1885-1955
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Mary Kingdon Heslop
Eras:
Location:
Armstrong College, now Newcastle University
Mary was born and raised in Egypt. She studied physics and geology at Armstrong College, Newcastle upon Tyne, then part of the University of Durham, and later incorporated into Newcastle University. She graduated in 1906 and then became a demonstrator at the university where she gained a Masters in 1909 for her work on igneous petrology. She pioneered the use of colour photomicrography and published several papers on the igneous dykes of Northern England.
Mary moved to Bedford College, London to study in 1909 – 1915 under Catherine Raisin. Due to a lack of career opportunities she moved to Oxford University to take a one year diploma in geography in 1916 before moving back to Newcastle to teach at Church High School.
In 1919, Mary was one of the first women to be elected fellow of the Geological Society of London and in 1920 became the first female geography lecturer at Leeds University.
She later moved back to Newcastle and became a full time lecturer at the Kenton Lodge Teacher Training College.
Public Domain. Credit: Mary Kingdon Heslop. Photograph by the Press Photographic Agency. Wellcome Collection. Source: Wellcome Collection.
External Online Resources
A history of Science, Agriculture and Engineering at Newcastle University
The origins and development of Geography at the University of Leeds (Chapter 2: Women)
Article on: The first female Fellows and the status of women in the Geological Society of London
