Emma Stirling

Emma Maitland Stirling (1839-1907) was a Scottish philanthropist and pioneer in child welfare. Born in Edinburgh to a well-off family, she founded the Stockbridge Day Nursery in 1877 and established multiple homes for homeless and abused children across Edinburgh, caring for approximately 300 children during the first decade of her work. She later developed a child emigration scheme to Nova Scotia that was adopted by other Scottish child welfare organizations.