Aaron Buzacott the elder (4 March 1800 – 20 September 1864) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

missionary, Congregationalist colleague of John Williams (the 'Martyr of Erromanga'), author of ethnographic works and co-translator of the Bible into

Cook Islands Māori Cook Islands Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language that is the official language of the Cook Islands. Cook Islands Māori is closely related to New Zealand Māori, but is a distinct language in its own right. Cook Islands Māori is simply c ...

. Buzacott was a central figure in the

South Seas Today the term South Seas, or South Sea, is used in several contexts. Most commonly it refers to the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of the equator. In 1513, when Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa coined the term ''Mar del Sur'', ...

missionary work of the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational m ...

, and lived on Rarotonga (one of the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

) from 1828 to 1857. During his time there, he assisted in the development of the written form of Cook Islands Māori, compiling a primer on English and Cook Islands Maori grammar. Buzacott, along with Williams and other missionary colleagues, contributed to the first translation of the Bible into that language, and translated additional theological texts including lectures from his education in London. Buzacott was stationed at Avarua, the largest town on Rarotonga, where he designed and led the construction of two buildings which still exist today: the Coral Church or Ziona Tapu (Holy Zion), now used by the

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

and those comprising

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

, during his posting, and visited both

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and England to visit his children studying there, and in the case of England to run the completed Bible translation through the printing press. Following several bouts of ill health, Buzacott retired to Sydney in 1857, and engaged in further work as a travelling agent for the London Missionary Society in the Australian colonies. He also became involved in both the Pitt Street and Bourke Street Congregational Churches, having become a resident of the Sydney suburb of

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. ...

. A number of his contemporaries dubbed Buzacott "the model missionary" for his record of service on Rarotonga.

Early life

Aaron Buzacott was born in South Molton,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

where his father was a

whitesmith A whitesmith is a metalworker who does finishing work on iron and steel such as filing, lathing, burnishing or polishing. The term also refers to a person who works with "white" or light-coloured metals, and is sometimes used as a synonym for tinsmi ...

and ironmonger and the family attended the local Congregational chapel. He was of

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

descent; ''Buzacott'' is an alternative spelling for ''Buzzacott'', an anglicised form of ''de Boursaquotte''. He received an early education at the village

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

, and at the age of twelve was placed in the care of a

gentleman farmer In the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, a gentleman farmer is a landowner who has a farm (gentleman's farm) as part of his estate and who farms mainly for pleasure rather than for profit or sustenance. The Collins English Diction ...

in the area for three years, to improve his constitution through outdoor manual labour. Greatly influenced by his mother, Buzacott recalled her prayers and religious instructions while working for the farmer, and became a devoted Christian. At the end of the three years, he was advised by friends to dedicate himself to his father's business, whitesmithing; the agricultural and metalworking skills learned in his youth would prove useful in his work on Rarotonga. Around this time, Buzacott began teaching Sunday school at the South Molton Congregational church, and eventually also joined the home district missionary in preaching at nearby villages on alternate Sundays. In early 1816, the Rev. Richard Knill toured North Devon shortly before departing for Madras, and gave addresses outlining his reasons for becoming a missionary, at one of which Buzacott was present and became interested. In 1819 Knill visited a second time, cementing Buzacott's desires to engage in missionary work. An opportunity arose when The Rev. Joseph Hardy of Wheatly,

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

, needed to visit

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to obtain funds needed to pay off debt accrued in the construction of a chapel at Pembroke, and invited Buzacott to replace him during his absence. Hardy intimated this might lead to admission to a London college, and told Thomas Wilson about Buzacott. Wilson in turn arranged for Buzacott to spend a year preparing for college admission under the tuition of the Rev. D. Francis of

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...

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, from 1819-1820. Buzacott entered Hoxton Academy in 1820 and devoted himself for three years to the study of general and classical literature and frequently attended the metropolitan Methodist chapels, the Tottenham Court Road Chapel and Moorfields Chapel (Whitefield's Tabernacle). During this time, he first engaged in missionary work, establishing a mission in Somers Town after hearing of the spiritual state of the mostly poor inhabitants, and seeking opportunities to preach. Expressing an interest in missionary work abroad following his attendance at a sermon by the Rev. James Parsons of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, his tutors commended him to the Board of the London Missionary Society, and after examination they accepted him for training at their Mission College under Dr

David Bogue David Bogue (18 February 175025 October 1825) was a British nonconformist religious leader. Life He was born at Hallydown Farm, in the parish of Coldingham, Berwickshire, Scotland, the son of John Bogue, farmer, and his wife, Margaret Swanston. ...

