Berry, Mary, 1763-1852

Variant names
Dates:
Active 1729
Active 1811
Active 1757
Active 1851
Birth 1763
Death 1852
Birth 1763-03-16
Death 1852-11-21
Gender:
Female
English, Britons
English

Biographical notes:

Epithet: Miss

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000001346.0x000131

Mary Berry was an English non-fiction writer born in Kirkbridge, North Yorkshire. She is best known for her letters and journals, namely Social Life in England and France from the French Revolution, published in 1831, and Journals and Correspondence, published after her death in 1865. Berry became notable through her association with close friend Horace Walpole, whose literary collection she, along with her sister and father, inherited.

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).

From the description of Notebook, 1840-1842. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702184341

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.

From the description of Mary Berry manuscript material : 1 item, 1844 (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 76894097

From the guide to the Mary Berry manuscript material : 1 item, 1844, (The New York Public Library. Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle.)

Epithet: of Add MS 43230

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000001346.0x000134

Epithet: of Add MS 21555

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000001346.0x000132

Epithet: of Add MS 37726

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000001346.0x000133

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Subjects:

  • Authors, English
  • Women authors
  • Dreams
  • Women authors, English

Occupations:

  • Author
  • Women authors, English
  • Writer
  • Writers and Editors

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