South American Missionary Society
Encyclopedia
The South American Mission Society was founded at Brighton
in 1844 as the Patagonian Mission. Captain Allen Gardiner, R.N., was the first secretary. The name "Patagonian Mission" was retained for twenty years, when the new title was adopted. The name of the organization was changed after the death of Captain Gardiner, who died of starvation in 1851 on Picton Island in South America
, waiting for a supply ship from England
. Gardiner thought that the original mission should be expanded from southern South America (Patagonia
) to all of South America.
The Society's purpose is to recruit, send, and support Christian missionaries
in South America. There were nationally based SAMS organizations in Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States but during the 1990s those in Australia and New Zealand were merged with the Church Missionary Society in those countries. In 2009 the 'mother' society in Britain was also merged with CMS. SAMS was one of the early members of Faith2Share the international network of mission agencies, and the SAMS organisations in Ireland, Canada and the USA continue to play an active role within that network.
in 1845-1847 was ultimately suppressed by the Roman Catholic clergy.
Gardiner, four sailors and a carpenter left Cardiff
on the Clymene on 7 January 1848, and landed at Picton Island in Tierra del Fuego
on 23 March. After being comprehensively robbed by the natives, Gardiner’s party reboarded the ship, which sailed for Valparaiso
on 1 April. From there they eventually returned to England.
Based on these experiences, Captain Gardiner decided that to be successful, he needed a small seaworthy vessel as a base from which he could approach the natives with some degree of security. The Reverend George Pakenham Despard of Redlands, Bristol
was appointed Honorary Secretary in March 1850. With his organisational skill the society obtained donations, but not enough to build the 120-ton schooner
Gardiner wanted, so instead two 26-foot launches Pioneer and Speedwell were built. Gardiner and eight others were landed at Picton Island on December 5, 1850, but were not seen alive again. When their remains were found more than a year later, it was found that they had been once again robbed by the natives, the launches were wrecked, and the entire party starved to death as a result in delays to the delivery of fresh stores organised by the Society in England.
, on November 1, 1853 and she was launched as the Allen Gardiner on July 11, 1854: a vessel of 89 tons register on dimensions of 64.0 x 17.2 x 10.6 ft. She sailed from Bristol
on 24 October 1854, under the command of Captain William Parker Snow
. No missionary having been employed at this stage, the party included a catechist James Garland Phillips, a doctor James A. Ellis, a mason and a carpenter. They established a settlement named Cranmer at Keppel Island
in the Falkland Islands
.
The mission suffered many difficulties, due at least in part to disagreements Captain Parker Snow had with Phillips, his crew, and Governor George Rennie
, who did not support the Society's intention to encourage Tierra del Fuegians to leave their own islands to be taught at Cranmer. The first missionary engaged in England, the Reverend E. A. Verity, was arrested on bankruptcy charges shortly before he was to leave England. Captain Snow offered to take Phillips on a reconnaissance voyage to Tierra del Fuego in October 1855, and they made amicable contacts with natives at several locations culminating in the discovery of Jemmy Button
at Wulaia on November 1. They also reburied the remains of Captain Gardiner and his party at Picton Island.
In December 1855 George Packenham Despard was appointed missionary and arrived at Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands on August 30, 1856. Here disagreements with the recalcitrant captain of the Allen Gardiner came to a head, and he was dismissed. Parker Snow returned to England, where he sued the Society for unlawful dismissal, but ultimately lost. Despite this the Society received considerable criticism of its actions, in part because at this point in its history, it was still a private organisation that was not attached to any of the established churches.
remained at Cranmer, where he was joined by Despard's replacement, former Society Secretary the Reverend Waite Hockin Stirling
(1829–1923).
In 1865 Allen Gardiner returned to England once more, this time with four Fuegian boys, two of whom (including one of Jemmy Button’s sons) died during their voyage home in 1866. In 1867 a mission settlement was built on Tierra del Fuego itself and on December 21, 1869 Waite Stirling was proclaimed Bishop of the Falkland Islands at Westminster Abbey
, finally legitimising the South American Missionary Society under the auspices of the Church of England. Stirling held the post for 32 years, during which time, unfortunately, a considerable proportion of the native population of Tierra del Fuego was massacred by gold miners and ranchers.