. Upon his death the students were transferred to Highbury College and the old Hoxton Academy near London. He completed his course in 1826, being ordained in January 1827 at Castle Street Congregational Church in Exeter. He married the following month, and later that year the couple set sail, via

, for Rarotonga in the South Seas, where they were to spend most of the rest of their lives.

Missionary work in the South Seas

Aaron Buzacott considered ''schools constitute one of the most important departments of missionary labour'', and he paid special attention to the selection and education of native people. This purpose was advanced by his purchase of a piece of land on Avarua (Rarotonga) for 150 dollars, funded by the London Missionary Society; around which he paid for a stone wall built, and within which four cottages for Rarotongan families and single men, and a college building which still exists ( Takamoa Theological College), were completed. Besides Mr Buzacott himself, the college was also staffed by Mrs Sarah Buzacott - who taught the married women students writing, arithmetic and needlework. The building architecture was designed to withstand the most violent hurricanes and was still in good condition when the Buzacott family left in 1857 owing to Aaron's ill health. Another notable building designed and built by Buzacott was the Coral Church, completed in 1853; it still stands to this day, and is used by the

Cook Islands Christian Church The Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC) is the largest religious denomination in the Cook Islands. It belongs to the Reformed family of churches. The CICC is a Christian Congregationalist church and has approximately 18,000 members, The work of the college built on educational work to record Cook Islands Maori and print books in the native language. English only became the dominant language on the islands after the missionary period, and though it was taught at the college, the training of local pastors to encourage reading in the native language was seen as the key. This project of education in the native language, had begun in 1821 with the arrival of the missionary John Williams on Aitutaki. In 1823 his entourage, which included the native Tahitian from Borabora, '' Papehia'', arrived on Rarotonga, soon to be joined by Charles Pitman in 1827 and, in 1828, by Buzacott. Initial translation of the Bible commenced in 1828 and was completed in 1851. Buzacott's ''Te Akataka Reo Rarotonga'' (published 1854-69) long remained the authoritative grammatical resource. By the early 1830s a printing press was in full operation under Buzacott's guidance, and by the mid-1850s most Rarotongans were able to read. In 1831 Buzacott visited all the islands in the Hervey Group, with John Williams, and found them to suffer badly from hurricanes and cyclones during the winter. To help prevent famine he introduced the sweet potato, growing a crop in a piece of ground granted by the chief. Intense interest was aroused when he showed that the crop could be sold to a passing captain in exchange for coloured calicoes. ''The effect was magical'' records Mr Buzacott, ''Chiefs and people were eager for 'eyes' and 'tops' for planting. a suitable district was fixed upon and in a given week the whole population turned out.'' In the following year Mr Buzacott and John Williams traveled to

together. Buzacott later visited

(in 1834, and again in 1836) where he found American and English sailors who had run away from whaling ships, living on the islands with the permission of Samoan Chiefs but without schools. He wrote: ''It was pleasing to observe, by contrasting the present condition of Rarotonga with that of Samoa, the progress the gospel had already made among us.'' Buzacott visited England 1847-51, being for that time a communicant under the pastoral care of the Rev. Henry Allon of Union Chapel, Islington, near London. He departed with 5000 copies of the newly translated Bible with his wife, daughter and the newly ordained Rev.

William Wyatt Gill William Wyatt Gill (27 December 1828 – 11 November 1896) was an English missionary, active in Australia and the South Pacific region after 1851. Early life Gill was born in Bristol, England, son of John Gill of Barton Hill and his wife Jane ...

. On the return voyage to Rarotonga, he visited

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sep ...

to conduct services in

Hobart Town Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

to advocate for the mission cause. Buzacott presented a copy of the translated Bible to

Lieutenant-Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a " second-in-com ...

William Denison Sir William Thomas Denison (3 May 1804 – 19 January 1871) was Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1847 to 1855, Governor of New South Wales from 1855 to 1861, and Governor of Madras from 1861 to 1866. According to Percival S ...

to be one of the first books in the newly established Tasmanian Public Library.

