Jessie Saxby

Jessie Margaret Edmondston Saxby (30 June 1842 – 27 December 1940) was a writer and folklorist from Unst, one of the Shetland Islands of Scotland.

[1] Born on 30 June 1842 at Halligarth,[a] Baltasound, on the Shetland Island of Unst, Saxby's father was Laurence Edmondston, a medical doctor and naturalist; her mother was Eliza Macbrair (1801–1869),[3] a journalist[4] and published author from a Glasgow family.

[5] As a widow with a family to support, Jessie had to rely on the income from her writing[3] and returned to Edinburgh for 17 years before finally moving back to Unst in 1890.

[3] The subject matter of her books was varied, covering diverse topics such as romantic fiction, folklore but particularly boys adventure stories.

[3] →Jessie Saxby wrote an appreciation of the life of Dr Joseph Bell, who is known as the prototype for Sherlock Holmes, as well as for his distinguished medical career.