The life and friendships of a remarkable but forgotten evangelist and philanthropist.
2025, was the 200th anniversary of John ‘Rob Roy’ MacGregor’s birth. He was one of the most active Christians of the Victorian era, yet he has been completely forgotten.
He came from a Scottish family of officers and was rescued as a baby in a dramatic sea rescue. He was the founder of the Open-Air Mission and several other Christian organisations, such as the Protestant Alliance, which continue to this day.
He was a lawyer, author, illustrator, lecturer, educator, legislator, volunteer soldier, marksman, draftsman, canoeist, mountaineer, and explorer. An obituary said of him, ‘Three men seemed to have struggled within his breast — the devout Christian, the earnest philanthropist, the enthusiastic athlete.’ He associated with leading evangelicals and contemporary politicians, particularly Lord Shaftesbury. It is humbling to study the life of such an enterprising and energetic man. May his memory stir us to greater love for God and those around us.
