Henry Bicknell (missionary)
Henry Bicknell (1766–1820) was an English missionary affiliated with the London Missionary Society (LMS), notable for his evangelical and practical contributions in the Society Islands, particularly Tahiti and Mo'orea, during the early nineteenth century. Trained as a carpenter, Bicknell applied his technical expertise to support the missionary enterprise. Beyond his craftsmanship, he played an essential role in the dissemination of Christianity throughout Polynesia.
Biography
Born in 1766, Bicknell felt a deep calling to missionary work and was appointed to the South Seas Mission. On August 10, 1796, he sailed with other missionaries from England aboard the Duff, commanded by Captain James Wilson, as part of the pioneering London Missionary Society mission to Polynesia. After a long voyage, he arrived in Tahiti on March 5, 1797, where he played a vital role in spreading Christianity among the islanders. As a carpenter, Bicknell also contributed practical skills to the missionary community.[1][2][3]
He was instrumental in building the Haweis, the first vessel constructed by English missionaries in Mo'orea. Working with Henry Nott, William Scott, Charles Wilson, James Hayward, and his nephew George Bicknell, he helped transform native timber into a 70-ton brig under the patronage of King Pōmare II. Launched in December 1817, the Haweis supported missionary travel and trade across the islands, reflecting the practical skills and collaborative spirit of its builders. The Haweis successfully completed its first voyage to Port Jackson (Sydney), arriving on 23 January 1819 bearing a commercial cargo of pork and coconut oil, thereby marking a significant milestone in missionary maritime enterprise in the South Pacific.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
Bicknell left Tahiti for Port Jackson (Sydney) on May 29, 1808, and returned to England in 1809, where he married Mary Ann Bradley. In 1810, he returned to Tahiti, later moving to Moorea before settling at the Matavai Bay mission station. At the end of 1815, he bore witness to the renunciation of idolatry, the cessation of infanticide and human sacrifice, and the progressive establishment of Christianity throughout the Society Islands. In 1818, he settled in Papara, Tahiti, where he pursued his missionary endeavors until his death from dysentery on 7 August 1820.[1] He was buried in Mo'orea and survived by three sons and two daughters.[10]
After his death, his widow, Mary Ann Bicknell, later married John Davies, another influential missionary in the Pacific.[1]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c Sibree 1923, p. 1.
- ^ Wilson 1799, p. 8.
- ^ Lovett 1899, pp. 127–129.
- ^ "Henry Bicknell to London Missionary Society, 1818. Launch of the Haweis, partcipation of his nephew George Bicknell to the construction of the vessel".
- ^ "Sydney". The Sydney Gazette And New South Wales Advertiser. Vol. Seventeenth, no. 793. New South Wales, Australia. January 30, 1819. p. 3. Retrieved August 29, 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "James Hayward to LMS. England 1820". pp. 33–34.
- ^ Ellis 1831b, pp. 238–242.
- ^ "Marsden". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 31, 003. New South Wales, Australia. May 15, 1937. p. 12. Retrieved August 29, 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "The Haweis". The World's News. No. 1887. New South Wales, Australia. February 9, 1938. p. 6. Retrieved August 29, 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "William Henry and George Platt to LMS. Eimeo (Mo'orea), 9 April 1821". Deaths occurred at Papara of Samuel Tessier on 23 July 1820 and Henry Bicknell on 7 August 1820.
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Sources
- Baré, Jean-François (1987). Tahiti, les temps et les pouvoirs: pour une anthropologie historique du Tahiti post-européen (PDF) (in French). Paris: ORSTOM, Institut français de recherche scientifique pour le développement en coopération. ISBN 978-2-7099-0847-4. OCLC 16654716.
- Davies, John (1961). Newbury, Colin W. (ed.). The History of the Tahitian Mission, 1799–1830... London: The Hakluyt Society. OCLC 252297156.
- Ellis, William (1831a). Polynesian Researches, During a Residence of Nearly Eight Years in the Society and Sandwich Islands. Vol. I (2nd ed.). London: Fisher, Son, & Jackson. OCLC 1157055165.
- Ellis, William (1831b). Polynesian Researches, During a Residence of Nearly Eight Years in the Society and Sandwich Islands. Vol. II (2nd ed.). London: Fisher, Son, & Jackson. OCLC 1157058552.
- Ellis, William (1831c). Polynesian Researches, During a Residence of Nearly Eight Years in The Society and Sandwich Islands. Vol. III (2nd ed.). London: Fisher, Son & Jackson. OCLC 1157060556.
- London Missionary Society (1818). Narrative of the Mission at Otaheite, and other islands in the South Seas; commenced by the London Missionary Society in the year 1797, with a map, etc. London: London Missionary Society. OCLC 228695988.
- London Missionary Society (1804a). Transactions of the Missionary Society, from its institution in the year 1795, to the end of the year 1802. Vol. I (1795-1802) (2nd ed.). London: T. Williams. OCLC 416654715.
- London Missionary Society (1804b). Transactions of the Missionary Society, for the years 1803-4-5-6. Vol. II (1803-1806). London: T. Williams. OCLC 416654715.
- London Missionary Society (1813). Transactions of the Missionary Society, to the end of the year 1812. Vol. III (1807-1812). London: Williams and son. OCLC 416654715.
- London Missionary Society (1818). Transactions of the Missionary Society to the year 1817. Vol. IV (1813-1817). London: Williams and Co. ; and J. Nisbet. OCLC 416654715.
- London Missionary Society (1953a). South Seas journals content list, 1796 - 1899. Records of the London Missionary Society (as filmed by the AJCP) [microform] : [M1-M116, M608-M670] 1795-1825 [i.e. 1795-1925]/Series. Contents lists/File 1/South Seas journals. Canberra: National Library Australia.
- London Missionary Society (1953b). South Seas letters content list, 1796 - 1899. Records of the London Missionary Society (as filmed by the AJCP) [microform] : [M1-M116, M608-M670] 1795-1825 [i.e. 1795-1925]/Series. Contents lists/File 7/South Seas letters. Canberra: National Library Australia.
- Lovett, Richard (1899). The history of the London Missionary Society, 1795-1895. Vol. 1. London: H. Frowde. OCLC 690759506.
- Newbury, Colin W. (1980). Tahiti Nui: Change and Survival in French Polynesia, 1767–1945. Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii. hdl:10125/62908. ISBN 978-0-8248-8032-3. OCLC 1053883377.
- Oliver, Douglas L. (1974). Ancient Tahitian Society. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctvp2n5ds. hdl:1885/114907. ISBN 978-0-8248-8453-6. OCLC 1126284798. S2CID 165869849.
- Prout, Ebenezer (1843). Memoirs of the Life of the Rev. John Williams, Missionary to Polynesia. New York: M. W. Dodd. OCLC 1048800846.
- Sibree, James (1923). London Missionary Society a register of missionaries, deputations, etc. from 1796 to 1923 (4th ed.). London: London Missionary Society. OCLC 651086096.
- Williams, John (1837). A narrative of missionary enterprises in the South Sea Islands : with remarks upon the natural history of the islands, origin, languages, traditions, and usages of the inhabitants. (590 pages). London: J. Snow. OCLC 1391739742.
- Wilson, James (1799). A missionary voyage to the southern Pacific ocean, performed in the years 1796, 1797, 1798, in the ship Duff, commanded by Captain James Wilson. London: T. Chapman. OCLC 1049640919.
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