As the daughter of
Margaret Roper and
William Roper and the granddaughter of
Sir Thomas More, she had an outstanding education; her tutors included
John Christopherson. She married first Stephen Clarke, but no children came of this union; after his death, she married
James Basset, by June 1556. Between 1544 and 1553, Mary produced the first English translation of the
Ecclesiastical History by
Eusebius, now surviving in a single manuscript in the
British Library, Harley MS 1860, along with her translation of its first book into
Latin. Her work is based on the edition published by
Robert Estienne in 1544; her learnedness is reflected in her comments on the text's inaccuracies. In 1560 Mary also translated More's
De tristitia Christi into English.
Nicholas Harpsfield wrote that she had also translated the
History of Socrates,
Theodoretus,
Sozomenus, and
Evagrius, but no copies of these are known. Her translations are characterized by the same engagement in contemporary political and ideological debates as can be seen in More and Margaret Roper. Mary's will of 1566 is strongly
Roman Catholic, and mentions several objects that had belonged to More. She died at London on 20 March 1572, not yet 50. ==References==