Kate Sugden

Katherine Mary Sugden (née Hammond, previously Hughes) is the mother of Rachel and Mark Hughes.
==Biography==
Katherine Mary Hammond was born in Sheffield in 1951 to Eddie Hammond and his wife. In 1968 she met and fell in love with David Hughes and they married later that same year when she was just 17 years old, Kate gave birth to the couple's first child; Rachel in mid 1971 and their son Mark was born two years later in November 1973. David was in the army so the young family spent much of the 1970s moving from place to place, Kate never adapted to this way of life and eventually the couple grew apart and in 1984, Kate ended their marriage, the divorce was finalised in 1986. Kate spent the next few years raising her children alone in her home town of Sheffield. By late 1987, Kate grew dissatisfied with city life and wanted to fulfil her dream of moving to the countryside and against Rachel and Mark's wishes, she relocated to the village of Beckindale in 1988.
Kate arrived in the village in 1988 and started a war with Joe Sugden after he shot her dog but they eventually fell in love and in 1989 she moved into Emmerdale Farm. She married Joe later that year much to the disappointment of her children Rachel and Mark who wanted their mother to remarry their dad; David. In 1989 Kate decided to quit her job as a waitress and checkout girl in Hotten and with her savings she bought out Matt Skilbeck's (who was departing for Norfolk following the collapse of his second marriage to Dolly) share of Emmerdale Farm and she thrived in her new career as a farmer, she made friends with Dolly, Sandie Merrick, Kathy Merrick and Amos Brearly during her time in the village.
Kate and Joe tried to start a family, and she discovered she was pregnant in January 1990, but tragedy struck and Kate lost the baby in May.
In August 1990, Kate accidentally ran down and killed Pete Whiteley in her car. Pete happened to be Rachel's lover with whom she was having an affair. She was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment.
When Kate was released from prison in July 1991 she tried to make a go of things again with Joe but she was unable to make her marriage work so Kate told him that their marriage was over.
Realising there was nothing left in Beckindale for her, Kate left the village in August 1991 and headed for her home town of Sheffield, she was devastated when Rachel and Mark opted to remain with Joe at the farm rather than move with her, ironically Rachel and Mark hated the idea of moving to the countryside three years earlier grew to love it. Kate left for Sheffield alone.
It seemed unusual that she didn't attend the funeral of her son Mark in January 1994 after he died in the Plane Crash in December 1993 nor did she attend the funeral of her second husband; Joe when he died in 1995. Kate did not even attend her daughter's marriage to Chris Tate in 1995, or to see her new grandson Joseph Tate born the same year.
After the actress Sally Knyvette refused offers to return to the series, Kate died offscreen of a brain haemorrhage in Sheffield in July 1997. Her daughter Rachel and former brother in law Jack Sugden attended her funeral.
==See also==
*Full list of appearances
Category:Emmerdale Farm characters
Category:Emmerdale characters
Category:1951 births
Category:1997 deaths
Category:1988 debuts
Category:1991 departures
Category:Hughes family
Category:Sugden family
Category:Convicts
Category:Residents of Emmerdale Farm
Category:1968 marriages
Category:1989 marriages
Category:Residents of Mill Cottage