by Morgan Brooke-Johnson Despite women occupying a central role in the history of philanthropy, gender has remained an under-utilised lens in philanthropy research. A particular blind spot has been female…
Lady Mary Lindsay Crawford (1760-1833) A spectre of a philanthropist It is Halloween; it is stormy. So, what better time to focus on a philanthropist whose ghostly apparition is said…
The Buchanan Sisters Thanks to David Joyce, who provided an updated version of this Scottish Philanthropy Snippet in October 2024, based on his research into the history of Bellfield. His…
Emma Maitland Stirling (1839-1907) ‘a prickly, perhaps injudicious, but forceful pioneer’ Background: Emma Maitland Stirling was born in Edinburgh on 15th December 1839 as the youngest of 12 children into…
Catherine Sinclair (1800-1864) Background: Catherine Sinclair, Scottish novelist and writer, was born in Edinburgh on 17th April 1800. She was the fourth daughter and sixth of thirteen children of Rt…
Mary Erskine (1692-1707) Background: The Reformation dealt a serious blow to charitable educational provisions in Scotland. The seizure of church monies meant that bequests providing for education and relief were…
Mary Louisa Maclagan (née Kerr, 1853-1943) Background: Mary Louisa Kerr was born on 7th May 1853 in Ontario, Canada, to Scottish immigrants Archibald Kerr and Catherine Maclaren. Having made a…
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, CBE (1912-2004) Background: Wilhelmina (Willie) Barns-Graham was born in St Andrews, Fife, on 8th June 1912 as the eldest child of Allan Barns-Graham and Wilhelmina Meldrum. Determined to…
Isabella Elder (née Ure, 1827-1905) “A synonym for open-handed though discreet philanthropy” Background: Isabella Elder was born in Hutchinson, Glasgow, in 1827 as the fourth and last child, and only…
Elsie Bell Pettigrew (née Gray, 1852-1937) Founder of the Bell Pettigrew Museum, a rare surviving example of a Victorian teaching museum Guest contribution by Hannah Norfolk Background: Born in…