Grisell Baillie

Lady Grisell Baillie (4 April 1822 – 20 December 1891) was the first woman to be created a deaconess in the Church of Scotland. Biography Grisell Baillie was born at her family home, Mellerstain House in the Scottish Borders, on 4 April 1822, and baptised on 6 June 1822. She was the youngest of the eleven children of George Baillie of Jerviswood, MP for Berwickshire, and Mary Pringle, daughter of Sir James Pringle, Baronet of Stichill. She was named after her ancestor Lady Grizel Baillie, a much admired and respected lady who died in 1746. The Baillies were a Covenanting family and Grisell's ancestors included Robert Baillie who was put to death for his Covenanting beliefs and his alleged involvement in the Rye House Plot. Robert Baillie's great grandfather and Grisell's ancestor was John Knox.