Mary E. (Mary Emily) Ropes

Mary Emily Ropes (1842–1932) was a British writer for children and family readers. Sources consistently describe her as having been born in St. Petersburg, where her father, William Hooper Ropes, was a merchant, before she later lived in London and spent her later years in Wales.

She is best remembered for Mary Jones and Her Bible, a warmly told retelling of the famous Welsh story that became closely associated with the origins of the British and Foreign Bible Society. She also wrote other fiction and historical stories, including tales set in Russia, drawing on the background she knew from early life.

Some sources note that she wrote about Russian life with her brother Adrian Ross, whose given name was Arthur Ropes. Taken together, her work suggests a writer interested in courage, belief, and making history feel personal and readable for younger audiences.