Maria Wilman facts for kids

Maria Wilman was an amazing South African scientist. She studied both rocks (geology) and plants (botany). She was the very first director of the McGregor Museum in Kimberley, South Africa. She was also one of the first South African women to study at the famous University of Cambridge in England. Maria Wilman was born on April 29, 1867, and passed away on November 9, 1957.

Early Life and Family

Maria Wilman was born in Beaufort West, South Africa, on April 29, 1867. She was one of nine daughters! Her father, Herbert Wilman, came from Yorkshire, England. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Beaufort West. This meant he helped make laws for the Cape region.

Maria Wilman's Education

Maria first finished high school at the Good Hope Seminary in Cape Town. In 1885, she went to the University of Cambridge in England. She was only the second South African woman ever to study there!

At Cambridge, she studied natural sciences. Her main subjects were geology (the study of Earth's rocks), mineralogy (the study of minerals), and chemistry. She completed these studies at Newnham College, Cambridge in 1888. Later, in 1895, she earned a Master of Arts (MA) degree in botany (the study of plants).

Back then, women were not officially given degrees until much later. So, Maria did not get her MA certificate until November 1931. In 1939, she received a special honorary doctorate degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

Working at the South African Museum

Maria Wilman's museum career started when she returned to South Africa. She volunteered in the Geology Department at the South African Museum in Cape Town. Even though she worked hard, she could not get paid. This was because she did not have an official degree yet, and her father did not want her to earn a salary.

Still, Maria kept volunteering until 1902. Then, she was officially named an assistant in the Geology Department. While at the museum, she worked with Louis Albert Péringuey. He was very interested in the San people and their culture. This allowed Maria to go on many research trips. She traveled to the Northern Cape and Zimbabwe.

In 1906, she went on an important journey. She visited Kimberley and the Vryburg area. On this trip, she collected many specimens. She also gathered information about rock engravings. This was the start of a big project. Nearly 30 years later, she published a book called Rock engravings of Griqualand West and Bechuanaland (1933). This book was the main guide for South African rock art for almost 50 years! Maria continued to study rock art and the culture of the San and Khoikhoi peoples for the rest of her life.

Director of the McGregor Museum

In 1908, Maria Wilman became the first Director of the new McGregor Museum in Kimberley. In the same year, she also started the museum's herbarium. A herbarium is like a library for dried plant specimens. She worked hard to grow its collection of plants from the Northern Cape. This collection includes very important plant samples.

Maria also built good relationships with local collectors. One of them was Constance Georgina Adams. They became long-time friends. Maria's work at the McGregor Museum led to another important book. It was called Preliminary Checklist of the Flowering Plants and Ferns of Griqualand West (1946).

She also brought new trees to Kimberley, like mesquite and kurrajong trees. Maria even shared South African grass seeds with groups in the United States. Some people believe these grass species helped bring life back to areas affected by the Dust Bowl. This was a time when severe dust storms damaged farms, especially in Texas.

Maria stepped down as director of the McGregor Museum in 1947. But she kept working on her geology and botany studies there. She fully retired from the museum in 1953. Then, she moved to George, where she passed away on November 9, 1957. Maria never married.

Maria Wilman's Legacy

Many plant species have been named in Maria Wilman's honor. This shows how important her work was. Some of these plants include:

• Wilman lovegrass (Eragrostis superb)
• Watsonia wilmaniae
• Stapelia wilmaniae
• Ruschia wilmaniae
• Hereroa wilmaniae
• Nananthus wilmaniae