Edward Stallybrass
Encyclopedia
Edward Stallybrass was a British
Congregational
missionary
to the Buryat
people of Siberia
. He translated the Bible into Mongolian
.
, Edward Stallybrass trained at Homerton College in London, a college for Free Church men who were at that time still barred from Oxford and Cambridge Universities. He was ordained at Stepney
in 1816, and in the same year became engaged to Sarah Robinson (1789–1833). In 1817, they were married and both left for Russia the same year under the auspices of the London Missionary Society
(LMS).
in 1817, he was joined by Cornelius Rahmn (born 1785) from Gothenburg
. Both men studied Russian
, and in January 1818, having received authorisation to begin their missionary work, began the 4000-mile sledge journey to Irkutsk
. On the way, they stopped in Moscow
and were granted an audience by Alexander I of Russia
, who told them that "he had given most positive orders...that every facility should be afforded" to the missionaries.
Arriving in Irkutsk, they soon found the area unsuitable; Stallybrass visited various places before setting up a mission station in Selenginsk
(modern-day Novoselenginsk) in 1819, among the Buryat people
; he was joined by two Scotsmen, William Swan (born 1791) and Robert Yuille (born 1786). Rahmn's wife was unable to handle the Siberian climate, and the Rahmns moved to Serapta. Stallybrass and his company moved their mission to Khodon in 1828, where Sarah died and was buried in 1833. In 1835 Stallybrass returned to England via Denmark. In Copenhagen
he married Charlotte Ellah; afterward, he returned to Siberia, where Charlotte died in 1839.
Work at the mission consisted of preaching, tract distribution, schools work and the translation of the Scriptures into the Buryat language. The mission was suppressed in 1840 by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church
under Alexander's successor, Nicolas I
. (The mission was later re-opened in 1870 with Scottish missionary James Gilmour, but was now based in Beijing
.) Stallybrass returned to England in 1841 and left the LMS.
, and pastor at Hampden Chapel, Hackney
. From 1858 to 1870 he was a pastor at Burnham, Norfolk
. He died on 25 July 1884 in Kent
, and is buried in Abney Park Cemetery
in Stoke Newington
.
reported that the work on these translations was progressing. In 1840, the Mongolian translation of the Old Testament was published, and in 1846, Stallybrass republished his and Swan's Mongolian translation of the New Testament, a revision of an 1824 translation, in London.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Congregational
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to the Buryat
Buryats
The Buryats or Buriyads , numbering approximately 436,000, are the largest ethnic minority group in Siberia and are mainly concentrated in their homeland, the Buryat Republic, a federal subject of Russia...
people of Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. He translated the Bible into Mongolian
Mongolian language
The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...
.
Biography
A CongregationalistCongregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
, Edward Stallybrass trained at Homerton College in London, a college for Free Church men who were at that time still barred from Oxford and Cambridge Universities. He was ordained at Stepney
Stepney (parish)
Stepney was an ancient civil and ecclesiastical parish in the historic county of Middlesex to the east and north east of the City of London, England.-Origins:...
in 1816, and in the same year became engaged to Sarah Robinson (1789–1833). In 1817, they were married and both left for Russia the same year under the auspices of the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
(LMS).
Mission in Russia
When Stallybrass arrived in Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in 1817, he was joined by Cornelius Rahmn (born 1785) from Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
. Both men studied Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, and in January 1818, having received authorisation to begin their missionary work, began the 4000-mile sledge journey to Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
. On the way, they stopped in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and were granted an audience by Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
, who told them that "he had given most positive orders...that every facility should be afforded" to the missionaries.
Arriving in Irkutsk, they soon found the area unsuitable; Stallybrass visited various places before setting up a mission station in Selenginsk
Selenginsk
Novoselenginsk is a rural locality in Selenginsky District of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia, located on the Selenge River south of Lake Baikal...
(modern-day Novoselenginsk) in 1819, among the Buryat people
Buryats
The Buryats or Buriyads , numbering approximately 436,000, are the largest ethnic minority group in Siberia and are mainly concentrated in their homeland, the Buryat Republic, a federal subject of Russia...
; he was joined by two Scotsmen, William Swan (born 1791) and Robert Yuille (born 1786). Rahmn's wife was unable to handle the Siberian climate, and the Rahmns moved to Serapta. Stallybrass and his company moved their mission to Khodon in 1828, where Sarah died and was buried in 1833. In 1835 Stallybrass returned to England via Denmark. In Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
he married Charlotte Ellah; afterward, he returned to Siberia, where Charlotte died in 1839.
Work at the mission consisted of preaching, tract distribution, schools work and the translation of the Scriptures into the Buryat language. The mission was suppressed in 1840 by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
under Alexander's successor, Nicolas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
. (The mission was later re-opened in 1870 with Scottish missionary James Gilmour, but was now based in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.) Stallybrass returned to England in 1841 and left the LMS.
Return to England
After his return, Stallybrass was headmaster of the Boys' Mission School, WalthamstowWalthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
, and pastor at Hampden Chapel, Hackney
Hackney (parish)
Hackney was a parish in the historic county of Middlesex. The parish church of St John-at-Hackney was built in 1789, replacing the nearby former 16th century parish church dedicated to St Augustine . The original tower of that church was retained to hold the bells until the new church could be...
. From 1858 to 1870 he was a pastor at Burnham, Norfolk
The Norfolk Burnhams
The Norfolk Burnhams are a group of adjacent villages on the north coast of Norfolk, England. The villages are located at the sea near a large natural bay named Brancaster Bay and the Scolt Head Island National Nature Reserve....
. He died on 25 July 1884 in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and is buried in Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park in Stoke Newington, in the London Borough of Hackney, is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney and Dr. Isaac Watts, and the neighbouring Hartopp family. In 1840 it became a non-denominational garden cemetery, semi-public park arboretum, and...
in Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
.
Translations
Translating scripture into the local languages was an important task for the LMS missionaries. From 1836 to 1840, they worked on translating scripture and publishing it at a mission press. In 1838, William SwanWilliam Swan (missionary)
William Swan was a Scottish missionary in Siberia and one of the translators of the Bible into Mongolian....
reported that the work on these translations was progressing. In 1840, the Mongolian translation of the Old Testament was published, and in 1846, Stallybrass republished his and Swan's Mongolian translation of the New Testament, a revision of an 1824 translation, in London.