Lorna I. Scott

Lorna Iris Scott (1895–1984) was a senior lecturer in Botany at University of Leeds. In 1949 she became the first woman president of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union and was president of the British Bryological Society in 1952–1953.

Early life and education Lorna Iris Scott was born on 29 September 1895 in Poona, India. Her parents were Major Horace William Scott (Lancashire Fusiliers) and Sophia Parsons Scott (née Fenemore). The family returned to Britain to live in Holland Park, but Scott was sent to Royal School for Daughters of Officers of the Army in Bath, Somerset. She became head girl. In 1914 she went to the women-only Royal Holloway College in London where she won the Driver Prize for Botany in 1917 and graduated with Class III honours in 1917. She was also successful in college sports, becoming the ‘River Captain’ for rowing. In 1928 she was awarded a MSc in Botany from Royal Holloway College.

Career In 1917 she was appointed as an assistant lecturer in the Agricultural Botany department at University of Leeds, later being promoted to a senior lectureship in the Botany department. From 1919 until 1937 she was also sub-warden of Lyddon Hall, a woman’s hall of residence.