On This Day: Dr David Livingstone, Scottish missionary and explorer, was born in 1813

Forbis Inglis takes a look at the story of Dr. David Livingstone, a missionary, explorer, and anti-slavery campaigner. 

"Dr. Livingstone, I presume” is possibly one of the best-known quotes in the English language. Dr. David Livingstone, a missionary, explorer and anti-slavery campaigner, was thought to have been lost in Africa when he was "found" by American journalist Henry Morton Stanley.

A true hero of the Victorian age, Livingstone could claim important contributions in the fields of geography, missionary work and the abolition of slavery among his many accomplishments. That said, he has avoided much of the modern baggage attached to the great men – they were almost invariably men – of his era, despite the fact that modern perceptions differ considerably from those of Victorian times. 

David Livingstone's birthplace has recently undergone a four-year-long, £9.1 million regeneration and now focuses, not just on the great man himself, but also how he was viewed by those who accompanied him, those he met on his travels and how they contributed to his story. 

Born on 19 March 1813, and brought up, the second of seven children, in a single room in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, he started work as a piecer in the local cotton mill at the age of ten. His working hours were 6.00 am until 8.00 pm, with schooling after he finished work. Like several working-class Victorians, Livingstone realized that education was the way forward and he read at every opportunity, even while he was working. By the age of 18 he was a spinner but even then he was studying religion and divinity, reading widely on both topics.

This was a time when the idea of medical missionaries was coming to the fore and Livingstone saw this as an opportunity. At the age of 25, he was accepted by the London Missionary Society. His ambition was to go to China but with Britain at war with that country that was not possible, so he agreed to go to Africa instead. 

The Society felt that the young missionary should open up new territory in Africa rather than be based at an existing mission station, which was what Livingstone really wanted. Having taken a medical degree in Glasgow he sailed for Africa in December 1841 arriving in Capetown in March the following year.

The year 1844 was an eventful one for the young missionary as he was mauled and almost killed by a lion and married Mary Moffat, the daughter of another missionary. All the time he was exploring the country, healing and trying to convert the local people to Christianity.  

Africa was not suitable for Mary and four young children and, despite the fact she had been born and brought up there, she and the children were forced to return to England in 1852. In the meantime Livingstone was continuing to explore the continent and, in 1855, he discovered the immense waterfall, which he named Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria.

He returned to England in 1856 where he was acclaimed as the greatest explorer of the age. Livingstone returned to Africa in 1862 but unfortunately, Mary died there that same year. 

On that expedition he discovered Lake Nyasa and laid the foundations for the creation of Nyasaland, the country now known as Malawi but, such is the esteem in which Livingstone was held, its capital is called Blantyre after the great man's birthplace.

After returning to Britain in July 1864  the lure of the African continent again proved too much for Livingstone and he returned once more, this time with the intention of finding the source of the River Nile. This trip was not a success and he disappeared for years before being found by Stanley in  November 1871. By that time the privations of living in the remote parts of Africa had taken their toll and when Stanley was finally forced to return home in March 1872 he implored Livingstone to accompany him. 

Unfortunately, Livingstone was unwilling to do so but his continuing poor health meant he only survived for just over a year, dying in April 1873. Such was the esteem in which he was held by the African people, they transported his body some 1,500 miles to the coast and aboard a ship to England. 

Until now, Livingstone's story has normally been told as the trials of one man against the African continent, a version told by many writers in the past. The refurbished museum sets out to tell a different story, relayed through the eyes of his companions, the crew from Southern Africa who accompanied him on his travels, and it credits them with their part in his successes and failures. 

One of the new displays presents the diary of Jacob Wainwright, described as a young and highly literate member crew member, who played an important role in Livingstone's story. Such was his loyalty to Livingstone that he was largely responsible for the explorer's body and possessions being returned to England. Other members of the crew, Abdullah Susi, who came from what is now Mozambique, and James Chuma, who came from the country we know today as Malawi, also feature.

The regenerated museum also includes a Legacy Room that portrays the impact Livingstone still has on the present-day countries established long after he visited on his travels.

Yet another highlight is the tableaux created by sculptor Charles d'Orville Pilkington Jackson, originally commissioned for the museum's opening back in 1929. The tableaux depicted eight scenes from Livingstone's life but has been brought up to date using a series of animations developed by the Zimbabwean academic, Petina Gappah, a present-day authority on Livingstone's life. Originally, the scenes simply related the story of the lone explorer but the animations now augment these by giving a more rounded version of the Livingstone story, complementing the displays with "contributions"  from Livingstone's wife Mary, James Chuma, other members of his crew and the various men and women he encountered on his travels. This allows those people affected by missionary work, the slave trade and influences of the colonizing European powers to present their thoughts on these events.

The museum also includes physical artifacts, such as the red shirt the explorer is said to have been wearing when he was "found" by Stanley and the books he used, with great effect, to educate himself while working at the local mill.

Livingstone is still widely studied, with a fresh look being taken at his contributions to Africa. Grant MacKenzie, Director of the David Livingstone Birthplace, sums up the revised portrayal of the great man's life; "We hope that through the transformation of David Livingstone Birthplace visitors will come away with a new understanding of his achievements, his failures and the opportunity that his story holds to encourage a deeper understanding of marginalized history and Scotland's role in slavery and colonization."

David Livingstone was certainly a forward thinker and a man ahead of his time being, unlike many of his contemporaries, very much against slavery.

He is buried in Westminster Abbey, the burial place of British monarchs, famous poets, and other important historical figures, a fitting resting place for a man who had done so much for opening up Africa. However, his legacy, and its effect on present-day Africa, is perhaps best recalled at the place of his birth.

The David Livingstone Birthplace is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. from April until December.

Situated at 165 Station Road, Blantyre. G72 9BY it can be reached by car from Glasgow via the M73/74 to Hamilton, before joining the A725 at junction 5.

There is a frequent train service to Blantyre from Glasgow Central Station and a regular bus service to Blantyre from Buchanan Street Bus Station in Glasgow.

* Originally published in 2022. Updated in 2024.