Mary Hardy (diarist)
Mary Hardy | |
|---|---|
Hardy in 1785 aged 51, by Huquier (Cozens-Hardy Collection) | |
| Born | Mary Raven 12 November 1733 Whissonsett, East Dereham, Norfolk, England |
| Died | 23 March 1809 (aged 75) Letheringsett, Holt, Norfolk, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Brewer's wife (married Whissonsett 22 December 1765) |
| Known for | Diarist |
| Spouse(s) | William Hardy (1732–1811), farmer and wholesale brewer |
| Children | Raven Hardy (1767–1787) William Hardy (1770–1842) Mary Ann Cozens, née Hardy (1773–1864) |
| Parent(s) | Robert Raven and Mary, née Fox |
| Relatives | Herbert Hardy Cozens-Hardy, 1st Baron Cozens-Hardy, Master of the Rolls William H. Cozens-Hardy, 2nd Baron Cozens-Hardy Hon. Beryl Cozens-Hardy |
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Mary Hardy (née Raven; 12 November 1733 – 23 March 1809) was an 18th-century English diarist. She depicted commercial and working life in the countryside, being actively engaged in her husband's farming and brewing business. Her 500,000-word record, compiled daily from 1773 to 1809, reveals the exacting, time-pressured nature of pre-mechanised work for the middle and labouring classes.