The papers consist of surviving letters of Elizabeth Mantell to her parents, her diaries covering both periods she spent nursing in Malawi, copies of her mission partner reports collected by her sister, Ruth, and a few ephemeral items.

The letters and diaries are detailed and discuss general life and the family, but also describe Elizabeth’s work in the hospitals. Ruth visited her sister in Malawi on a number of occasions, and her diaries from those visits are included.