Mary Somerville the polymath: mathematics, astronomy and orange marmalade

Abstract Mary Somerville (1780-1872) was called ‘Queen of Science’ in a newspaper obituary and was the author of four books and one article. But to define her as just one thing is difficult – she was more than just a mathematician, a writer, a scientist. Skills she learnt as a girl in order to attract a husband also proved useful to her success. If a polymath is someone who knows a lot about many subjects, then Mary was most definitely one and this paper will show her knowledge in astronomy, mathematics, geography, microscopic work and more.