Mary Lingard was the younger daughter of Tom and Nellie Lingard, who moved into 13 Coronation Street in 1919. When Tom was found dead under Blackpool's Central Pier in 1929, Nellie and the kids were taken into council care. Mary first appeared in Daran Little and Bill Hill's "Weatherfield Life", published in 1992. Other information is derived from Little's follow-up book, "Around the Coronation Street Houses".