Somerville, Janet   (1887 - 1969)

Born in Lilydale, Tasmania, in 1887; died 1969 in Hobart.

Born in Lilydale in northern Tasmania in 1887, she was of Scottish descent: her paternal grandparents with their young family migrated from Scotland to Tasmania in the Katherine Sharer in 1855. In Tasmania, William Somerville, after spending some years in the Midlands, took up land in the Upper Piper's River district, now Lilydale, and developed a farm. Janet, was the second daughter of John and Marion Somerville.

During Janet's school years, her interests were in classics, languages and science. After matriculating, circumstances prevented her fromn immediately proceeding to University and for eight years she taught and was in charge of small schools. She was able to specialise in her love of field work when appointed to Launceston's Wellington Square Practising School.

In Launceston, Janet was able to begin extra-mural studies for a University Science degree. This study was facilitated when she was appointed to Princes Streer School in Hobart and, in 1937, to the staff of the Teacher's College. Her chosen subjects were Geology, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and, from 1938, Botany. The latter subject was first instituted for a Tasmanian degree in that year. Janet was awarded the B.Sc. degree in 1940.

She met Winifred Curtis in 1939 in the University Biology Department and they found that they shared a common interest in plants. Thereafter, for some 25 years they explored the bush together, on day excursions and during longer camping holidays.

Janet devoted a lifetime to her work in botany. From 1944 to 1965 Janet published several articles on the natural history of Tasmania, as well as some historical papers.

Janet retired in 1958 from her appointment as Supervisor of Nature Study in the Education Department. She was then welcomed by the Botany Department of the Tasmanian University and worked as an Honorary Research Associate, taking charge of the Museum Herbarium that was on loan to the University. She continued her interest in the early botanical exploration of the State, obtaining copies of the original maps and journals of the explorers, including those from the French expeditions.

Her major work, commenced in 1958 on the botanical history of Tasmania from 1642 to 1820, was unpublished at the time of her death. The work had been assisted by a number of influential academic colleagues from the Botany Department at the University of Tasmania - Professor Newton Barber, Dr Winifred Curtis and Professor Bill Jackson - but all died before it was ultimately published in 2006 as a tribute to the immense contribution these four people made to our current understanding of the botany of Tasmania.

Publication:
Janet Somerville's botanical history of Tasmania, 1642-1820 / foreword by Winifred M. Curtis ; edited by B.M. Potts, G. Kantvilas and S.J. Jarman (2006).

In 2013 the Janet Somerville Prize was instigated by her sister-in-law, Anne Somerville, from proceeds of the sale of Janet's library, to allow her to be remembered as a gifted field naturalist and to encourage excellence in studies in plant science.

Source: Extracted from: https://prizes.scholarships.utas.edu.au/AwardDetails.aspx?AwardId=2701
Curtis' preface to: Janet Somerville's botanical history of Tasmania, 1642-1820 (2006)
Portrait Photo: no date, from Janet Somerville's botanical history of Tasmania, 1642-1820 (2006) back cover.

Collecting localities for 'Somerville, J.' from AVH (2023)

Data from 2,911 specimens in the Tasmanian Herbarium.