David Livingstone, the famous Scottish missionary
and explorer, was born on 19 March 1813 and died at Ilala in the
centre of Africa in May 1873.
On hearing of his death A. P. Stanley, Dean of Westminster (no
relation to Henry Morton Stanley who "found" Livingstone)
wrote to the President of the (Royal) Geographical Society offering
burial in Westminster Abbey.
Livingstone's heart had been buried under a mpundu tree but his
faithful attendants enclosed his embalmed body in a cylinder of
bark which was wrapped in sailcloth and carried it to the coast
and then sailed to London, arriving the following year.
As the Doctor had been away from England for so long a correct
identification of the remains was required and this was verified
by the badly set broken arm which had been crushed by a lion.
There was also the fact that only Dr Livingstone could have inspired
the Africans to overcome their natural superstition of carrying
a dead body for so many months in order to reach the African coast
with all the dangers that journey entailed.
The location for the grave was eventually chosen in the centre
of the Nave, near to that of James Rennell, founder of the Society
for African Exploration.
The inscription on the stone in brass letters reads:
The funeral took place on 18 April 1874.
Before the ceremony a short service was performed by the Scottish
Presbyterian minister Mr Hamilton.
Dean Stanley conducted the funeral and Jacob Wainwright, who had
escorted the body from Africa, threw a palm branch into the grave.
Queen Victoria sent wreaths to be placed on the grave.
The very large congregation mainly consisted of Nonconformist
ministers, representatives of learned societies and the general
public, with Livingstone's four children.
The stone was laid down some while after the funeral and given
by George Moore of Cumberland.
The spelling of the place where Livingstone died should actually
be Ilala.