Inventory Acc.9220 Correspondence of Robert Laws, Missionary In

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Acc.9220 March 2008 Inventory Acc.9220 Correspondence of Robert Laws, Missionary in Livingstonia National Library of Scotland Manuscripts Division George IV Bridge Edinburgh EH1 1EW Tel: 0131-466 2812 Fax: 0131-466 2811 E-mail: [email protected] © Trustees of the National Library of Scotland GB0233 Acc.9220 Robert Laws, Missionary, Livingstonia 1878-1890 2 boxes (11 folders) Robert Laws (1851-1934) Robert Laws was born in Mannofield, Aberdeen. He trained as both a minister and a doctor, studying divinity at the United Presbyterian Theological Hall, Edinburgh, while taking medical classes at Glasgow University and Anderson College, Glasgow, qualifying in both disciplines in 1875. In the same year, he was ordained by the United Presbyterian Presbytery of Aberdeen, and was appointed as a medical officer, second in command of the Free Church of Scotland mission, Livingstonia, Nyasaland (now Malawi). Laws became head of the mission in 1877, a post he was to hold until his retirement in 1927. Throughout his missionary career, Laws developed a Christian community of over 60,000, which was centred on education. Laws founded over 700 schools as well as the Overtoun Institution, where he developed a technical college, a teacher training college, a theological school, and a hospital. In addition to this, Laws personally tutored a number of distinguished local people, some of whom went on to become significant figures in African history. After retirement, Laws returned to Edinburgh where he continued to serve the now United Free Church of Scotland by writing and speaking about mission. He died in August 1934 and was buried in Aberdeen. Presented, 1986. This collection of letters received by Laws was presented to the Library in 1986, and was already arranged chronologically within the following series: 1-4 Letters from missionaries 5 Letters from Africans 6-11 General correspondence Letters from missionaries Letters received by Laws from other missionaries, including James Stewart, missionary at Lovedale Institution in Cape Colony, Robert S. Ross, Walter Angus Elmslie, Allan Simpson, John A. Smith, James Sutherland, Donald Munro and William Harkess. 1. 1878-82 2. 1883-84 3. 1885 4. 1886-90 Letters from Africans 5. Letters received by Laws from William Koyi, an African evangelist, and from Albert Namalambe, reportedly the first convert to Christianity at Livingstonia, 1882-91, n.d. General correspondence Letters received by Laws from numerous correspondents on various subjects, 1875- 90. 6. May 1875-August 1884 7. September-December 1884 8. January-May 1885 9. June-December 1885 10. 1886-87 11. 1888-1890 .

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