Tolmie was born on a farm on Duirinish, at Uiginish House,[1] on the Isle of Skye in Scotland in 1840.
Her father died when Frances was four years old and the family was then looked after by her uncle Hugh Macaskill of Talisker and his wife, where she saw a large circle of literary and cultivated friends from across the country.
She was remembered for being an exceptionally tall highlander, red haired and she would entertain her fellow students by telling their fortunes by gazing at a mixture of egg white and water.
[4] One hundred and five songs from the Western Isles collected by her can be found in the Journal of the Folk-Song Society published in 1911.
[6] The collection was introduced by another folk song collector (Lucy Broadwood) and she supplied notes to explain the Gaelic musical scales to readers.