BATESON, MARY (1865-1906), English historian, was born at Robin Hood's bay, Yorkshire, on Sept. 12, 1865, the daughter of W. H. Bateson, Master of St. John's college, Cam bridge. Educated in Germany, at the Perse school for girls and at Newnham college, Cambridge, England, she became an asso ciate of Newnham college and a member of the council. She lectured at Newnham, with intervals, all her life, and furthered the interests of the college in numerous ways. At her death on Nov. 3o, 1906, she left her library and her property to Newnham.
Mary Bateson was a pioneer in the study of English mediaeval monastic history, and her first work was the publication of The Register of Crabhouse Nunnery (1889) for the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society. She also carried out a con siderable amount of research in the municipal history of Leicester and Cambridge. Perhaps her most important contribution to the study of municipal institutions was Borough Customs, edited by her with introductions for the Selden Society (2 vols., 1904 o6) . Her more popular works include Mediaeval England (1903 ) in the "History of the Nations" series, and the chapter on "France in America" (1608-1744) in the Cambridge Modern History. She was to have been one of the three editors of the Cambridge Mediaeval History, but died on Nov. 3o, 1906, shortly after having accepted the appointment.