Cornerstone No . 188 , page 19
GS 64 ’ s poetry arrived on bookshelves in 1934 under the collective title . It was re-issued in 2014 . Notable poems in this anthology include ( sounds Anglo-Scots !), , and
. It also contains some love sonnets written ( according to the author ) for a man but whom , we know not and Nan Shepherd never married . Finally , the work of non-fiction – – inspired by Nan ’ s love of hill-walking and written during the 1940s , although not published until 1977 ( the author ’ s choice ). Anna Shepherd lectured on English at the Aberdeen College of Education and edited the Aberdeen University review until 1963 . The university awarded her an honorary doctorate in 1964 . She died on February 23rd 1981 and is commemorated in Makars ’ Court in Edinburgh and , of course , on a £ 5 note . £ 10 : Mary Somerville . Mary Fairfax was born in the Scottish Borders , at Jedburgh , on Boxing Day 1780 . She was to rise to prominence in the sciences of mathematics and astronomy despite barriers and obstacles put in her way by members of her own family . At first it would appear that Mary enjoyed a privileged position in society from which her scientific ambitions could be satisfied and furthered . After all , her father was Vice Admiral Sir William George Fairfax and Mary ’ s family was of distinguished stock . However , Sir William branded Mary “ a savage ” and packed her off for ‘ tuition ’ as a boarder in Musselburgh to learn the ‘ 3 Rs ’. She returned with a smattering of French , a command of simple arithmetic and a faltering ability to read and write – an inauspicious start to life in the sciences , so our subject settled into life as a socialite in polite Edinburgh society ; but a thirst for knowledge must be quenched and GS65 found a perfect drinking vessel in the form of Euclid ’ s a work from which she quaffed as if a drought were apparent . Things became worse at home when Mary ’ s sister died aged 10 and her parents ascribed her demise to studying ( so much for enlightenment amongst senior members of the Senior Service ). Our subject was thus forbidden to study , but she continued – in secret . Another obstacle almost barred the way when , in 1804 , Mary married a distant cousin who was also the Russian Consul in London , a Captain Samuel Greig ( another of the seafaring fraternity ). This union produced two children but was not a happy one as the Captain did not approve of ‘ learned women ’ and took a prejudiced stance against Mary ’ s pursuit of academic interests . This spouse died in 1807 and our subject moved back to Scotland . Spouse No . 2 came along in 1812 in the form of Dr . William Somerville who actively encouraged his wife ’ s quest for learning . With his support and contacts , Mary began to circulate in scientific and artistic circles meeting J . M . W . Turner ( she appears in the film
), Sir David Brewster , the inventor of the kaleidoscope and William