Third Miss Symons

Flora MacDonald Mayor (1872 -1932) was an English novelist and short story writer who published under the name F. M. Mayor. Flora Mayor read history at Newnham College, Cambridge, before becoming an actress. She later turned to writing. In 1903 she became engaged to a young architect, Ernest Shepherd, who died in India of typhoid before Mayor was able to travel out to join him. She never married, and lived closely with her twin sister Alice MacDonald Mayor (1872-1961). Mayor's first book was a collection of stories, Mrs. Hammond's Children, published in 1902 under the pseudonym Mary Strafford. Her short novel, The Third Miss Symons, was published in 1913 with a preface by John Masefield. Her best known novel is The Rector's Daughter (1924). She also wrote ghost stories, which were much admired by M. R. James. Correspondence and some literary papers are held at Trinity College, Cambridge. Her other works include: The Squire's Daughter (1929) and The Room Opposite (1935).