Mary Watson (October 1856 – 20 February 1933) was a British chemist. She was one of the first two women to study Chemistry at the University of Oxford, the other one being Margaret Seward.[1]
Mary Watson | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 1856 Shirburn, Oxfordshire, England |
| Died | 20 February 1933 Michelmersh, Hampshire, England |
| Education | Somerville Hall, Oxford |
| Occupation | Chemist |
| Spouse |
John Style (m. 1885) |
Watson was born in October 1856 at Shirburn, Oxfordshire,[2] daughter of John Watson and Anne Bruce. Her father was a farmer and land agent to the Earl of Macclesfield.[3] She was educated at home and at St John's Wood High School. Watson entered Somerville Hall, later Somerville College, of the University of Oxford in 1879 on a Clothworkers' Scholarship.[4] This was a scholarship of 35 pounds for three years.[3] Somerville was founded in the same year as one of the two first women's colleges of Oxford. In 1881, she was awarded another two-year scholarship with a value of 30 pounds.[5] Watson completed with a first class honours in Geology in 1882 and a second class in Chemistry in 1883.[4] However, it was not until 1920 that Oxford allowed women to matriculate and therefore formally gain degrees.[6]
Following graduation, Watson was appointed Science Mistress at Cheltenham Ladies' College. She held that position until 1886 when she had to resign following her marriage to John Style in Thame a year earlier.[4][7] They lived in Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire.[8] Style was Headmaster at Cheltenham Grammar School since 1882, but was sacked in 1906.[9] They retired to Michelmersh, Hampshire,[2] where she died on 20 February 1933.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Rayner-Canham 2008, p. 243.
- ^ a b 1911 United Kingdom census.
- ^ a b Somerville College archives.
- ^ a b c d Rayner-Canham 2020, p. 94.
- ^ "News notes". The Cardigan Observer (305): 2. 29 October 1881. Retrieved 2 April 2020 – via National Library of Wales.
- ^ Batson 2008, p. xv.
- ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915.
- ^ 1901 United Kingdom census.
- ^ Neil Hyde (2013). Celebrating the centenary of the Old Patesians RFC 1912/13 – 2012/13 (PDF). p. 1. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
Bibliography
edit- Batson, Judy G. (2008). Her Oxford. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. ISBN 978-0-8265-1610-7.
- Rayner-Canham, Marelene; Rayner-Canham, Geoffrey (2008). Chemistry Was Their Life: Pioneering British Women Chemists, 1880-1949. London: Imperial College Press. doi:10.1142/p538. ISBN 9781860949869.
- Rayner-Canham, Marelene; Rayner-Canham, Geoffrey (2020). Pioneering British Women Chemists: Their Lives and Contributions. World Scientific. doi:10.1142/q0228. ISBN 9781786347688.