[9] Mary Wyatt was born in 1789 and, from humble beginnings,[5] went on to be a respected collector and proprietor of seaweeds and sea shells, with a shop in Torquay.
[5] Wyatt opened her shop at 7 Torwood Row, Torquay[9] selling corals, dried seaweeds, mosses, and other seaside souvenirs.
[5] According to Bea Howe, it was at the suggestion of botanist William Henry Harvey that Wyatt began to prepare a named collection of seaweeds, supervised by Griffiths.
[9] Algae Danmonienses: or dried specimens of Marine Plants, principally collected in Devonshire by Mary Wyatt; carefully named according to Dr. Hooker's British Flora'[15] was described as "a most important work... composed of specimens of 234 species, beautifully dried and correctly named... Nature’s own pencil illustrating herself".
[19] The work of Wyatt and Griffiths, 'an active collaboration, as they scrambled across rocky shores in cumbersome skirts, compared notes and exchanged specimens in real time', has been explored by Frankie Dytor as part of 'Out and About: Queering the Museum':[20] a National Lottery Heritage-funded project focused on uncovering and celebrating LGBTQ+ heritage among the collections of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery (RAMM) in Exeter.