Mary Shepherd

Lady Mary Shepherd, née Primrose (31 December 1777 – 7 January 1847) was a Scottish philosopher who published two philosophical books, one in 1824 and one in 1827. According to Robert Blakey, in her entry in his History of the Philosophy of the Mind, she exercised considerable influence over the Edinburgh philosophy of her day. Life There is an entry in the Encyclopedia of Women that states that not much is known about the thinker that is Lady Mary Shepard. This highlights the problem at hand which is needing to better understand her life and its contributions, and how those contributions have helped shape the world today of philosophy and for women in science. Lady Mary Primrose was the second of five daughters of Neil Primrose of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Rosebery. She was born along the Firth of Forth close to Edinburgh at Barnbougle Castle on the family estate near Dalmeny, Midlothian. Shepherd had four other siblings. Her older brother Archibald Primrose, had a successful life and eventually became a Member of Parliament and 4th Earl of Rosebery. Mary (née Primrose) Shepherd was born in her family's Barnbougle Castle which sat in the parish of Dalmeny. Mary's experience was typical of that of a child from a wealthy and successful aristocratic Scottish family. The Primrose family split their time between two different homes or estates. One of these was in the parish of Dalmeny, another estate was located in London. Mary Shepherd had a great situation for a female who wanted to be able to focus on her own thoughts, and truly analyze the world around her as well as within her own mind. This is true because she lived with her family in Dalmeny until the age of 30. As previously stated, because she grew up in a family of wealth and money was never an issue, which also during that time period, was rarely a problem for aristocratic Scottish families. While her brothers went to school, she instead was taught at home by a tutor. The Primrose family had large economic and social standing, this status allowed Mary to study under a private tutor named Mr. Pillans. Her tutor, Mr. Pillans, actually offered a much more difficult education, that he was also able to personalize and create a structure just for Shepherd. This difference in intensity helped to peak her interest in philosophy even more. In her daughters memoir, it states how thankful Mary was for Mr.