Charles William Pearson (1847–1917) was a pioneer
Anglican missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
in
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
, and thus was one of the pioneers of the
Church of Uganda
The Church of Uganda is a member province of the Anglican Communion. Currently there are 37 dioceses which make up the Church of Uganda, each headed by a bishop.
Each diocese is divided into archdeaconries, each headed by a senior priest known ...
. In his journey to Uganda, he was also a significant early traveler in the Sudan.
He was later a parish priest in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
Biography
Early life
He was born in
Whitehaven
Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies by road south-west of Carlisle and to the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It i ...
,
Cumberland,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, on 1847-12-07, son of William Pearson, a butcher, and his wife Sarah Johnson, and attended
St. Bees Grammar School. Pearson had three brothers and two sisters. His younger brother Henry also became an Anglican priest.
Seafarer
He was a merchant seaman for some years, and served as an ordinary seaman on the ''Tenasserim'', registered at Liverpool, for four voyages between 18 Oct 1867 and 29 Oct 1870. In 1872 he served as
Third Mate on the ''Paraguay'', and served as
Second Mate on several vessels between 1872 and 1874. He qualified as
First Mate
A chief mate (C/M) or chief officer, usually also synonymous with the first mate or first officer, is a licensed mariner and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the shi ...
in 1875, but joined the ''Brittania'' in London as second mate for a voyage to Lisbon 28 April 1875. She was wrecked on Holy Island on 19 Oct 1875. He was discharged in London on 19 Oct 1875.
Missionary
In 1876 he attended the
Church Missionary Society College, Islington, and in 1878 led a party of four missionaries to Uganda to replace four who had died. The first party of CMS missionaries, led by Lt. G. Shergold-Smith, had landed at Bagamoyo in July 1876, but a year later two had been killed in a skirmish, and two others had died of fever.
Pearson and his companions, Robert William Felkin, John William Hall and the Rev. George Litchfield, travelled by ship to
Suakim on the
Red Sea
The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...
. At Suakim, Hall was taken ill and had to return to England. From there, after crossing the desert, the remaining members of the party travelled up the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest ...
. They met Colonel Gordon in
Khartoum
Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...
, who tried to persuade Pearson to serve in
Sudan instead. Pearson and his party reached Rubaga in Uganda on 14 February 1879, over nine months after setting out.
They were received at the court of
Mutesa I, the
Kabaka (King) of
Buganda. A week later a party of
French Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
missionaries arrived, and difficulties ensued as Mutesa played off
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
,
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, ...
and French interests against each other. The
Christian missionaries had, perhaps rather naively, not come prepared to be used as political pawns. Their denominational rivalry reduced the effectiveness of their message, as the Catholics refused to kneel for the Anglican prayers and vice versa.
Pearson appears to have been mainly occupied in translation work. After serving in Uganda for two years Pearson returned to England for health reasons, using the more conventional route via the East Coast and
Zanzibar
Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...
.
Ordination
He then studied theology at
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, and was ordained deacon in 1886 and priest in 1887. He was assistant curate at St Ebbe's in Oxford for four years, and then worked for the
Church Pastoral Aid Society
The Church Pastoral Aid Society (CPAS) is an Anglican evangelical mission agency. It was founded in 1836.
History of the Society
The CPAS was founded in 1836 in the midst of the social upheaval of the Industrial Revolution to take 'the gospel t ...
(CPAS) in
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...
for another three years.
In July 1893 he became Vicar of Walton,
Aylesbury, where he remained until his death on 1917-06-20. He was known as a student of languages, and gained knowledge of 17 languages. He was eminent as a translator, and served several publishers and missionary organisations in that capacity.
Marriage and children
He married Elizabeth Birkett in Oxford in 1882, and they had three sons and four daughters.
References
External links
Entry in the ''Dictionary of African Christian Biography''Archival material at the Royal Geographical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, Charles William
1847 births
1917 deaths
People from Whitehaven
Anglican missionaries in Uganda
19th-century English Anglican priests
20th-century English Anglican priests
English Anglican missionaries
People educated at St Bees School
Alumni of the Church Missionary Society College, Islington
Uganda Protectorate people
British Merchant Navy officers