A ceramist and author.
Born in Manchester, she studied at the Salford School of Art and learnt basic pottery skills. In 1936, she travelled to St. Ives to work at the Leach Pottery. It was there that she met Harry Davis, a fellow potter, who she married in 1938.
In various different jobs and positions, they worked as potters and teachers in Ghana (then the Gold-Coast), Paraguay, Patagonia from 1938-1946, before eventually settling near Praze, Cornwall to establish the Crown Pottery. The pottery was in an old watermill which they converted to generate the electricity to run the business. They produced solid and aesthetically pleasing pots, and were masterfull both in making and in a variety of decorative techniques. At Crowan, they did not individually mark their pots, which has meant a number of pieces have been misidentified as Harry's rather than May's.
After 16 years at the pottery, they moved to New Zealand in 1962. Ever restless, Harry Davis left New Zealand for Peru in 1972, with May following a year later. They made pottery at 9,500ft, in the Izcuchaca District of the Andes for a number of years, until May returned to New Zealand in 1979, and Harry shortly after her. Harry died in 1986, and May lived until 1995.