Flora Macdonald Mayor
Flora Macdonald Mayor was an English novelist born on October 20, 1872, in Twickenham, England. She was educated at Surbiton High School and Newnham College, Cambridge, and her life took a significant turn after the death of her fiancé, Ernest Shepherd, from typhoid fever. This tragedy influenced her to lead a solitary life, during which she developed a keen observation of single women in society. Mayor's writing often centered on the themes of loneliness and the societal expectations placed upon unmarried women. Her notable works include "The Third Miss Symons," which explores the character of a spinster and her self-imposed alienation, and "The Rector's Daughter," focusing on unrequited love and clinging to outdated ideals. In her final novel, "The Squire's Daughter," she shifts to a more dynamic protagonist, reflecting her evolving perspectives on familial relationships. Mayor also authored children's literature and a collection of short stories, some inspired by her interest in occultism. Although she did not achieve the recognition she deserved during her lifetime, she is often compared to Jane Austen for her sensitive portrayal of the struggles faced by unmarried women in her era. Mayor passed away on January 28, 1932, in Hampstead, England, leaving behind a legacy that highlights the plight of women often deemed "unnecessary" by society.
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Subject Terms
Flora Macdonald Mayor
Writer
- Born: October 20, 1872
- Birthplace: Twickenham, England
- Died: January 28, 1932
- Place of death: Hampstead, England
Biography
Flora Macdonald Mayor was born on October 20, 1872, in Montpelier Row, Twickenham, England, to Joseph Bickersteth Mayor. She grew up in a comfortable home and attended Surbiton High School and Newnham College, Cambridge University.
Mayor was engaged to Ernest Shepherd. While living abroad in India, Shepherd contracted and died of typhoid fever. Devastated, Mayor never married and lived a solitary life for the rest of her years. After Shepherd’s death, Mayor left England to recover from her own health problems on the Riviera. While on holiday, she observed other single women of all ages and their interaction with one another as well as with society. These observations would serve as valuable material for her writing.
Mayor compiled her experiences with “unnecessary females,” women who were of comfortable means, unmarried, and traveling alone in search of love, in her novel The Third Miss Symons. The novel tells the story of Miss Symons, an unpleasant spinster living a lonely life. Miss Symons’s hides her loneliness behind her strict adherence to religious values, but Mayor reveals that her character’s alienation is due to her personality and her treatment of others, and that ultimately she is responsible for her unhappiness.
Mayor’s next novel, The Rector’s Daughter, also is about a lonely female protagonist, Mary Jocelyn, and recounts her unrequited love for the local clergyman. The daughter of a clergyman (a character most likely modeled after Mayor’s father), Jocelyn holds her dying Victorian ideals dear, almost hiding behind them, as the world marches forward into modernity. The Squire’s Daughter, Mayor’s final novel, again focuses on a female protagonist, but this time Veronica “Ron” DeLacey is a young, attractive, strong-willed character. The novel, written as Mayor was dying, focuses less on the role of a spinster and more on the familial ties between parent and child, ties Mayor never experienced herself.
Mayor also wrote a children’s book, Mrs. Hammond’s Children, a collection of short stories about and for children. She published a collection of sixteen short stories, The Room Opposite, and Other Tales of Mystery and Imagination. Ten of the short stories dealt heavily with occultism, a subject of personal interest for Mayor but one that never appeared in her novels. The other six stories focused on her writing’s traditional themes of single women.
After battling a chronic illness for years, Mayor died on January 28, 1932, in Hampstead, England. Although Mayor’s writing did not receive the recognition it deserved, she often was compared to Jane Austin. She brought attention to the plight of the unmarried “useless” woman, which was her greatest contribution to literature.