Mary Somerville | Biography, Writings, & Facts

Mary Somerville, née Mary Fairfax, (born December 26, 1780, Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Scotland—died November 29, 1872, Naples, Italy), British science writer whose influential works synthesized many different scientific disciplines. As a child, Fairfax had a minimal education. She was taught to read (but not write) by her mother. When she was 10 years old, she attended a boarding school for girls for one year in Musselburgh, Scotland. Upon her return home, she began to educate herself from the family library. She was encouraged only by her uncle, Thomas Somerville, who helped her with Latin. In 1804 Fairfax married a cousin, Samuel

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