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William Ward (missionary)
Encyclopedia
William Ward (1769–1823) was an English
pioneer Baptist
missionary
, author, printer and translator. On 10 May 1802 he was married at Serampore to the widow of John Fountain, another missionary, by whom he left two daughters.
on 20 October 1769, and was the son of John Ward, a carpenter and builder of that town, and grandson of Thomas Ward, a farmer at Stretton
, near Burton
in Staffordshire
. His father died while he was a child, and the care of his upbringing fell to his mother. He was placed with a schoolmaster named Mr Congreve, near Derby, and afterwards with another named Mr Breary.
On leaving school he was apprenticed to a Derby printer and bookseller Mr Drewry, with whom he continued two years after the expiry of his indentures, assisting him to edit the Derby Mercury. He then removed to Stafford
, where he assisted Joshua Drewry, a relative of his former master, to edit the Staffordshire Advertiser and in either 1794 or 1795 proceeded to Hull, where he followed his business as a printer, and was for some time editor of the Hull Advertiser.
, and on 26 August 1796 he was baptised at Hull
. Preaching constantly in the neighbouring villages, he became known as a man of promise, and, with the assistance of a member of the baptist community named Mr Fishwick, he proceeded in August 1797 to Ewood Hall, near Halifax in Yorkshire, the theological academy of John Fawcett
(1740–1817), where he studied for a year and a half.
Ward sailed from England in the Criterion in May 1799, in company with Joshua Marshman. On arriving at Calcutta he was prevented from joining Carey by an order from the Government, and was thereby obliged to proceed to the Danish settlement of Serampore
, where he was then joined by Carey.
In India, Ward's time was chiefly occupied in overseeing the community's printing press, which was used to disseminate the scriptures, once they had been translated into Bengáli, Mahratta, Tamil, and twenty-three other languages. Numerous philological works were also issued and Ward still found time to both keep a copious diary and to preach the gospel to the natives.
Until 1806, he made frequent tours amongst the towns and villages of the province, but after that year the increasing claims of the press on his time, and the extension of the missionary labours in Serampore and Calcutta, prevented him quitting headquarters. In 1812 the printing office was destroyed by fire. It contained the types of all the scriptures that had been printed, to the value of at least ten thousand pounds. The moulds for casting fresh type, however, were recovered from the débris, and with the help of friends in Great Britain the loss was soon repaired.
which he had founded along with Joshua Marshman & William Carey, for the purpose of instructing natives in European literature and science.
He undertook a series of journeys throughout England and Scotland, and also visited Holland and North Germany. In October 1820 he embarked for New York, and travelled through the United States, returning to England in April 1821. On 28 May he sailed for India in the Alberta, carrying funds for Serampore College; as a result, Ward, Marshman & Carey became known as the Serampore trio
.
at Serampore on 7 March 1823, and was interred in the mission burial-ground.
He was also the author of several sonnets and short poems which were printed as an appendix to a memoir of him by Samuel Stennett
. A portrait, engraved by R. Baker from a painting by Overton, is prefixed to the same work.
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...
pioneer Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
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...
, author, printer and translator. On 10 May 1802 he was married at Serampore to the widow of John Fountain, another missionary, by whom he left two daughters.
Early life
Ward was born at DerbyDerby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
on 20 October 1769, and was the son of John Ward, a carpenter and builder of that town, and grandson of Thomas Ward, a farmer at Stretton
Stretton, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire
Stretton is a large village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. It is situated on the northern outskirts of Burton upon Trent and is effectively a suburb of that town. The name is Old English and means Street Town and comes it being on the Roman road called Ryknild Street...
, near Burton
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. His father died while he was a child, and the care of his upbringing fell to his mother. He was placed with a schoolmaster named Mr Congreve, near Derby, and afterwards with another named Mr Breary.
On leaving school he was apprenticed to a Derby printer and bookseller Mr Drewry, with whom he continued two years after the expiry of his indentures, assisting him to edit the Derby Mercury. He then removed to Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
, where he assisted Joshua Drewry, a relative of his former master, to edit the Staffordshire Advertiser and in either 1794 or 1795 proceeded to Hull, where he followed his business as a printer, and was for some time editor of the Hull Advertiser.
