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.

Black and white image of dark-haired woman with white veil over the back of her head
Jessie Saxby c. 1891