Career

She was one of 35 human computers who calculated the position of the sun, moon and planets at different times of day for annual nautical almanacs used for navigation at sea. John Edwards (c 1748–1784) had taken on piece-work as a computer to supplement the family income and received payment for work on 6 months" worth of each almanac from 1773 until his death in 1784. Over time, her reputation for reliability and accuracy meant she could take on more work.

She continued until her death in 1815.

Her daughter, Eliza (1779-1846), also worked as a computer, initially helping from a young age and then independently after her mother"s death in 1815. She continued to work for the Nautical Almanac until 1832, at which date computing work was centralised in London.