Mary Somerville Papers

The College is fortunate to have been given Mary Somerville’s personal, business and working papers which together form a fascinating reflection of her huge network of friends and acquaintances. The collection contains letters from Mathematicians (Laplace, Fourier), astronomers (William and John Herschel), geologists and biologists (Lyell, Darwin) as well as politicians and writers (Lord Brougham, John Stuart Mill, Josephine Butler, Maria Edgeworth). The papers are held at the Bodleian Library and the catalogue may be accessed online. Requests for visits should be addressed to the Bodleian.