Women’s participation in mathematics in Scotland, 1730–1850

Abstract

The eighteenth century saw a flourishing of scientific and philosophical thought throughout Scotland, known as the Scottish Enlightenment. The accomplishments of prominent male figures of this period have been well documented in all disciplines. However, studies of women’s experiences are relatively sparse. This paper partially corrects this oversight by drawing together evidence for women’s participation in mathematics in Scotland between 1730 and 1850. In considering women across all social classes, it argues for a broad definition of ‘mathematics’ that includes arithmetic and astronomy, and assesses women’s opportunities for engagement under three headings: education, family, and sociability. It concludes that certain elements of Scottish Enlightenment culture promoted wider participation by women in mathematical activities than has previously been recognized, but that such participation continued to be circumscribed by societal views of the role of women within family formation.

Keywords:

• women’s history
• history of mathematics
• Enlightenment
• Scottish history
• education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 All four Scottish Universities began admitting women to degree courses for the first time in 1892, following the provisions of the 1889 Universities (Scotland) Bill. Beginning in 1867, limited access to higher education for women was provided by the Edinburgh Ladies Educational Association (founded 1867), the similar Aberdeen Ladies Educational Association, the LLA (Lady Literate in Arts) distance learning scheme started by St Andrews in 1877, some specific Ladies Classes at Glasgow (began 1868), and two Colleges: Queen Margaret (women only) in Glasgow (1883), and Dundee University College (1881).

2 An exception, but one that focuses primarily on girls in the 1850–1870 period, immediately after ours, is (Moore 1984).

3 We are grateful to a referee for the suggestion that ‘Mr Trotter’ may refer to Alexander Trotter, son of James Trotter. Alexander evidently wrote many of the exercises in his father’s Lessons in Arithmetic for Junior Classes and was the author of A Key to [J.] Trotter's Complete System of Arithmetic. Both father and son were connected with the Scottish Naval and Military Academy.

4 For Ferguson’s career see (Millburn and King 1988; Rothman 2000).

5 For a recent literature review on Mechanics’ Institutes and an assessment of women’s participation in them, see (Watson 2018).

6 For a general account of the ESSGS see (Ritchie 2016).

7 Maclaurin is remembered today for the pseudonymous ‘Maclaurin series’ and was best known in the eighteenth century for his defence of Newton and attempt to introduce classical Greek rigour to calculus in his Treatise on Fluxions (1742).

8 For instance, see (Dunstan 2010).

9 For example, see ‘A Solution of J.C.’s question [xv. 489. 603], and a new question’, Scots Magazine, 4 February 1754, 75; ‘Scottish Literary Intelligence’, 1 December 1809, 923.