Mary Slessor was a pioneering Scottish missionary in Nigeria who lived from 1848 to 1915. She is best known for her work spreading Christianity and fighting the killing of twins among the Efik people in what is now Calabar, Nigeria. After living much of her life in Africa, Mary Slessor died in Calabar on January 13, 1915 at the age of 66. She was buried in Calabar, and her grave site has become an important landmark honoring her legacy. In this article, we will look at the history of Mary Slessor, where exactly her grave is located, and why it has become such a notable site for visitors to Calabar.
Who Was Mary Slessor?
Mary Slessor was born on December 2, 1848 in Aberdeen, Scotland. She was the second of seven children in a poor working class family. As a young adult, she worked long hours as a jute mill worker in Dundee, Scotland. Inspired by David Livingstone’s missionary work in Africa, she decided to become a missionary herself in Calabar, Nigeria. At the time, Calabar was known as the “White Man’s Grave” because so many Western missionaries died there due to disease and unfamiliar environmental conditions.
In 1876 at age 28, Mary Slessor traveled to Calabar and began working for the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. She learned the Efik language and immersed herself in understanding the local West African culture. Slessor lived a simple life with the common people as she worked to spread Christianity and combat traditional practices like the killing of twins, who were seen as evil. She adopted any twins she came across to save them from death. Over her lifetime, she adopted dozens of children.
Slessor earned the trust of local chiefs and tribespeople through her understanding of their culture and laws. She helped put an end to the practice of killing twins among groups like the Efik, and even intervened in legal disputes. She expanded her missionary work, traveling long distances deep into the interior of Nigeria to spread her message. Her bravery in confronting local superstitions and traditions like trial by ordeal and killing of twins made her famous both within Africa and back in her native Scotland.
Mary Slessor’s Death and Burial in Calabar
After spending 39 years immersed in the traditional Efik culture of Calabar, Mary Slessor died there on January 13, 1915 at the age of 66. Her health had been poor in her later years due to the many tropical illnesses she contracted over decades of living in West Africa. By the time of her death, she was a revered figure among both the Efik people she lived with and the British colonial officials she often worked with.
Mary Slessor had explicitly asked to be buried in Calabar near where she had lived and worked for so many years. She did not want to be returned to her native Scotland. Her wish was granted and she was buried in Calabar on January 16, 1915 in a prominent hilltop cemetery maintained by the British government. This was a rare honor for a non-governmental figure at the time.
The Location of Mary Slessor’s Grave
Mary Slessor is buried in Calabar Cemetery located atop Mission Hill in the city of Calabar, Nigeria. Calabar is located in southeast Nigeria and lies along the Cross River near the border of Cameroon. The city was once one of Africa’s biggest slave ports but also became an important missionary center during the colonial era.
The cemetery sits on top of Mission Hill, which was once the site of a notorious human sacrifice shrine before Christianity spread in Calabar. The hill offers scenic views of the city and Cross River. It is marked by a white cross that can be seen from miles away.
Within Calabar Cemetery, Mary Slessor’s grave is marked by a tall, white marble pillar topped with a cross. The pillar stands over Slessor’s buried remains. The front of the pillar bears a bronze plaque reading “In Loving Memory of Mary Mitchell Slessor. Born at Gilcomston ABERDEEN 2nd Dec 1848. Died at Use Akpa (Ikot Oku) AKWA 13th Jan 1915. Well done good and faithful servant.”
Why Mary Slessor’s Grave is Significant
Mary Slessor’s grave site on Mission Hill has become an important and well-visited landmark in Calabar for several reasons:
Importance to Calabar’s history
The grave represents Calabar’s unique mixed heritage as an early center of the trans-Atlantic slave trade as well as Christian missionary efforts in Africa. Mary Slessor herself embodied these complex interwoven histories.
Slessor’s close ties to Calabar
Slessor spent nearly 40 years living in Calabar and is buried where she wished. Her grave represents her close personal connection to the city and its people.
Her positive reputation
Locals and officials alike respected Slessor for her efforts to understand their culture, fight social evils, and expand education. Her grave honors her courage and compassion.
Her iconic status
As one of Britain’s most famous missionaries in Africa, Slessor’s grave is a reminder of her wider legendary status across Nigeria and Britain.
Tourist attraction
The distinctive grave on a hilltop with scenic views has itself become a tourist destination, attracting both pilgrimage and casual visits.
Christian site
For Christian Nigerians, the grave of this pioneering missionary is a spiritual site inspiring devotion and pride.
Visiting Mary Slessor’s Grave
Mary Slessor’s grave on Mission Hill can be visited in central Calabar, on Duke Town Road adjacent to the modern Chapel of Rest. The cemetery is open daily during daylight hours. Visitors should dress conservatively out of respect for the site. One can hire a local guide in Calabar to learn more about the city’s history and the life of Mary Slessor during a grave visit.
The grave can be reached on foot by hiking up Mission Hill via a long, steep staircase. Those driving can take Duke Town Road to the top entrance of Calabar Cemetery. Due to her fame, signs point the way to Slessor’s grave within the cemetery grounds. Visitors are welcome to pay their respects at her grave marker and take photos.
The site offers outstanding views overlooking Calabar and the Cross River. The city landscape reflects the mix of traditional Nigerian and colonial architecture that defined Slessor’s era. The scenic views from Mission Hill help visitors appreciate the natural environment where Mary Slessor lived and worked for so many decades.
Mary Slessor’s Legacy
Although she died in 1915, Mary Slessor has continued to be revered in Nigeria for her courageous missionary efforts. She is celebrated through books, films, stamps, and the famous grave site. In Scotland, her home city of Dundee has dedicated a new city square with a statue honoring her. The life of this Scotswoman who immersed herself in a remote culture remains an inspiration.
Visiting Slessor’s hilltop grave in Calabar offers a reflective experience to appreciate her remarkable work and principles. In Calabar, her grave ensures that Slessor’s courageous efforts to improve local culture while spreading her Christian faith will always be honored and remembered. The grave site continues to share her story to new generations in the city she loved.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| December 2, 1848 | Mary Slessor is born in Aberdeen, Scotland |
| 1876 | Slessor arrives in Calabar, Nigeria as a Presbyterian missionary |
| 1888 | Adopts first twin babies to prevent their ritual killing |
| May 1888 | Appointed Vice-Consul to Okoyong by Britain |
| 1892 | Opens her first primary school in Adiabo, Cross River State |
| 1912 | Awarded Order of St. John of Jerusalem for medical work |
| January 13, 1915 | Dies at age 66 in Use Akpa, Calabar, Nigeria |
| January 16, 1915 | Buried in Calabar Cemetery, Calabar, Nigeria |
Conclusion
Mary Slessor was one of Britain’s most famous missionaries in Africa who adopted the Efik culture of Calabar, Nigeria as her own. She devoted her life to spreading Christianity, fighting social evils, and expanding education in Calabar where she lived for nearly 40 years. Upon her death in 1915 at age 66, she was buried atop Mission Hill in Calabar Cemetery per her wishes. Her prominent grave marked by a marble pillar has become an important landmark in Calabar, honoring Slessor’s principles and fame. Visitors can pay respects at her hilltop grave site, which offers scenic views over Calabar and the Cross River area that she made her home. Mary Slessor’s final resting place in Calabar is a fitting tribute to this courageous, compassionate woman who left an indelible impact on the city she loved.