Mary Horner Lyell
| Mary Horner Lyell | |
|---|---|
 Mary Horner Lyell (1808-1873) | |
| Born |
Mary Elizabeth Horner 1808 Pancras, Middlesex, England |
| Died |
1873 Kensington, London, England |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Geologist |
| Spouse(s) | Charles Lyell |
Mary Horner Lyell (1808–1873) was a conchologist and geologist. She was married to the notable British geologist Charles Lyell, and acted as assistant in his scientific work. She never become widely known in her own right although it is likely by historians that she made major contributions to her husband's work.[1]
Biography
Born Mary Elizabeth Horner in 1808, she was the daughter of Leonard Horner, a professor of geology who taught in England and Germany. Leonard Horner was eager for his sons and daughters to be educated to a high level. Mary became a conchologist and geologist while her younger sister Katharine became a botanist.
Her scientific work included the collection and study of land snails in the Canary Islands in 1854, a similar endeavor to that of Charles Darwin in studying the finches of the Galapagos.[1]
In 1832 she married Charles Lyell, with whom she shared not only her love of geology but also a love of literature and friendship connections in the world of literature.[2] Mary's sister Katherine married Charles Lyell's younger brother, Henry.
Mary and Charles were scientific partners; she accompanied him on field trips and assisted him by sketching geological drawings, packing their clothes, equipment and specimens, cataloging their collections, learning Spanish and Swedish in addition to her spoken languages of French and German in order to assist with communications,[1] and acting as a scribe when his eyesight failed in later years.[2]
Mary is known to have attended special meetings of the London Geological Society, and it is clear that she had a keen interest and a thorough understanding of geology. She corresponded in writing with Elizabeth Agassiz about the glacial geology of South America,[1] and was present in her husband's conversations with Charles Darwin, later assisting him by sourcing barnacles, which he acknowledged with a letter in which he also discussed the geology of Scottish glens.[3]
Honours
A crater on the planet Venus was named Horner in her honour , see List of craters on Venus.[4]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Cole, Ellen (2013). Women's Work: A Survey of Scholarship By and About Women. Routledge. pp. 55–56. ISBN 9781136376276.
- 1 2 Somerville, Mary (2001). Queen of Science: Personal Recollections of Mary Somerville. Canongate Books. p. 351. ISBN 9781847674654.
- ↑ Hunter, Dana. "Mary Horner Lyell: "A Monument of Patience"". Scientific American Blogs. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
- ↑ Horner Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU). Accessed March 2016
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