Frances Hardcastle facts for kids

Frances Hardcastle (born August 13, 1866 – died December 26, 1941) was a talented English mathematician. She was one of the people who helped create the American Mathematical Society in 1894. Her work in mathematics included important ideas about something called point groups.

Early Life and Education

Frances Hardcastle was born in a place called Writtle, near Chelmsford, Essex, England. Her father, Henry Hardcastle, was a lawyer. Her mother, Maria Sophia Herschel, was the daughter of a very famous scientist, Sir John Herschel. He was known for studying stars, math, and chemistry.

Frances went to Girton College at the University of Cambridge. She studied mathematics there and earned a special certificate in 1892.

Her Journey in Mathematics

After her studies in Cambridge, Frances traveled to the United States. In 1892, she spent a year at the University of Chicago. The next year, she studied at Bryn Mawr College with another famous mathematician, Charlotte Scott. While at Bryn Mawr, Frances led the Graduate Club. She also translated a book by a mathematician named Felix Klein. The book was about "Riemann's Theory of Algebraic functions and Integrals."

In 1895, Frances returned to Cambridge to continue her advanced studies. Over the next few years, she wrote several important papers about point-groups in mathematics. She earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from the University of London in 1903. Later, in 1905, Trinity College Dublin gave her an MA degree.

Working for Women's Rights

Frances Hardcastle was also very active in supporting women's rights. She was one of 156 British women who publicly supported the goals of the International Congress of Women. This meeting took place in The Hague in April 1915. The women at the congress wanted two main things:

• They wanted international disagreements to be solved without war.
• They believed women should have a say in how countries are run.

Until 1909, Frances was an Honorary Secretary for the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). This group worked to get women the right to vote. People who supported this cause were called suffragists.

Later Life

Frances Hardcastle was a close friend and companion of Dr Ethel Williams. Dr. Williams was a doctor, a Justice of the Peace (someone who helps with local law and order), a feminist, and a social reformer.

Frances Hardcastle passed away on December 26, 1941, at the Royal Hotel in Cambridge. Her home was in Stocksfield, Northumberland. She left behind a good amount of money, which was managed by Ethel Williams and Mabel Annie Burnip.