Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement/Hardy, Mary Anne
HARDY, MARY ANNE, Lady (1825?–1891), novelist and traveller, was the only child of Charles MacDowell and Eliza, his second wife. She was born in Fitzroy Square. London, about 1825. Her father had died five months before, and she was entirely educated at home under her mother's superintendence. She became the second wife of Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy [q. v.] In recognition of her husband's services—he died in 1878—Lady Hardy received on 19 June 1879 a pension of 100l. a year from the civil list; it was augmented by 55l. on 5 February 1881.
Although Lady Hardy had always been fond of writing, she did not turn seriously to literature until after her marriage. Her first important novel, 'Paul Wynter's Sacrifice,' was published in 1869. It had a success, and was translated into French. A new edition came out in 1881. Her next novel, 'Daisy Nicholl' (1870), achieved a great success in America. In 1880 and 1881, respectively, Lady Hardy travelled in the United States. The tour brought forth two books, 'Through Cities and Prairie Lands: Sketches of an American Tour,' 1881, and 'Down South,' 1883. Lady Hardy wrote articles on social subjects and short stories for various journals and magazines. She died on 19 May 1891 at 124 Portsdown Road, London, and was buried at Willesden. A portrait, painted during her early married life, is in the possession of her daughter, Miss Iza Duffus Hardy. Other works are:
- 'War Notes from the Crimea,' 1855.
- 'The Artist's Family: an Historical Romance,' 1857.
- 'A Casual Acquaintance: a Novel founded on Fact,' 1866, 2 vols.
- 'A Hero's Work,' 1868, 3 vols.
- 'A Woman's Triumph,' 1872, 3 vols.
- 'Lizzie,' 1875, 3 vols.
- 'Madge,' 1898, 3 vols.
- 'Beryl Fortescue,' 1881, 3 vols.
- 'In Sight of Land,' 1885, 3 vols.
- 'A Dangerous Experiment,' 1888, 3 vols.
- 'A Buried Sin,' 1894, 3 vols.
[Allibone's Dict. Suppl. ii. 764; Times, 21 May 1891; Colles's Literature and the Pension List; private information.]