Mary Somerville
| Mary Somerville | |
|---|---|
Mary Somerville
|
|
| Born | Mary Fairfax 26 December 1780 Jedburgh, Scotland, Great Britain |
| Died | 29 November 1872 (aged 91) Naples, Italy |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Fields |
Science Writer Polymath |
| Notable awards | Patron's Medal (1869) |
Mary Fairfax Somerville (26 December 1780 – 29 November 1872) was a Scottish science writer and polymath. She studied mathematics and astronomy, and was nominated to be jointly the first female member of the Royal Astronomical Society at the same time as Caroline Herschel.
When John Stuart Mill, the British philosopher and economist, organised a massive petition to Parliament to give women the right to vote, he had Mary put her signature first on the petition.
When she died in 1872, Mary Somerville was hailed by The London Post as 'The Queen of Nineteenth-Century Science'
Mary was the daughter of Vice-Admiral Sir William George Fairfax, scion of a distinguished family of Fairfaxes, and Mary was related to several prominent Scottish houses through her mother. She was born at the manse of Jedburgh, in the Borders, which was the house of her maternal aunt, wife of Dr Thomas Somerville (1741–1830) (author of My Own Life and Times). Her childhood home was at Burntisland, Fife. Returning from sea, her father considered the 10-year-old Mary 'a savage' and sent her for a year of tuition at Musselburgh, an expensive boarding school. She returned being able to read and write, albeit poorly; she could perform simple arithmetic and knew a little French.
Following this, she was informally taught elementary geography and astronomy but found her education limited compared to what her brother could expect to receive. To supplement this, her uncle, Dr Thomas Somerville, taught her Latin; he described her as an eager student. Once, listening in to her brother receive tutoring in mathematics, she answered when he could not; his tutor allowed her to continue with lessons unofficially. As part of Edinburgh society she would happily attend balls and parties, "but these were rare occasions, for the balls were not numerous, and I never lost sight of the main object of my life, which was to prosecute my studies."
...
Wikipedia