Somerville House
Somerville House is named after Mary Somerville (1780-1872). Mary Somerville became one of the foremost female mathematicians in history.
Her work on magnetism was the first paper by a woman to be read at the Royal Society. Mary was also the first woman to become a member of the Royal Astronomical Society. She wrote many books and papers throughout her lifetime aimed at making science accessible to the ordinary man.
Somerville represents the determination that was necessary for academic women to possess if their ability was to be recognised. Never one to give up, she pressed ahead in order that she could contribute to the academic debate of her day. In a similar way girls from Heathfield St Mary’s should cherish such a thirst for academic progress.
