Elizabeth and Mary Kirby

Mary and Elizabeth Kirby were two sisters of a sometimes prosperous family who were brought up in Leicester. Growing up, Mary and Elizabeth attended both Church and school regularly; they were both well educated. Mary in particular had knowledge of languages and she had made use of the lectures at the local mechanics institute, at which a family friend was president. Botany was one of the subjects becoming commonplace for women of all ages to learn at the time. Mary developed an interest in the subject of botany early on by spending time away from home at Ramsgate collecting specimens. == Career ==

by Mary and Elizabeth Kirby. Flora of Leicestershire In 1848 Mary published the first draft of the Flora of Leicestershire, which she had created with significant assistance from Andrew Bloxam and her sister, who added supporting non-botanical information. The book was crowd-sourced in 1848 as every other page was left blan, and early purchasers were asked to make notes on the blank pages. Mary is thought to be the only woman in the nineteenth century to write a book about the flora of her county. Financial independence With no long term income the sisters' ambitions turned to becoming professional writers. Finding success, they became financially self-sufficient. Over 25 years the sisters created at least 24 books including a number that popularised science. Books like those by the Kirby sisters served as aids for mothers teaching their children introductory botany in the home. Male writers often utilized illustrations less frequently in their work reportedly to maintain a higher level of formality. Within the scientific community, there was a disconnect between members whose work was targeted towards their professional peers and those who were considered to be popularizers. This is exemplified by interactions Mary Kirby recounted with academic botanist John Lindley. He, like many of his peers in academic botany, did not "...encourage any work, except like his own, of the most scientific kind." == Later life and death ==

Their inheritance and their earnings enabled Elizabeth and Mary to buy "the living" of Brooksby church for the Reverend Henry Gregg who Mary had married in 1860. Up to this time the sisters had been living in Norfolk where they had published Plants of Land and Water in 1857. After Mary's marriage the three lived together at Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. From their purpose built house called Six Elms they worked through a number of different publishers under either their joint names or occasionally Elizabeth published her own books. Elizabeth died of a bacterial infection in June 1873 in Leicestershire. The church was restored by 1874 by R.W.Johnson. The Reverend Gregg died in 1881 and Mary had to again study her finances. Mary died in 1893 after completing her autobiography. She was buried in the same grave as both her marital partner and her writing partner at Brooksby church. Mary left her money to a surviving sister. == Books include ==

• The Discontented Children, and how they were cured, 1855 • Plants of Land and Water, 1857 • Caterpillars, Butterflies, and Moths, 1860 • The Sea and its Wonders, 1871 • Beautiful birds in far-off lands; their haunts and homes, 1872 • Chapters on Trees, 1873; later editions titled Talks about Trees • Sketches of Insect Life, 1874 • Hummingbirds, 1874 • ''Aunt Martha's Corner Cupboard or Stories about Tea, Coffee, Sugar, Rice, Etc.,'' 1875 • Birds of Gay Plumage: Birds of Paradise etc, 1875 • Leaflets from my Life, Mary Kirby, 1888 : ==References==