she was born at the manse of jedburgh, in the borders, which was the house of her maternal aunt, wife of dr. thomas somerville (1741–1830) (author of "my own life and times"). her childhood home was at burntisland, fife. she was the second of four surviving children (three of her siblings had died in infancy). she was particularly close to her oldest brother sam. the family lived in genteel poverty because her father's naval pay remained meagre as he rose through the ranks. her mother supplemented the household's income by growing vegetables, maintaining an orchard and keeping cows for milk. her mother taught her to read the bible and calvinist catechisms, and when not occupied with household chores mary roamed among the birds and flowers in the garden. in her autobiography somerville recollects that after returning from sea her father said to her mother "this kind of life will never do, mary must at least know how to write and keep accounts". thus the 10-year-old was sent for a year of tuition at musselburgh, an expensive boarding school. somerville learned the first principles of writing, rudimentary french and english grammar. upon returning home, she: