Japan, 1937 Rev. Barclay Fowell Buxton (16 August 1860 – 5 February 1946) was an English evangelical

Christian missionary A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Biography

Buxton was the son of

Thomas Fowell Buxton Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, 1st Baronet (1 April 1786Olwyn Mary Blouet, "Buxton, Sir Thomas Fowell, first baronet (1786–1845)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online ed., May 201accessed 25 April 20 ...

and Rachel Jane Gurney and grandson of

Sir Thomas Buxton, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, 1st Baronet (1 April 1786Olwyn Mary Blouet, "Buxton, Sir Thomas Fowell, first baronet (1786–1845)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online ed., May 201accessed 25 April 20 ...

. Barclay's grandmother was Hannah Gurney, sister to the

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

Joseph John Gurney Joseph John Gurney (2 August 1788 – 4 January 1847) was a banker in Norwich, England and a member of the Gurney family of that city. He became an evangelical minister of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), whose views and actions led, ...

and

Elizabeth Fry Elizabeth Fry (née Gurney; 21 May 1780 – 12 October 1845), sometimes referred to as Betsy Fry, was an English prison reformer, social reformer, philanthropist and Quaker. Fry was a major driving force behind new legislation to improve the tr ...

and the name Barclay stems from the Quaker family who founded

Barclays Bank Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...

. He was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

. He was ordained deacon in 1884 and priest (London) in 1885, From 1884 to 1887, he was curate of

Onslow Square Onslow Square is a garden square in South Kensington, London, England. It is set back between the Old Brompton Road to the northwest and the Fulham Road to the southeast. To the north is South Kensington Underground station. To the south is ...

, and was then curate of Stanwix, Cumberland until 1889. In 1890, Buxton went to Japan as an independent missionary with the British

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

. Within several weeks of his arrival over 700 people were attending his services and by the end of the first year seven churches had been founded around

Matsue is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 202,008 (February 1, 2021) following the merger with Higashiizumo from Yatsuka District. Matsue is located ...

and

Yonago is a city in western Tottori Prefecture, Japan, facing the Sea of Japan and making up part of the boundary of Lake Nakaumi. It is adjacent to Shimane Prefecture and across the lake from its capital of Matsue. It is the prefecture's second larges ...

. He invited

Paget Wilkes 180px, NAKADA Juji,Paget Wilkes,MITANI Tanekiti,1902 Alpheus Paget Wilkes (19 January 1871 – 5 October 1934) was an English evangelical Christian missionary to Japan who was one of the founders of the Japan Evangelistic Band in 1903. In additi ...

to join him as a lay helper in 1897, and the two worked together in Western Japan, before returning to England. Together they founded the

Japan Evangelistic Band The Japan Evangelistic Band (JEB), or 'Kyodan Nihon Dendo Tai' (日本伝道隊) in Japanese, is an evangelical Christian group founded in England in 1903 with the original aim to ''"initiate and sustain evangelistic work among Japanese wherever t ...

, which was formally launched at the

Keswick Convention The Keswick Convention is an annual gathering of conservative evangelical Christians in Keswick, in the English county of Cumbria. The Christian theological tradition of Keswickianism, also known as the Higher Life movement, became popularise ...

in 1903, where Buxton and Wilkes were joined by a small group of friends who were interested in evangelism in Japan. At first the new mission was known as the One by One Band of Japan, but nine months after Keswick, the name was changed to Japan Evangelistic Band, (“Kyodan Nihon Dendo Tai”) in Japanese. Buxton worked with Wilkes in Japan for many years, and returned to England in 1917. He remained Chairman of the JEB until his death. Between 1921 and 1935, he was the Vicar of

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Roc ...

. In 1937, he received three separate calls to go back to Japan for a last missionary effort at the age of 75. Beginning in

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

, he spoke 125 times in 153 days in 19 areas of the country. Buxton married Margaret Maria Amelia Railton, daughter of

William Railton William Railton (1800–77) was an English architect, best known as the designer of Nelson's Column. He was based in London, with offices at 12 Regent Street for much of his career. Life He was born in Clapham (then in Surrey) on 14 May 1800, ...

, in 1886. They had four children, a daughter Rachel Jane, Godfrey Buxton crippled by a war injury who set up the All Nations missionary training college and succeeded his father at the JEB, Murray Barclay Buxton, and Alfred Barclay Buxton, who joined CT Studd in the Congo and married one of CT's daughters, Edith, and then served as a missionary in Abyssinia. Both Alfred and Murray died together at Church House, Westminster during the London bombings of 1940. He was an uncle of Arthur Buxton (1882–1958),

Chaplain to the Forces The Royal Army Chaplains' Department (RAChD) is an all-officer department that provides ordained clergy to minister to the British Army. History The Army Chaplains' Department (AChD) was formed by Royal Warrant of 23 September 1796; until the ...

and Rector of All Souls Church, Langham Place,

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

Sportsman

Barclay Fowell Buxton was also a notable amateur tennis player. He played at the 1880 Wimbledon Championships where he lost in the first round, and he won the men's singles title at Cambridge University LTC Tournament in 1881 against Erskine Gerald Watson. In 1882 he took part in the

Agricultural Hall Tournament The Agricultural Hall Tournament also called the Tournament at the Agricultural Hall''Routledge's Sporting Annual'' (1883). George Routledge and Sons. London. Lawn Tennis Results 1882. p. 114. was an early Victorian era men's tennis indoor wood c ...

one of the earliest known indoor tennis tournaments, and the prestigious Prince's Club Championships held at the

Prince's Club The Prince's Club was a socially exclusive gentlemen's multisports club in London, England. The original 'Prince's Club' was founded in 1853 in Chelsea by George and James Prince and its main sports were rackets and real tennis. Cricket, croque ...

Hans Place Hans Place (usually pronounced ) is a garden square in the Knightsbridge district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, immediately south of Harrods in SW1. It is named after Sir Hans Sloane, 1st Baronet, PRS (16 April 1660 ...

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

.Nieuwland

References

External links

JEB Reminiscences
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buxton, Barclay Fowell 1860 births 1946 deaths People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge English Anglican missionaries Anglican missionaries in Japan 19th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English Anglican priests Barclay British expatriates in Japan 19th-century male tennis players English male tennis players

Biography

Sportsman

References

Further reading

External links