Retirement, death & memorial

Buzacott retired for health reasons to

with his wife and daughter in 1857, and resided at Melbourne Cottage in

, a suburb of Sydney. Living in Sydney, with a climate cooler than that of Rarotonga, led to an improvement in his health and thus Buzacott engaged in further work on behalf of the London Missionary Society. He traveled to the major towns and cities across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania on behalf of the Society, to advocate for the mission cause and share stories of his life's work. Upon the departure of the Rev. Cuthbertson, then pastor of Pitt Street Congregational Church, from Sydney, Buzacott temporarily took his place as agent of the Society; the agent of the London Missionary Society was customarily also pastor of the church at Pitt Street. Buzacott also became involved with the Bourke Street Congregational Church and School, sitting on committees including one for building a new schoolroom in 1862, and becoming a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

in 1863. In early September 1864, Buzacott was at a committee meeting to consider the appointment of a new missionary at Rarotonga that lasted several hours and left him greatly weakened, with severe spasms continuing for several days until September 10. He visited his friend, John Thompson, in Coogee. Buzacott returned after three hours spent wandering on the rocks with a severe cold, and soon experienced great pain again, eventually resulting in him returning to his home at Melbourne Cottage; he would never again leave his room, though many visitors associated with missionary work called on him during his illness. Buzacott died there on September 20, 1864, attended by his wife; his nephew, Walter Buzacott; and many friends. His funeral was held on 21 September, a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister reading from Scripture, and the procession then moving on to the Bourke Street Congregational Church where Rev Hartley, a Primitive Methodist, gave out the hymn. He was buried in the

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

burying-ground in Devonshire Street, Sydney, now the location of the Central Railway Station; upon the clearing of the cemetery at Devonshire Street, his remains were reinterred at

Rookwood Cemetery Rookwood Cemetery (officially named Rookwood Necropolis) is a heritage-listed cemetery in Rookwood, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere and is the world's largest remaining operating ...

. Buzacott's name is also included on the grave of his wife and son at Abney Park Cemetery. Much of Buzacott's contribution to published ethnographic knowledge of the Cook Islands, Samoa and Melanesia, and details of his life in England, Rarotonga and Australia, were set out in a volume that was published posthumously in 1866 back in London, edited by his son and James Povey Sunderland, and with a preface by the Rev.

Henry Allon Henry Allon (1818–1892) was an English Nonconformist divine. Life He was born on 13 October 1818 at Welton, Elloughton-cum-Brough, near Hull, in Yorkshire. Under Methodist influence Henry Allon decided to enter the ministry, but, develo ...

. The work was concluded by several letters to Mrs. Buzacott written just after the death of her husband and in high estimation of him, and a list of diseases prevalent in the islands of the South Seas. Today the two-story Takamoa Mission House in the coastal town of Avarua, erected by Aaron Buzacott, is a government office; and the settlement of Arorangi, established by the Rev. Aaron Buzacott as a model village to resettle people near the coast under a native pastor, a tourist destination.

Family

Sarah Verney Hitchcock, Buzacott's wife, was also from South Molton, and became known for her educational work and writings in the South Seas mission. She kept her own written account of life in the coral islands of the Pacific, and returned to England after her husband's death; she died there some while later, and is buried at the Congregationalist's Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington, London. Her sisters also married missionaries; the third sister, Jane, married the Reverend Charles Hardie, who later joined the Buzacotts in the Pacific and were stationed in

. Hardie would introduce Buzacott's future son-in-law, the Reverend Stephen Creagh, to his station in the

Loyalty Islands The Loyalty Islands Province (French ''Province des îles Loyauté'') is one of three administrative subdivisions of New Caledonia encompassing the Loyalty Island (french: Îles Loyauté) archipelago in the Pacific, which are located northeast of ...

in 1854. The fourth sister, Charlotte, married the Reverend James Sewell and accompanied him to engage in missionary work at Madras, where she became involved in promoting female education in the area. Her brother, Mr George Hitchcock, was a draper who founded Hitchcock & Rogers (later Hitchcock, Williams & Co.) and became a friend and neighbour of Samuel Morley's at St Paul's Churchyard. George Hitchcock became noted for his support of Congregationalism and his support for the nascent

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

(Young Men's Christian Association); he was the employer, and later business partner and father-in-law of YMCA founder Sir George Williams, and thus the great-great-great-grandfather of future

