John Davies (11 July 1772 – 19 August 1855) was a Welsh missionary and school teacher. His family were from the
Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa area of
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as ''Maldwyn'' ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn meaning "the Shire of Baldwin's town"), is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It is named after its county tow ...
. Having received some education in one of "Madam"
Bridget Bevan's schools, he became a teacher in
Thomas Charles of Bala's circulating schools at
Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant,
Machynlleth and
Llanwyddelan. He heard of the work established by the
London Missionary Society in
Tahiti through his
Calvinistic Methodist
Calvinistic Methodists were born out of the 18th-century Welsh Methodist revival and survive as a body of Christians now forming the Presbyterian Church of Wales. Calvinistic Methodism became a major denomination in Wales, growing rapidly in the 1 ...
connections, and volunteered to join the work. He left for the island in May 1800 and remained there for most of the next 55 years. He married twice: Sophia Browning in 1810 (who died following childbirth in 1812) and Mary Ann Bicknell in 1824 (who died in 1826). Davies became superintendent of a school at
Papara
Paparā is a commune of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Paparā is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands, themselves part of the Society Islands. , established by the
London Missionary Society. He also encouraged the setting up of mission schools in
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
.
His published works include a dictionary and grammar of the
Tahitian language, a translation of substantial portions of the New Testament and Psalms, Brown's Catechism, the Westminster Catechism,
the Pilgrim's Progress, and a number of smaller works. His spelling book, printed in London in 1810, was the first book to be published in Tahitian. He also wrote a ''History of the Tahitian Mission, 1799-1830'' (Cambridge, 1962).
References
Welsh Methodist missionaries
19th-century Welsh Methodist ministers
Methodist missionaries in French Polynesia
1772 births
1855 deaths
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