Nora Lilian Alcock

Nora Lilian Alcock, also known as Nora Lilian Lepart and Nora Lilian Leopard, (18 August 1874 – 31 March 1972) was a pioneer in the field of plant pathology and the first government-appointed plant pathologist in Scotland.

Life Nora Lilian Scott was born in 1874, the daughter of Sir John Scott, the Judicial Advisor to the Khedive of Egypt, and Edgeworth Leonora Hill. It appears she had no formal higher education. She married Nathaniel Henry Alcock, a radiologist, in 1905 and moved to Canada. When he died of cancer in 1913, she and her four children returned to Britain.

Honours and recognition As a result of her research on fungal diseases, in particular red core disease in strawberries, Alcock was awarded an MBE in 1935. Her work developed disease-resistant strains and catalogued seed-borne diseases.

Other accomplishments During the Second World War, she taught botany to prisoners of war. She was a member of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs and the Edinburgh Soroptimists.