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current m ...

and

British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

. The Buzacott's son, Rev. Aaron Buzacott the younger (1828–1881), was born in Tahiti while the family awaited transport to Rarotonga. After spending his early years with his parents on Rarotonga, the younger Buzacott was sent to Sydney, where he attended Sydney College. Styling himself ''Rev Aaron Buzacott BA'' to distinguish his work from that of his father, he later went to England and eventually became Secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society (now

Anti-Slavery International Anti-Slavery International, founded as the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in 1839, is an international non-governmental organisation, registered charity and advocacy group, based in the United Kingdom. It is the world's oldest interna ...

) from 1875-1878; and pastor (c.1870) of the Asylum Road Congregational Chapel, later known as the Clifton Congregational Chapel, Peckham; he is buried with his mother at Abney Park Cemetery. Their daughter, Sarah Anne Buzacott (1829-1915), was born in Avarua and assisted her father in the revision of proofs for the Rarotongan Bible; this assistance was appreciated by the British and Foreign Bible Society, which rewarded her with £10 and a copy of both the Rarotongan and English Bibles (with a choice of any size and kind of the English version). She was made a life governor of the Society in 1900. She resided with her parents on Rarotonga and was sent to be educated in England; she returned with them to the island following their visit from 1847-1851, and joined them in Sydney when Buzacott retired. She married the Reverend Stephen Creagh, also of the London Missionary Society, in Sydney in 1858. She then joined him in the Loyalty Islands, where he was missionary from 1854-1886. They retired to the Sydney suburb of

Strathfield Strathfield is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the Municipality of Strathfield. A smal ...

, and are buried next to Buzacott in the same plot at Rookwood Cemetery. The Creaghs had four daughters and three sons; one daughter married the Reverend George Lesingham Rayner, and later accompanied him to

Glenelg, South Australia Glenelg is a beach-side suburb of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Located on the shore of Holdfast Bay in Gulf St Vincent, it has become a tourist destination due to its beach and many attractions, home to several hotels and dozens of ...

. One of their sons was

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

n Rhodes Scholar and medical doctor Howard Rayner. Two of their sons, Robert Luscombe and Ronald Buzacott Creagh, became farmers in Nungarin, Western Australia; Ronald's daughter Gladys married Arthur Norman Birks, a member of the prominent Birks family. A third child, daughter Maria Jane Buzacott, was born in Avarua in 1831. She died of croup aged two years and nine months, and was buried on Rarotonga; she was given the Rarotongan name "Takau a Makea" by Makea Pori Ariki. Other notable relatives include his nephews, Walter Sewell Buzacott (1838-1916) and

Charles Hardie Buzacott Charles Hardie Buzacott (1 August 1835 – 19 July 1918) was an Australian journalist, publisher and politician. Early life Buzacott was born in Torrington, Devonshire, England, son of James Buzacott and his wife Ann, ''née'' Hitchcock. He m ...

(1835-1918) Walter was the proprietor of Buzacott & Co., a ships chandlery, ironmongery, engineering and metal fence and gate manufacturing business founded in 1849, which he took over in 1877; his father-in law was one of the co-founders. Charles was involved in establishing and operating several newspapers in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, served as the postmaster-general of the colony, and served as the Member for Rockhampton in the Legislative Assembly (1873-1877) and Member of the Legislative Council twice (1879-1882; 1894-1901), the second time spanning the transition of Queensland from self-governed colony to state of the Commonwealth of Australia.

References

* Buzacott, Aaron (1985 reprint), ''Mission Life in the Islands of the Pacific'', Institute of Pacific Studies of the University of the South Pacific (SUAV) & The Cook Islands Library & Museum Society * Joyce, Paul (1985), ''A Guide to Abney Park Cemetery'', London: SAPC & L.B.Hackney * French, James Branwhite (1883), ''A Guide to Abney Park Cemetery'', London:James Clarke & Co * Hiney, Tom (2000), ''On the Missionary Trail: a journey through Polynesia, Asia and Africa with the London Missionary Society'' Books *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buzacott, Aaron 1800 births 1864 deaths People from South Molton English Congregationalist missionaries Congregationalist missionaries in the Cook Islands Burials at Abney Park Cemetery British expatriates in the Cook Islands Burials at Rookwood Cemetery