Mary Watson (chemist)

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]

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]