Robert Moffat (missionary)

For the Canadian politician, see Robert Moffat (politician).

Robert Moffat
Missionary to Africa
Born	21 December 1795 Ormiston, East Lothian, Scotland
Died	9 August 1883 (aged 87) Leigh, Kent, England

Robert Moffat (21 December 1795 – 9 August 1883) was a Scottish Congregationalist missionary to Africa, and father in law of David Livingstone.

Moffat was born of humble parentage in Ormiston, East Lothian. To find employment, he moved south to Cheshire in England as a gardener. In 1814, whilst employed at West Hall High Legh in Cheshire he experienced difficulties with his employer due to his Methodist sympathies. For a short period, after having applied successfully to the London Missionary Society (LMS) to become an overseas missionary, he took an interim post as a farmer, at Plantation Farm in Dukinfield (where he first met his future wife). In September 1816, he was formally commissioned at Surrey Chapel in London as a missionary of LMS (on the same day as John Williams), and was sent out to South Africa. His fiance Mary Smith (1795–1870) was able to join him three years later, after he returned to Cape Town from Namaqualand (where he converted the chief Afrikaner to Christianity) and she actively assisted further missionary work.

In 1820 Moffat and his wife left the Cape and proceeded to Griquatown, where their daughter Mary Moffat (who was later to marry David Livingstone) was born. The family later settled at Kuruman, to the west of the Vaal River, among the Bechuana tribes. Here they lived and worked passionately for the missionary cause, until in 1870 they returned to Britain. During this period, Robert Moffat made frequent journeys into the neighboring regions as far north as the Matabele country. The results of these journeys he communicated to the Royal Geographical Society (Journal 25-38 and Proceedings ii), and whilst in Britain on furlough (1839–1843) an account of the family's experience, Missionary Labours and Scenes in South Africa (1842) was published. He also translated the whole of the Bible and The Pilgrim's Progress into Setswana.

Besides his early training as a gardener and farmer, and later as a writer, Moffat developed skills in building, carpentry, printing and as a blacksmith. On his return to England he received a testimonial of 5000 pounds.

Robert and Mary Moffat had ten children: Mary (who married David Livingstone), Ann, Robert (who died as an infant), Robert, Helen, Elizabeth (who also died as an infant), James, John, Elizabeth and Jean. Their son John Smith Moffat also became an LMS missionary and took over running of the mission at Kuruman before entering colonial service. Their grandson Howard Unwin Moffat became a Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia.

He died at Leigh near Tunbridge Wells, on 9 August 1883, and is buried at West Norwood Cemetery.

Residents of High Legh organise a Robert Moffat Memorial 10km run beginning and ending at the location of his cottage. http://www.highlegh.org/race.htm

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

Bibliography

• John Smith Moffat, Lives of Robert and Mary Moffat (1885)
• C. S. Home, The Story of the L. M. S. (1894)
• William Walters, Life and Labours of Robert Moffat, D.D., Missionary in South Africa, (1885)
• Frank R Bradlow, Printing for Africa, Kuruman Moffat Mission Trust, Kuruman, (1987)

External links

• Friends of West Norwood Cemetery (Word format)
• Robert Moffat biographies
• Moffat Mission near Kuruman, Northern Cape, South Africa