This biography is republished from The Dictionary of Irish Biography and was written by Shaun Boylan. Shared by permission in line with Creative Commons ‘Attribution’ (CC BY) licencing.
Born: 24 September 1831, Ireland
Died: 1889
Country most active: Ireland
Also known as: Mary Anne Theresa Devereux
Mary Anne Theresa Locke (1831–89), distiller and philanthropist, was born 24 September 1831 in Wexford town, daughter of Nicholas Devereux , proprietor of Bishop’s Water Distillery, Wexford. Her uncle John Thomas Devereux was MP for Wexford town (1847–59). After the death of her husband she ran the distillery (1868–c.1880) and added a retail spirit store (1868) situated in the yard beside Brusna House. Her time in charge was largely successful, as was evidenced by the doubling of the distillery’s throughput (1868–70) and continued capital investment in buildings and machinery. She also oversaw an increase in the cost efficiency of the business by extending the distilling season and doubling the number of distilling periods in each season. By 1875 output had risen to 78,000 gallons. She retired from the distillery (c.1880) when her eldest son was old enough to manage the business. With the help of her father and following the example of her uncle, Richard Devereux, who used part of his shipping and malting fortune to build and endow a convent, she helped to establish the Convent of Mercy at Kilbeggan (1879). Initially providing a grant of land and £1,000 toward the costs of construction, she later endowed the convent with a further £6,000. After the death of her husband she moved the family from Brusna House to Ardnaglue House near Kilbeggan. She died in 1889 at Ardnaglue.