Ethel Margaret WHIGHAM, Duchess of Argyll

1912 - 1993  (80 years)

• Name	Ethel Margaret WHIGHAM
  Suffix	Duchess of Argyll
  Birth	1 Dec 1912	Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, Scotland   [1]
  	Address: The Brooms
  Gender	Female
  Residence	11 Feb 1939	Regents Park, London, England   [2]
  	6 Sussex Place
  Death	25 Jul 1993	Pimlico, London, England   [3]
  	Cause: from a fall
  	Address: St George's Nursing Home
  Funeral	3 Aug 1993	Mayfair, London, England   [3]
  	Church of Immaculate Conception
  	Dundee Courier 3 August 1993 p. 3e Duchess's Mayfair funeral THE FUNERAL of the Duchess of Argyll, the socialite at the centre of one of the century's most scandalous divorces, is being held today. The duchess died on July 25 in St George's Nursing Home, London, after a fall. She was 80. A service will take place at the Church of Immaculate Conception, in Mayfair. She will be buried at Brookwood Cemetery near Woking, by the side of her first husband, American war hero Charles Sweeny. He died in March. Born Ethel Margaret Whigham in Scotland, the duchess was a arenowned beauty and was Debutante of the Year in 1930. It was the divorce from her second husband, Ian Douglas Campbell, the 11th Duke of Argyll, which made her infamous after the judge described her attitude to marriage as "wholly immoral." [3]
  Burial	3 Aug 1993	Surrey County, England   [3]
  	Address: Brookwood Cemetery
  Person ID	I23	Clan Campbell Genealogy
  Last Modified	20 Apr 2025

  
  

  Father	George Hay WHIGHAM
  Mother	Helen Marion Mann HANNEY
  Marriage	1906 August 8	Eastwood, Renfrewshire, Scotland   [1]
  Family ID	F46	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Charles Francis SWEENY,   b. 3 Oct 1909, Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, USA d. 11 Mar 1993 (Age 83 years)
  Marriage	21 Feb 1933	Kensington, London, England   [2, 4]
  	Address: Brompton Oratory
  	Certificate of Marriage American Consular Service London, England February 21, 1933 Brompton Oratory, Kensington, London, England Charles SWEENEY, 2nd, USA Citizen, 23 years born Scranton, Pennsylvania Residing: London, England Ethel Margaret WHIGHAM, Great Britain, 23 years born Great Britian Residing London England Service No. 1755 [4]
  Divorce	1947  [5, 6]
  Children	1. Frances Helen SWEENY,   b. 19 Jun 1937, St Marylebone, London, England   2. Brian Charles SWEENY,   b. 4 Apr 1940, Westminster, London, England
  Family ID	F44	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	20 Apr 2025

  
  

  Family 2	Ian Douglas CAMPBELL, Duke of Argyll,   b. 18 Jun 1903, Farnham, Surrey County, England d. 7 Apr 1973, Haymarket, Edinburgh, Scotland (Age 69 years)
  Marriage	22 Mar 1951	Westminster, London, England   [6, 7, 8]
  	Address: Caxton House Register Office
  	Dundee Courier 23 March 1951 p. 3b Duke of Argyll Weds Famous Beauty The Duke of Argyll was married to Mrs Margaret Sweeny at Caxton Hall Register Office, Westminster, yesterday. Mrs Sweeny is the daughter of Mr and Mrs George Hay Whigham. Her marriage to Mr Charles Sweeny, well-known U.S. amateur golfer, was dissolved in 1947. The Duke's second wife, Louise, Duchess of Argyll, was granted a decree of divorce in Edinburgh on March 10. A small boy wearing a long-trousered suit of navy blue stood in the vestibule of the register office, excitedly counting the cameramen's flashlights. "Twelve, thirteen, fourteen," he said and turning to his sister, Frances, remarked in a loud whisper, "Fourteen flashes - I say, Frances, Mom's very popular." He was Bryan Sweeny, who was attending his mother's wedding. Mrs. Sweeny was described in 1931 as "the most beautiful debutante since the war." The room where the ceremony took place was decorated with rhododendrons, tulips and lilac. About a dozen guests attended the ceremony, which was conducted by Mr J.D. Holiday, the superintendent registrar. It was the 15th wedding to take place at Caxton Hall yesterday. The crowd rushed forward to see the bride. She wore a gown of grey check chiffon beneath a grey fox-fur cape. Her close-fitting hat of lime-green feathers, specially designed in Paris, was sent to the florist's so that her bouquet of green orchids could be matched exactly. The Duke wore a dark blue lounge suit with a white carnation in his buttonhole. A reception was held at the bride's home in Grosvenor Street, which was decorated with daffodils from Inveraray Castle, the Duke's ancestral home. Afterwards, the Duke and Duchess left for the castle, where they will spend part of their honeymoon. [6]
  Divorce	1963	Scotland   [7]
  Family ID	F10	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	20 Apr 2025

  
  

• Sources

  [S34] Births (CR) Scotland, 1 Dec 1912, 571/2 39. Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire. WHIGHAM, Ethel Margaret. [S33] Births USA (Consular Reports) American Consulate., 11 Feb 1939, Service No. 435. London, England. Frances Helen (Born 19 June 1937). RG 59. General Records of the Department of State. Decimal Files. NAID: 2555709. National Archives and Records Administration. [S35] Dundee Courier, 3 August 1993., p. 3e. Funeral announcements. CAMPBELL, Ethel Margaret Whigham, Duchess of Argyll. [S36] Marriages USA (Consular Reports) American Consulate, 21 Feb 1933, Service No. 1755. London, England. SWEENY, Charles, II and WHIGHAM, Ethel Margaret. Certificate of Marriage. [S37] Oban Times and Argyllshire Advertiser, 17 Mar 1951, p. 5c. Duke of Argyll Divorced: Duchess granted custody of two children. [S37] Oban Times and Argyllshire Advertiser, 23 Mar 1951, p. 3b. Marriage announcements. ARGYLL, Duke of and SWEENY, Mrs. Margaret. [S8] Publications, p. 142. Dewar, Peter Beauclerk (2001) Burke's Landed Gentry of Great Britain: The Kingdom in Scotland. 19th edition. Volume 1. Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage and Gentry. [S9] Marriages index (CR) England, 1st Qtr., 1951, Vol. 5c. p. 925. Westminster, Middlesex County, London. CAMPBELL, Ian Douglas, Duke of Argyll and SWEENY or WHIGHAM, Ethel Margaret.