Mary cecil hay biography

Mary Cecil Hay (10 January 1839 – 24 July 1886) was an English novelist, short story writer, and poet. Her work was often serialised and appeared in periodicals and weeklies in the UK, America and Australia.

Background and early influences

Mary Hay was born in Shrewsbury to clockmaker Thomas William Hay (1791–1856) and Cecilia Carbin (1798–1888).^[2] There were seven children in the family, four boys and three girls, all baptised in a non-conformist independent church.^[3] The eldest boy, John (1821-1821) died in infancy.

The next oldest son, Arthur Kenneth (1824–1839), committed suicide at the age of fifteen.^[4] The middle son, Walter Cecil Hay FRAM (1828–1905),^[5] became an organist and music teacher,^[6] whilst the youngest son, Thomas William (1836–1873), followed his father into the clock-making business.

Mary and her two sisters, Francis Ann (1830–1884) and Susan Elizabeth, an artist (1840–1908) remained u