Mary Slessor
Mary Slessor- A Famous Scottish Missionary
The 'Great Mother' missionary
Mary Slessor (1848-1915). Born in Aberdeen, Mary Slessor moved to Dundee at the age of 11, where she worked at the weaving mill of Baxter's as a 'half-timer'; this meant that she worked half-time and went to school half-time. A deeply religious girl, she was a regular attender at the Wishart Church of the day, and in 1875 she offered her services to the Foreign Mission Committee as a missionary. On 5 August 1876 she sailed from Liverpool to the Calabar region of Nigeria. As well as teaching Christianity, she dispensed medicines and battled against local superstitious customs, one of which was the enforced murder of twin babies. In time, she moved through many areas of Nigeria setting up missions, spreading the gospel and acting as a judge in disputes. She died at Akpap and is buried in Duke Town.
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