Mary Robinson (poet) Mary Robinson (poet) Mary Robinson (née Darby; 27 November 1757? – 26 December 1800) was an English actress, poet, dramatist, novelist, and celebrity figure. During her lifetime she was known as "the English Sappho". She earned her nickname "Perdita" for her role as Perdita (heroine of Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale") in 1779. She was the first public mistress of King George IV while he was still Prince of Wales. Robinson was born in Bristol, England to Nicholas Darby, a naval captain, and his wife Hester (née Vanacott) who had married at Donyatt, Somerset, in 1749, and was baptised 'Polle(y)' ("Spelt
Mary Frances Gunner Mary Frances Gunner Mary Frances Gunner (November 9, 1894 – ?) was an American playwright and community leader based in Brooklyn, New York. Mary Frances Gunner was born in Lexington, Kentucky and raised in Hillburn, New York, the daughter of Rev. Byron Gunner and Cicely Savery Gunner. Her parents, both born in Alabama, were active in public life; her father was vice-president of the National Independence Equal Rights League, and her mother, a teacher, was president of the Empire State Federation of Women's Clubs. Her grandfather William Savery was a founder of Talladega College. She finished at Suffern High School