| Mary Mitchell Slessor | |
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Mary Slessor |
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| Born | 2 December 1848 Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Died | 13 January 1915 (aged 66) Nigeria |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Known for | Christian Missionary work in Africa; promoting women's rights |
| Religion | Christian (United Presbyterian Church of Scotland) |
Mary Mitchell Slessor (2 December 1848 - 13 January 1915) was a Scottish missionary to Nigeria. Her determined work and strong personality allowed her to be trusted and accepted by the locals, spreading Christianity and promoting women's rights.
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Mary was born in Aberdeen and moved to Dundee at the age of 11 when her family was looking for work. Her father was an alcoholic who had to stop his work as a shoemaker and eventually became a mill labourer and then survived a heart attack. Mary's mother ensured that she attended church and made her a half time worker at a jute mill, working for half the day and attending the mill school for the other half. She developed a strong interest in religion and joined a local mission teaching the poor. One famous story from this time is that of the Red Headed Lady: Mary dared a gang of boys that she would not flinch as they swung a metal weight closer and closer to her face; she successfully stayed still, and the boys had to attend her Sunday School as forfeit. Mary also noticed the boys coming back every Sunday; and one of the boys became a Christian. Two years later Mary was on a boat to Africa.
Mary Slessor went to live among the Efik and the Okoyong which lived near the Efiks who live in Calabar, in present day Nigeria. There she successfully fought against the killing of twins at infancy.[1] Mary Slessor was a driving force behind the establishment of the Hope Waddell Training Institute in Calabar, which provided practical vocational training to Africans.[2] Slessor died in 1915.[1]
Mary Slessor is commemorated today on banknotes issued in Scotland by the Clydesdale Bank. Her portrait appears on the obverse of the £10 note, replacing David Livingstone, whose image featured on the notes prior to 1998. On the reverse, Slessor is depicted holding children in her arms alongside a map of the Ekoi and Ibibio in Calabar (present-day Nigeria).[3][4]
