Born 1855,
Cheshire County, England
Died twentieth century,
England

In addition to becoming the first European woman to travel in Tibet, Annie Royle Taylor almost managed to reach Lhasa, the “Forbidden City” and capital of Tibet—a feat that few explorers before her had been able to accomplish. Her difficult and perilous journey is described in her diary, which was published in 1894. Modern readers of Taylor’s diary find it strange that she was not interested in the geography and culture of the country she visited. Instead she makes such comments as “Poor things, they know no better; no one has ever told them about Jesus.” Yet her attitude was not unusual for Westerners of her time, and her journal is unique because it gives a vivid description of her unusual journey.

Begins mission work as a teenager

Born...