About Elizabeth Cairns
Lived 1685 – 1741 (aged 55–56). Elizabeth Cairns was a memoirist.
Elizabeth Cairns (1685 – 1741) was a working-class Scottish Calvinist lay preacher and memoirist.
Cairns was born in Blackford, the daughter of an impoverished Scottish Covenanter shepherd. From the age of five she and her sister needed to look after sheep without supervision. At different times she worked as a shepherd, servant and schoolteacher. Her memoirs recorded her life as a spiritual journey, in which she was sustained by mystical and visionary encounters.
Works Memoirs of the life of Elizabeth Cairns written by herself some years before her death; and now taken from her own original copy with great care and diligence . Glasgow: printed for, and sold by John Greig sadler there, and at Edinburgh, Perth and Stirling. 1762.
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Important facts
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Elizabeth Cairns?
Scottish memoirist (1685–1741)
When was Elizabeth Cairns born?
Elizabeth Cairns was born in 1685.
When did Elizabeth Cairns die?
Elizabeth Cairns died in 1741.
What was Elizabeth Cairns's occupation?
Elizabeth Cairns was a memoirist.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Elizabeth Cairns (memoirist)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Elizabeth Cairns. https://biography.guide/elizabeth-cairns-memoirist/
MLA: "Elizabeth Cairns." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/elizabeth-cairns-memoirist/.
Chicago: "Elizabeth Cairns." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/elizabeth-cairns-memoirist/.
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