Mary Clarke

Mary Clarke (; died 1705) was an English gentlewoman who is remembered as a prolific letter writer. She married Edward Clarke on 13 April 1675 and had eleven children with him. Whilst he spent time in London as a Member of Parliament, she ran the family estate at Chipley in Somerset and raised their children. Clarke corresponded frequently with her husband by letter and also exchanged messages with the philosopher John Locke.

Early life Mary Clarke was born in Somerset to father Samuel and mother Elizabeth Jepp in the 1650s. Both her parents died when she was young and she was brought up by her maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Baber. When Baber died in 1672, Clarke inherited lands worth £400 (equivalent to £ in ). Edward Clarke became Member of Parliament for Taunton in 1690 and spent most of his time in London when Parliament was sitting, leaving Mary Clarke to bring up the children and run the estate.

Clarke was a committed letter writer and communicated prolifically with her husband. Many letters are held by the Somerset Archives and Local Studies. Much was written about their children, discussing their studies, health and progress in life. As the children matured, the parents wrote to each other about their various plans; for example, they discussed the logistics of Betty's marriage and Jack's ambitions to become a merchant (he would later be apprenticed to Benjamin Furly). Hundreds of letters have survived, others were lost or destroyed. Locke believed in home education and recommended a Huguenot tutor, however after employing a series of tutors the Clarkes decided to send their children to schools.

Death and legacy Clarke died at Chipley on 10 January 1705. She was buried on 8 February in Chew Magna.