The curious talents and tales of the Baroness de Beausoleil Martine Bertereau, the world’s first recorded female mineralogist, had unconventional methods for locating ore deposits

Martine Bertereau, the world’s first recorded female mineralogist, had unconventional methods for locating ore deposits

Cecilia Keating

May 02, 2019

This woodcut from Georgius Agricola’s De Re Metallica depicts the use of the dowsing rod, a method of finding ore bodies that the Baroness de Beausoleil extolled. Cassier’s magazine (1904)

The Baroness de Beausoleil, the world’s first recorded female mineralogist, was born Martine Bertereau in central France around 1590, and was introduced to mining by her Brabantine [the modern-day Netherlands] husband, Jean de Châtelet, the Baron de Beausoleil.

This is NOT A PAYWALL To access CIM Magazine, please create a free account

(Note that by creating an account you are not signing up for a CIM membership.)

If you are a CIM member or have already signed up, click here to log in

If you already have a CIM account, please enter your username (often your email) and your password.

If this is your first time here, you can create a free account

Forgot your password?

More Mining Lore

Mining’s Bohemian boomtown

Cecilia Keating

The tiny mining town of Joachimsthal was an inspiration for many famous scientists

The miner’s bible

Cecilia Keating

Georgius Agricola’s “De Re Metallica” was the seminal text on metallurgy and mining for centuries