Women’s History Month - Mary Somerville

Somerville is also the name of a women’s college at Oxford University and it was named after Mary Somerville.  Sadly, she did not live to see this event as it happened seven years after she passed, in 1872.

It is even more important to remember her because Mary had very little formal education yet she part of an educational enlightenment.  It was not the done thing at the time for women to receive formal education, but as with many women in history, there was a spark or fire that lit them up inside, knowing the inequality of being denied education, just for being female.

Mary had two marriages, being widowed when her first husband died, she had two small children and had to return to her parents, penniless.  Yet, she still got up early to read, learn and write before her motherly duties began.

Mary’s second husband, William Somerville is reported to be supportive of her learning and her connections to those who could recommend books to read.  Mary became interested in algebra and mathematics, reading as much as she could, making her own observations and also translating the most important books of her day from French into English.  Mary had guts and would contact the well renowned and respected thinkers of the day and through these connections, her reputation for being a talent mathematician and scientist grew.  Mary passed on this love to Ada Lovelace, one of the more known women of history who was a founder of computer science.  Mary was engaged as a tutor Ada by her mother.  I hope Lady Byron, Ada’s mother, gave herself credit for choosing such a suitable tutor for her daughter.

Mary had a full life of education, learning, being around and connected to knowledgeable and intellectual people, as well as a full personal life giving birth to eight children in total.  Sadly, as with many families during the time that Mary lived, not all her children lived to adulthood.

This information is taken from Jenni Murray’s book ‘A History of Britain in 21 Women’ where you can read more about Mary’s incredible life.