Mary Wyatt

Mary Wyatt (1789–1871) was a British botanist, phycologist and retailer from Torquay, Devon. She was the compiler of the respected Algae Danmonienses - a collection, i.e. exsiccata, of seaweeds to which William Henry Harvey later considered his Manual of the British Algae a 'companion' work. Wyatt helped to fuel the Victorian 'seaweed craze' for collecting. The tongue twister 'She Sells Seashells on the Sea Shore' was possibly inspired by Wyatt and her close companion Amelia Griffiths, with whom she collected seaweed and sea shells in Devon.

Life Mary Wyatt was born in 1789 and, from humble beginnings, Wyatt accompanied Griffiths on her collecting expeditions, learning from her, but has been described as otherwise 'quite illiterate' having had no other formal education. This helped to support her and her husband, who was a "permanent invalid". Each specimen was named and numbered according William Jackson Hooker's British Flora, and other works on British algae, with a short description of the habitat and locality where the seaweed is found, and an indication of its rarity. The Journal of Botany called them "remarkable". was described as "a most important work... composed of specimens of 234 species, beautifully dried and correctly named... Nature’s own pencil illustrating herself". William Henry Harvey went on to refer readers to Wyatt's work on the publication of his own (unillustrated) Manual of the British Algae (1841), urging them to consider his work a “companion” to Algae Danmonienses. Wyatt also corresponded with other naturalists, including Lewis Weston Dillwyn, to whom she sent specimens for identification.

Death and legacy Mary Wyatt died in 1871, aged 82. The work of Wyatt and Griffiths, 'an active collaboration, as they scrambled across rocky shores in cumbersome skirts, compared notes and exchanged specimens in real time', has been explored by Frankie Dytor as part of 'Out and About: Queering the Museum': a National Lottery Heritage-funded project focused on uncovering and celebrating LGBTQ+ heritage among the collections of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery (RAMM) in Exeter.