Life
Mary Field was born in Britain in 1813, in Yorkshire, the daughter of John Wilmer Field, a wealthy estate owner.
Through her family she met William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, and they were married on 14 April 1836.
In the early 1840s the couple became interested in astronomy, and Mary helped her husband build a giant telescope, that was considered a technical marvel in its time. She was an accomplished blacksmith - which was very unusual for higher class women of this time - and much of the iron work that supported the telescope was constructed by her.
During the Great Famine of 1845-47 in Ireland she was responsible for keeping over five hundred men employed in work in and around Birr Castle, where she and her husband lived.
The countess of Rosse gave birth to eleven children, but only four survived until adulthood:
- Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse (17 November 1840 – 30 August 1908)
- Reverend Randal Parsons (26 April 1848 – 15 November 1936)
- Hon. Richard Clere Parsons (21 February 1851 – 26 January 1923), apparently made a name for himself building railways in South America.
- Sir Charles Algernon Parsons (13 June 1854 – 11 February 1931), known for his commercial development of the steam turbine.
Mary Parsons, countess of Rosse, died in 1885.
Read more about this topic: Mary Rosse
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