Over the years the Society owned three ships named Allen Gardiner - the first was sold and replaced by a smaller 41-ton ketch in 1874, and that vessel was replaced by an 80 ft. steamer in 1884. This last Allen Gardiners engine was removed in 1887, and she worked as a sailing vessel until being sold in 1896, by which time regular steamship services operated between the Falkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego.
, and later won important official concessions against the incumbent Catholic clergy. This was the first of many successful missions that the South American Missionary Society founded on mainland South America.
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
in 1844 as the Patagonian Mission. Captain Allen Gardiner, R.N., was the first secretary. The name "Patagonian Mission" was retained for twenty years, when the new title was adopted. The name of the organization was changed after the death of Captain Gardiner, who died of starvation in 1851 on Picton Island in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, waiting for a supply ship from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Gardiner thought that the original mission should be expanded from southern South America (Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
) to all of South America.
The Society's purpose is to recruit, send, and support Christian missionaries
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
in South America. There were nationally based SAMS organizations in Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States but during the 1990s those in Australia and New Zealand were merged with the Church Missionary Society in those countries. In 2009 the 'mother' society in Britain was also merged with CMS. SAMS was one of the early members of Faith2Share the international network of mission agencies, and the SAMS organisations in Ireland, Canada and the USA continue to play an active role within that network.
Captain Gardiner's first attempts
Commencing in 1838, Captain Allen Gardiner made several attempts to bring Protestant Christianity to the native peoples of South America. Returning to England in 1843 seeking support for his efforts, no British church or missionary society offered to help, so he founded his own South American Mission. His first attempt to set up a mission at Gregory Bay in the Straits of Magellan in 1845 was repulsed by the natives, and a second in BoliviaBolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
in 1845-1847 was ultimately suppressed by the Roman Catholic clergy.
Gardiner, four sailors and a carpenter left Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
on the Clymene on 7 January 1848, and landed at Picton Island in Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of , and a group of smaller islands including Cape...
on 23 March. After being comprehensively robbed by the natives, Gardiner’s party reboarded the ship, which sailed for Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
on 1 April. From there they eventually returned to England.
Based on these experiences, Captain Gardiner decided that to be successful, he needed a small seaworthy vessel as a base from which he could approach the natives with some degree of security. The Reverend George Pakenham Despard of Redlands, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
was appointed Honorary Secretary in March 1850. With his organisational skill the society obtained donations, but not enough to build the 120-ton schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Gardiner wanted, so instead two 26-foot launches Pioneer and Speedwell were built. Gardiner and eight others were landed at Picton Island on December 5, 1850, but were not seen alive again. When their remains were found more than a year later, it was found that they had been once again robbed by the natives, the launches were wrecked, and the entire party starved to death as a result in delays to the delivery of fresh stores organised by the Society in England.
The schooner Allen Gardiner
In Britain, Captain Gardiner and his party were lauded as martyrs, and donations to the Patagonian Missionary Society poured in. There was sufficient money to build a schooner of the type that Gardiner had originally wanted. The keel was laid down at Kelly’s yards, DartmouthDartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
, on November 1, 1853 and she was launched as the Allen Gardiner on July 11, 1854: a vessel of 89 tons register on dimensions of 64.0 x 17.2 x 10.6 ft. She sailed from Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
on 24 October 1854, under the command of Captain William Parker Snow
William Parker Snow
-Early life:William Parker Snow was born at Poole, England on 27 November 1817, the eldest son of Lieutenant William John Snow , a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars and War of 1812,and Harriet nee Parker...
. No missionary having been employed at this stage, the party included a catechist James Garland Phillips, a doctor James A. Ellis, a mason and a carpenter. They established a settlement named Cranmer at Keppel Island
Keppel Island
Keppel Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying between Saunders Island and Pebble Island, and near Golding Island to the north of West Falkland on Keppel Sound. It has an area of and its highest point, Mt Keppel, is high. There is a wide, flat valley in the centre of the island with...
in the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
.
The mission suffered many difficulties, due at least in part to disagreements Captain Parker Snow had with Phillips, his crew, and Governor George Rennie
George Rennie (sculptor and politician)
George Rennie was a Scottish sculptor and politician.Rennie was the son of George Rennie, agriculturist, of Phantassie, East Lothian, and nephew of John Rennie, the civil engineer....
