Georgina Muir Mackenzie | |
|---|---|
 around 1870 | |
| Born | 9 September 1834[1] Delvine,Perthshire,Scotland |
| Died | 24 January 1874 (aged 39)[2] Corfu, Greece |
| Other names | Lady Sebright Baroness d'Everton |
| Known for | Campaigner for Christians in the Ottoman Empire |
| Spouse | |
| Father | Sir John Muir Mackenzie, 2nd Baronet |
| Relatives | Baron Muir Mackenzie (brother) |
Georgina Mary Muir Mackenzie, Lady Sebright, Baroness d'Everton (9 September 1834 – 24 January 1874) was a Scottish activist, writer and traveller. She was arrested as a spy withPaulina Irby, with whom she raised the plight ofChristians in the Ottoman Empire, and published a book thatWilliam Gladstone said was "the best English book I have seen on Eastern matters".[3]
Georgina Muir Mackenzie was born in Scotland. She was the first child ofSir John Muir Mackenzie, 2nd Baronet and Sophia Matilda (born Johnstone) of Delvine inPerthshire. Her elder brother wasKenneth Muir Mackenzie, 1st Baron Muir Mackenzie.[3]
Mackenzie moved with her family to London in 1855 where she metPaulina Irby. She set out with her new companion to visit spa towns in Austria-Hungary and Germany in 1857.[4] Despite Mackenzie's perceived family weakness forconsumption, they travelled alone relying on theirBritish passports and planning to travel by hay cart.[5]
In 1858, they were arrested as spies in the spa town ofSchmocks in theCarpathian Mountains because they had "pan-Slavistic tendencies" (neither of them were then aware of these issues). They were both annoyed at being woken at 4 a.m. to have the indignity of having their persons and luggage searched. They lodged an official complaint with the British Ambassador and this brought an apology of sorts from the relevant minister.[5] They now had a purpose as they traveled inthe Balkans investigating the conditions and both became supporters of Serbia and the southern Slavs as they saw their conditions under the perceived poor government by the Ottoman rulers. They were particularly concerned by the plight of Orthodox women and girls who found they had poor access to positions and schooling.[6] They publishedAcross the Carpathians which explained how they had been arrested for spying.
Mackenzie took vacations inCorfu in 1862 and 1863 where she met her future husband.[3] In 1864 Mackenzie publishedNotes on the South Slavonic Countries in Austria and Turkey in Europe based on Mackenzie's lecture to the annual meeting of theBritish Association for the Advancement of Science. She was the only female speaker. The following year she was invited to return with Irby to present another paper on the Slavonic people.[3] Mackenzie was the major contributor and she was the prime author when they published the first edition of their bookTravels in the Slavonic Provinces of Turkey-in-Europe in 1867. This scientific description included accounts of their travels with supportive data presented in appendices.
Irby was to continue with the work that they had initiated for the rest of her life. Mackenzie became Lady Sebright when she married SirCharles Sebright who was consul-general of theIonian Islands and created Baron d'Everton in theDuchy of Lucca. She went to live with him inCorfu, where she died in 1874, aged only 39. Her husband retired in 1880[7] and died four years later.
Mackenzie and Irby's book went to a second edition with a foreword byWilliam Gladstone[8] asthe Serb Christian population revolted against Ottoman rule starting the year after Mackenzie died.
