Mary was William of Cork's first wife. They were probably married in 1785 and she bore him twelve children, starting in 1782, many of whom died young.

According to letters in the possession of the Beamish and Crawford Brewery exchanged between William and his brother-in-law, James Alexander, it would appear possible that the arrival of their first two or three children pre-dated the marriage. After Mary died, (in the latter part of 1797), William re-married in 1799, Mary Uniacke.

There are two prints labelled 'Mary' in the Crawford Gallery at Cork and it is difficult to which of the two Mary's is which. However, latest indications are that all the portraits were of the children in the family who lived to adulthood, namely Louisa Alicia, Mary, Jane, Mary Ann, Mabel, Elizabeth, Henry, Robert and George and two of their father William of Cork.

It should be noted that some records show Elizabeth COOKE as William's first wife, and the year of his death as 1829, however, I have a photocopy of a hand written document by his son William, in which William states:

My dear Father departed this life on the 29th November 1834 aged 77 years and 4 months. He was twice married, first to my Mother Mary Bordman, who died in the latter part of the year 1797 and secondly to Mary Uniacke.

Acknowledgements: Prints from the 'History of the Gallery' and information from Beamish and Crawford.