As a young child Mary lived with her uncle and aunt (Arthur Benoni and Anne Evans) at Market Bosworth in England for a time, for health reasons; though in later life she had good health. Mary, like the other daughters, was not sent to school in England, so was educated by her mother, aunt and visiting tutors and by wide reading. (No doubt she would also have been helped in her studies whilst at Market Bosworth. JFH) She was responsible for teaching her young brothers until they went to England for more formal schooling. Mary became involved in the life of Madeira by helping the poor and illiterate people with day-to-day problems concerning employment, housing, dealing with officialdom and the like. Her charitable work became well known and rich philanthropists would often ask her how their donations could be best used. She played the organ regularly for church services in Madeira and also at the Cathedral in St Johns, Newfoundland while on a visit to her brother, Joe. She kept a diary from 1839 to 1843, recording her everyday pursuits. This diary is now in the Lambeth Archive and has been the subject of study by Claudia Faria who has done much research on the role of the Phelps family in Madeira. When Mary died at the Carmo, Clapham, aged 79, the house was let and eventually demolished to make way for the widening of the railway. [I think she went to Natal on a visit in 1864 but have not yet found absolute confirmation of this.]