Religion
Ward early in life became an AnabaptistAnabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
, and on 26 August 1796 he was baptised at Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. Preaching constantly in the neighbouring villages, he became known as a man of promise, and, with the assistance of a member of the baptist community named Mr Fishwick, he proceeded in August 1797 to Ewood Hall, near Halifax in Yorkshire, the theological academy of John Fawcett
John Fawcett (theologian)
John Fawcett was a British theologian, pastor and hymn writer.In 1765, John Fawcett became pastor of a small Baptist church at Wainsgate in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England. He served faithfully for seven years, despite a small income and a growing family much too large to be supported by...
(1740–1817), where he studied for a year and a half.
Missionary work
In the autumn of 1798, the baptist mission committee visited Ewood, and Ward offered himself as a missionary, influenced perhaps by a remark made to him in 1793 by William Carey concerning the need for a printer in the Indian mission field.Ward sailed from England in the Criterion in May 1799, in company with Joshua Marshman. On arriving at Calcutta he was prevented from joining Carey by an order from the Government, and was thereby obliged to proceed to the Danish settlement of Serampore
Serampore
Serampore is a city and a municipality in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. It is a pre-colonial town on the right bank of the Hoogli River...
, where he was then joined by Carey.
In India, Ward's time was chiefly occupied in overseeing the community's printing press, which was used to disseminate the scriptures, once they had been translated into Bengáli, Mahratta, Tamil, and twenty-three other languages. Numerous philological works were also issued and Ward still found time to both keep a copious diary and to preach the gospel to the natives.
Until 1806, he made frequent tours amongst the towns and villages of the province, but after that year the increasing claims of the press on his time, and the extension of the missionary labours in Serampore and Calcutta, prevented him quitting headquarters. In 1812 the printing office was destroyed by fire. It contained the types of all the scriptures that had been printed, to the value of at least ten thousand pounds. The moulds for casting fresh type, however, were recovered from the débris, and with the help of friends in Great Britain the loss was soon repaired.
Serampore College
In 1818, Ward, having been for some time in bad health, revisited England. Here he was entrusted with the task of pleading for funds with which to endow a new college at SeramporeSerampore College
Serampore College is located in Serampore Town, in Hooghly District, West Bengal, India.The college consists of two entities:*The theological faculty*A separate college with faculties of arts, science, commerce...
which he had founded along with Joshua Marshman & William Carey, for the purpose of instructing natives in European literature and science.
He undertook a series of journeys throughout England and Scotland, and also visited Holland and North Germany. In October 1820 he embarked for New York, and travelled through the United States, returning to England in April 1821. On 28 May he sailed for India in the Alberta, carrying funds for Serampore College; as a result, Ward, Marshman & Carey became known as the Serampore trio
Serampore Trio
The Serampore Trio was the name given to three pioneering English missionaries to India in the 18th century, who set up, amongst other things Serampore College.*Joshua Marshman *William Carey *William Ward -New College at Serampore:...
.
Death
Ward died of choleraCholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
at Serampore on 7 March 1823, and was interred in the mission burial-ground.
Written works
Besides his sermons, Ward was also the author of:- ‘Account of the Writings, Religion, and Manners of the Hindoos,’ Serampúr, 1811, 4 vols. 4to; 5th edit., abridged, Madras, 1863, 8vo.
- ‘Farewell Letters in Britain and America on returning to Bengal in 1821,’ London, 1821, 12mo; 2nd edit. 1821.
- ‘Brief Memoir of Krishna-Pal, the first Hindoo, in Bengal, who broke the Chain of the Cast by embracing the Gospel;’ 2nd edit., London, 1823, 12mo.
He was also the author of several sonnets and short poems which were printed as an appendix to a memoir of him by Samuel Stennett
Samuel Stennett
Samuel Stennett was a Baptist minister and hymnwriter.-Pastor and hymnwriter:He was born in Exeter, but at the age of 10 his family moved to London, where his father served as the minister of the Baptist church in Little Wild Street. Samuel succeeded his father as minister in 1758, a position...
. A portrait, engraved by R. Baker from a painting by Overton, is prefixed to the same work.
Sources
- Stennett's "Memoirs of the Life of William Ward", 1825;
- "Memoir of William Ward", Philadelphia;
- Simpson's Life prefixed to "View of History, Literature, and Religion of the Hindoos" 1863
- Dictionary of National Biography - article dated 1899
- Marshman's "Carey, Marshman, and Ward" 1864
- Full text of Memoir of the Rev. William Ward, American Sunday School Union, 1828.