Born in Cumbria, and with a background in sheep farming, Mary was a mature student at Dundee University, graduating in English and History. Her doctoral thesis 'Rural Society in Scotland from the Restoration to the Union' was completed in 2004. She led an oral history project at Abernyte which examined social change in the 20th century and where she was an active member of the community. Her publications were wide and varied, including 'Scottish crop yields in the second half of the seventeenth century: evidence from the Mains of Castle Lyon in the Carse of Gowrie' in Agricultural History Review (2007) and co-author of ' Battered but Unbowed: Dundee c1603-1727' in the publication 'Dundee 1600-1800'. Mary also worked as part of the University Archive's teaching team, specialising in 17th century Scots palaeography and where she was also responsible for cataloguing the Glamis Castle muniments on behalf of the Earl of Strathmore. She also taught the interdisciplinary M.Litt course, Women, Culture and Society. Through her background in early modern social and economic history she also contributed to the Maritime Environment module of the MRes in Environmental History run in conjunction with the University of Stirling.