Our PhD student, Robin Harragin Hussey, shares what she knows about her grandmother.

Elisabeth (1907-2004) was my grandmother. Elisabeth had a large influence on her church, Christian Science, by bringing many Kenyans into membership. Our family values are deeply Christian and egalitarian as a result of her work. Several members of my family are Christian Scientists, and much of my career has been connected to the Church of Christ, Scientist.

Elisabeth was born with the last name Spurrier. As a child, she attended Benenden School, a boarding school in Kent. Elisabeth’s father was in the army in India, though later went to Germany, in charge of a regiment of Dragoon Guards. As an 18 year old, Elisabeth fell in love with an officer in her father’s regiment, Derek Erskine. They married, but Derek had to leave the army as young officers could not be married. After marriage, Elisabeth and Derek emigrated to Kenya (then a British colony) in 1927.

Derek went to Kenya to set up a radio station – Cable and Wireless. Unfortunately, his business partner absconded with the money which ended that project. Derek and Elisabeth instead set up a grocery store and petrol station in Westlands, on the outskirts of the new Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Soon after their arrival in Nairobi, Elisabeth and Derek had their two oldest children. With two young children and a grocery store and petrol station to run, Elisabeth was very busy.

Just before leaving for Kenya, Derek attended a lecture on a new religion from America called Christian Science at the Albert Hall in London, given by Bicknell Young (a relative of Brigham Young who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormons). He was introduced to Christian Science by his brother. Derek was so taken by the lecture that he introduced it to his new wife. They took their new faith to Kenya and became instrumental along with others in starting the first Christian Science church in Kenya. This church still survives today.

In later years Elisabeth devoted much of her time and energy to her practice of Christian Science and church activities. She became a Christian Science practitioner (healer) and helped many people. My grandfather, Derek, who remained sympathetic to Christian Science but was not a church goer, had a significant public career in politics in the colonial government in Kenya as a member of the local parliament (LegCo). Unlike most white settlers, he was on the side of the African majority.  He supported Jomo Kenyatta during the Mau Mau insurgency and was part of the team that negotiated Kenyan independence at Somerset House in the early 1960s. He received much abuse for this. He also helped found the Kenyan Athletics association which is now so well-known because of the incredible achievements of Kenyans in track and field events. Derek was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in the 1970s on the recommendation of Jomo Kenyatta, first president of Kenya. Through all this my grandmother supported him. 

A testimonial of hers is published in 1949 in one of the official church publications, the Christian Science Sentinel, which tells some of her story. In a later article in the same periodical, Elisabeth was mentioned along with some comment about her background and her work as a Christian Science practitioner.

I grew up with my grandmother in my life, so I know a lot about her from her stories and seeing her live her life. I also have several photographs – most are packed away and inaccessible at the moment, but I have a few to share here.