheat, and we, the Court, do sentence her, or him, whichever he or she may be, to be imprisoned six months, and during that time to be whipped in the towns of Taunton, Glastonbury, Wells and Shipton Mallet ..." Additional aliases used by Hamilton were Mr. G. Hamilton, Minister Bently, and Doctor O'Keefe. In at least 3 instances she lived for some time unnoticed by her married spouse.