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Mabel Shaw

1888 – 1973

English missionary and educationist

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About Mabel Shaw

Lived 1888 – 1973 (aged 84). Mabel Shaw was a British missionary, known for Africa.

Mabel Shaw OBE (1889–1973) was an English missionary and educator in Northern Rhodesia. In her time "she was the most renowned missionary in Africa".

Life Shaw was born in 1888 in Wolverhampton. She was the first born child of Elizabeth Anne, born Burgess and Walter Shaw who would have six more children. Her father was a grocer and managed a tea-shop.

Shaw joined the London Missionary Society and in 1915 sailed for Africa where she was the first unmarried female missionary to be sent by the London Missionary Society to their Central African mission. She left the London Missionary Society in 1941,

She died in 1973 in Guildford when she was poor and no longer well known.

Works Children of the Chief. LMS Gift Book for 1921. Dawn in Africa: Stories of Girl Life. Edinburgh House Press, 1927. God's Candlelights: An Educational Venture in Northern Rhodesia. Edinburgh House Press, 1932. A Treasure of Darkness: An Idyll of African Child Life. Longmans, 1936.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Known for
Africa
Education
St Colm's College
Employers
London Missionary Society

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Mabel Shaw's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Mabel Shaw?

English missionary and educationist (1888-1973)

When was Mabel Shaw born?

Mabel Shaw was born on 3 December 1888 in Heath Town.

When did Mabel Shaw die?

Mabel Shaw died on 25 April 1973 in Guildford.

What was Mabel Shaw's occupation?

Mabel Shaw was a missionary.

What was Mabel Shaw known for?

Mabel Shaw was known for Africa.

What nationality was Mabel Shaw?

Mabel Shaw was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Mabel Shaw

· Wikidata: Q18576663

· DBpedia: Mabel Shaw (missionary)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Mabel Shaw. https://biography.guide/mabel-shaw/

MLA: "Mabel Shaw." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/mabel-shaw/.

Chicago: "Mabel Shaw." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/mabel-shaw/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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