Charlotte, Lady Murchison (née Hugonin; 18 April 1788 – 9 February 1869) was a British geologist born in Hampshire, England.

[1] In 1816, the young couple went on a tour of France, the Alps, and Italy, where Charlotte closely observed the various distinctive forms of plant life found among rock formations in the areas they visited.

[1] After spending the winter in Genoa, they travelled to Rome and stayed into the summer, where Charlotte fell ill and nearly died of a malarial fever.

[1] While in Rome, the Murchisons became lifelong friends with Mary Somerville (1780–1872), who would later write of them in her autobiography, describing Charlotte as "an amiable accomplished woman, [who] drew prettily and - what was rare at the time - she had studied science, especially geology, and it was chiefly owing to her example that her husband turned his mind to those pursuits in which he afterwards obtained such distinction.

[1] After spending years at her pursuits, Charlotte – along with Sir Humphry Davy – convinced Roderick to continue his study of geology.

On one such trip, specifically their voyage to the southern coast of England, Charlotte went fossil-hunting with Mary Anning (1799–1847) and the two became close friends from then on.

[1] Throughout travels with her husband, Charlotte would purchase or hunt for fossils to add to her personal collection, oftentimes studying them independently as well.

By 1831, Charles Lyell (1797–1875), a friend of the Murchisons with whom they had worked and travelled, was giving geological lectures at King's College, London.

[1] In 1838, when her mother died, Charlotte was left a substantial fortune, and the couple was able to move to a prestigious house in Belgravia, London.

[1] Their soirées became a popular meeting place for scientists and politicians, and it was noted that much of the success of these parties was due to Charlotte's attendance.

[1] This trip is notable as it was then, while in Rome, that Charlotte caught malaria, an illness which would affect her health throughout her life.

[1] The couple did, however, manage to make another trip in 1847 to the Alps and Italy in hopes it would help Charlotte's condition as well as to perform some scientific work.

[7] On International Women's Day 2023, the University of Edinburgh renamed a lecture theatre at its King's Buildings campus after Charlotte in recognition of her contribution to earth sciences.