Mary Ritchie was the daughter of a Dundee shoemaker of 22 Barrack Street. After her father died, she used her inheritance to open a drapery business with a partner, Jean Easson. The business was extremely successful and Ritchie retired, a rich woman, in 1827. She then sued her partner, who nevertheless carried on the business for a further ten years. Ritchie went to Leamington Spa to live, where she met and married R Alcock, a wood merchant. The marriage was not a success. Mary Alcock returned to Dundee and sued her husband. In her time, she employed around nine legal firms – if she was not satisfied with the work of any one firm, she took her business elsewhere and sued the previous firm. She became a well-known figure around the law courts. She was also known for her kindness and her charitable work. She joined the Mormon church, intending to visit their headquarters at Utah in the USA, but never did so.