John Inglis (14 July 1808 – 18 July 1891) was a Scottish missionary to the

New Hebrides New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...

(now known as Vanuatu). He served as Moderator to the Reformed Presbyterian Synod in 1861.

Life

He was born in Moniaive, Dumfriesshire, Scotland on 14 July 1808. His father died while he was young. He initially trained as a stonemason, probably his father's profession. He studied at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, and at the Reformed Presbyterian College in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. At the latter his tutors included Rev Prof Daniel Sandford who employed Inglis to tutor his children. In the 1830s he ran a small school in

Rothesay Rothesay ( ; gd, Baile Bhòid ) is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies along the coast of the Firth of Clyde. It can be reached by ferry from Wemyss Bay, which offers an onward rail ...

. He was ordained a minister in the Reformed Presbyterian Church in 1843. He served as a missionary to the Maoris in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

from 1842 to 1852, based at Manawatu and moved to the remote island of

Aneityum Aneityum (also known as Anatom or Keamu) is the southernmost island of Vanuatu, in the province of Tafea. Geography Aneityum is the southernmost island of Vanuatu (not counting the Matthew and Hunter Islands, which are disputed with New Caledoni ...

in the New Hebrides from 1852 until 1876 when he resigned. Inglis wrote a dictionary of the Aneiteum language, as well as ''In The New Hebrides: Reminiscences Of Missionary Life And Work, Especially On The Island Of Aneityum, From 1850 Till 1877''.

J. Graham Miller John Graham Miller (8 October 1913 – 6 September 2008) was a New Zealand-Australian pastor and missionary. Miller was born in Rangiora, New Zealand and studied at the University of Otago and Knox College, Otago. He served as a missionary in th ...

describes Inglis as a man of "superior gifts, wise words and judicious pen." In 1883 Glasgow University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity (DD). He died aged 84 at

Kirkcowan Kirkcowan is an area about 15 miles in length, and from nearly two to nearly seven miles in breadth, comprising 30,580 acres, of which 7000 are arable, 300 woodland and plantations, and the remainder meadow, pasture in Machars, in the historical ...

, Dumfriesshire, close to his birthplace, on 18 July 1891.Free Church Monthly August 1891

Family

In 1844 he married Jessie McClymont.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inglis, John 1808 births 1891 deaths Scottish Presbyterian missionaries People from Dumfries Alumni of the University of Glasgow Presbyterian missionaries in Vanuatu British expatriates in Vanuatu Missionary linguists Ministers of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland