The Four Marys
The Four Marys was the longest story the comic ran - drawn by artist Barrie Mitchell, it spanned right from its creation in 1958 to its end in 2001. When the strip started, public boarding schools like St. Elmo's, the girls' boarding school, were common, but as time went on, they became less accessible to 'Bunty's general audience, which was possibly why The Comp (see below) was introduced. It centred around four young teenagers who lived in a girls-only boarding school in Elmbury, and often had problems with studying, being bored, or helping (and being hindered by) the other girls or teachers within the school. The Four Marys appeared to be about 14 in age, although it was never concrete- the only hint given is that they are over 12, but under 17.

Regular characters included-

Lady Mary Radleigh (Raddy): Raddy was the only blonde of the four, a polite but outspoken girl with a rather wealthy family (their home, Radleigh Hall, was featured intermittently in the strip). Raddy was depicted as the responsible one of the four who ran for school campaigns, took on prefecting duties and took up activist causes. Her well-placed upper-class connections meant that her father (Earl Radleigh) could usually support her in whatever scheme her attention was placed on.

Mary Simpson (Simpy): Simpy, a dark curly-haired girl, was a scholarship student from a lower-class background who was excellent at maths and had won her place at St. Elmo's through sheer hard work and dedication. At the time of 'Bunty's creation, this was a rather political topic - admission to upper-class public schools still mainly ran on wealth, and the class divide was a hotly debated issue. Simpy, although accepted without question by the other Marys, nevertheless had a good deal of prejudice from her classmates, and many of her plotlines were centred around the difficulty of dealing with her separation of class.

Mary Field (Fieldy) and Mary Cotter (Cotty): Fieldy as the short-haired sporty member of the group, as her name suggests. An extremely active and energetic girl, Fieldy won a great deal of trophies for the school during her stint there. Cotty, the last member of the group, was artistic, long-haired and polite - a shy, well-spoken and sweet balance to Fieldy's vivaciousness.

Mabel Lentham and Veronica Lavery: The school bullies. Snobbish, upper-class and unlikeable, Mabel and Veronica usually ended up causing trouble for the four Marys out of spite. Mabel was clearly the ringleader, leading the rather weaker and less confident Veronica along in her wake.

Miss Creef and Dr Gull/Miss Mitchell: The Marys' form mistress and headteacher respectively. Miss Creef (nicknamed 'Creefy') was a strict dark-haired spinster who always dressed in an academic gown and mortar-board. She was uptight and fastidious, like the early headmistress Dr Gull. Dr Gull was replaced after some time with Miss Mitchell, a young, blonde and very pretty woman who often came as a comic contrast the severity of Miss Creef.

The St. Bartoph Boys:Four boys who went to the local boys' boarding, St. Bartophs. They would occasionally meet up with the Marys in town, or for school functions like dances. Mabel and Veronica were always notoriously jealous of their enemies' friendship to the boys.

The Four Marys was always the staple story of 'Bunty', and the one it was most famous for. Even though the concepts of the comic strip became archaic as time went on, it was kept on for posterity and ran right to the end of the series.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunty