Mary Slessor

by Elizabeth Robertson

The story of the Dundee mill girl who, inspired by David Livingstone, became a missionary herself in Calabar, a part of Africa known as 'the White Man's Grave'. There she adopted many children who would otherwise have been left to die; when her mediating skills were recognised she became the British Empire's first woman magistrate. Her name lives on in the Mary Slessor Foundation, a charity working in Africa to improve health, skills training and facilitate agricultural projects. Mary Slessor was one of the most remarkable Scotswomen of any generation and the first to be depicted on a Scottish banknote. First published in 2001; this edition has had some material updated and a replacement photograph.

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

Reviews

[Kenny Robertson]

Whit a wifie! Extraordinary.
It’s very common today for our culture to dismiss historic Christian overseas work as racist colonial arrogance. But I challenge anyone who holds that view to educate themselves about Mary Slessor. Christian mission was equally disdained in her day, but she turned cynical heads by giving her life to violent, infanticidal tribes and bringing peace, unity and cooperation. She is now rightly recognised as a hero of her native Dundee.
This is a very helpful introduction to her story and I look forward to reading more.