Mary Burton facts for kids
Mary Hill Burton (1819-1909) was an important Scottish woman who worked to make society and education better for everyone. She was also the first woman to be a top leader, or "governor," at Heriot-Watt College.
Biography
Mary Burton was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. In 1832, when she was 13, she moved to Edinburgh with her mother, who was a widow, and her brother, John Hill Burton, who became a lawyer and historian.
Mary was a single woman who had her own money from renting out properties. This meant she could make her own choices. She strongly supported the Edinburgh National Society for Women's Suffrage, a group that fought for women to have the right to vote. She also believed that women and working people should have better chances to get an education.
In 1868, Mary went to court to try and get the right to register to vote, but she didn't win that case. However, she kept fighting for women's rights.
A big success for Mary Burton was in 1869. She worked hard to get the Watt Institution (which later became Heriot-Watt University) to let women study there, just like men. This happened 23 years before a law made all Scottish universities do the same! Her niece, Ella Burton, was one of the first women to benefit from this change.
Mary Burton was also one of the first women chosen to be on local groups that managed schools and other services. She became the first woman on the School's Board of Directors. Later, she became the first woman governor of Heriot-Watt College and an honorary leader of the Watt Literary Association, a student club.
She bought a house called Liberton Bank House in Edinburgh in 1844 and lived there until 1898. A famous family friend, Arthur Conan Doyle (who wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories), even stayed there when he was a student in the 1860s.
Mary Burton passed away in Aberdeen in 1909 and is buried in Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh. In her will, she left money for prizes for students at Heriot-Watt College. She also left money to the Edinburgh Women's Suffrage Society to help them campaign for women to become members of parliament.
Legacy
Heriot-Watt University remembers Mary Burton for her important work. In 2019, on the 200th anniversary of her birth, the university started a special fund in her name. This fund helps female students who are studying STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).
The Mary Burton building on the university's main Riccarton campus is named after her. There is also a special blue plaque in her honour, which is like a sign that marks a place where a famous person lived or worked.
