Berry, Mary, 1763-1852

Mary Berry (1763-1852), author, was born at Stanwick, Yorkshire. She and her sister Agnes began a close friendship with Horace Walpole in 1788, who spoke of them as his "twin wives." He established the sisters at Teddington, in 1789, and two years later offered them the use of his own secondary residence, Little Strawberry Hill. Berry became engaged to General Charles O'Hara (c.1740-1802) about October 1795, though the couple separated in 1796. In 1824 the sisters took up residence in Curzon Street, where they established a salon frequented by many prominent figures in society; Berry's acquaintances included William Thackeray, Maria Edgeworth, and Madame de Staël. Her literary productions include the comedy Fashionable Friends; A comparative view of the social life of England and France from the Restoration of Charles the Second to the French Revolution (1828) and its sequel Social Life in England and France from the French Revolution in 1789 to that of July 1830 (1831); and an edition of the Works of Horace Walpole (1798).

Mary Berry, English author. She and her sister Agnes befriended an elderly Horace Walpole in 1788, who took a strong interest in the girls, providing them a home at his Little Strawberry Hill. She edited the posthumous collection of The Works of Horatio Walpole and wrote several books, including A comparative view of the social life of England and France from the Restoration of Charles the Second to the French Revolution (1828). Chiefly remembered for her association with Walpole, recent scholars have shown interest in her letters and journals for the insight they give on women's history.