, who did not support the Society's intention to encourage Tierra del Fuegians to leave their own islands to be taught at Cranmer. The first missionary engaged in England, the Reverend E. A. Verity, was arrested on bankruptcy charges shortly before he was to leave England. Captain Snow offered to take Phillips on a reconnaissance voyage to Tierra del Fuego in October 1855, and they made amicable contacts with natives at several locations culminating in the discovery of Jemmy Button
Jemmy Button
Orundellico, known as "Jeremy Button" or "Jemmy Button", was a native Fuegian of the Yaghan people from islands around Tierra del Fuego, in modern Chile and Argentina...
at Wulaia on November 1. They also reburied the remains of Captain Gardiner and his party at Picton Island.
In December 1855 George Packenham Despard was appointed missionary and arrived at Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands on August 30, 1856. Here disagreements with the recalcitrant captain of the Allen Gardiner came to a head, and he was dismissed. Parker Snow returned to England, where he sued the Society for unlawful dismissal, but ultimately lost. Despite this the Society received considerable criticism of its actions, in part because at this point in its history, it was still a private organisation that was not attached to any of the established churches.
The Wulaia Massacre
George Packenham Despard managed to convince Jemmy Button, one of his wives and three children to visit Cranmer, and after many months there they were returned to Wulaia in December 1858. At the same time a party of nine Fuegians were encouraged to visit to Cranmer. This party, without any of Button's previous European experiences, soon became home-sick and, in addition, there were serious cultural misunderstandings between them and the Europeans. In October 1859 they were returned to Wulaia, arriving on November 2 after a very rough passage in the Allen Gardiner. Four days later, while holding a Sunday service in a small chappel built at the settlement, Garland Phillips and all but one of the ship's crew were clubbed to death in a general massacre. The only survivor was the ship's cook, who was still on board the Allen Gardiner when the massacre occurred, and managed to escape in a dinghy. He managed to make peace with the natives before search parties discovered the stripped and abandoned schooner on March 1, 1860.Aftermath
Despite calls from many on the Falkland Islands for punitive measures against the Fuegians, the Government refused to sanction any. Nervous of reprisals, the natives became more receptive to missionary activity. George Packenham Despard resigned as missionary, and returned to England in the Allen Gardiner in 1862. His adopted son Thomas BridgesThomas Bridges
Thomas Bridges was the first Anglican missionary to succeed in setting up a mission in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. After being adopted by George Pakenham Despard, he accompanied his new father on missionary trips with the Patagonian Missionary Society. George Despard later left the mission...
remained at Cranmer, where he was joined by Despard's replacement, former Society Secretary the Reverend Waite Hockin Stirling
Waite Hockin Stirling
Waite Hockin Stirling was a 19th century missionary with the Patagonian Missionary Society and was the first Anglican Bishop of the Falkland Islands....
(1829–1923).
In 1865 Allen Gardiner returned to England once more, this time with four Fuegian boys, two of whom (including one of Jemmy Button’s sons) died during their voyage home in 1866. In 1867 a mission settlement was built on Tierra del Fuego itself and on December 21, 1869 Waite Stirling was proclaimed Bishop of the Falkland Islands at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, finally legitimising the South American Missionary Society under the auspices of the Church of England. Stirling held the post for 32 years, during which time, unfortunately, a considerable proportion of the native population of Tierra del Fuego was massacred by gold miners and ranchers.
Over the years the Society owned three ships named Allen Gardiner - the first was sold and replaced by a smaller 41-ton ketch in 1874, and that vessel was replaced by an 80 ft. steamer in 1884. This last Allen Gardiners engine was removed in 1887, and she worked as a sailing vessel until being sold in 1896, by which time regular steamship services operated between the Falkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego.
Other missions
In 1860 Allen Gardiner, Jr. established a second mission station at Lota, ChileLota, Chile
Lota is a city and commune located in the center of the Chile on the Gulf of Arauco. It lies within the Concepción Province of the Biobío Region.-History:...
, and later won important official concessions against the incumbent Catholic clergy. This was the first of many successful missions that the South American Missionary Society founded on mainland South America.