Person    | Male  Born 29/6/1796  Died 20/11/1839

John Williams

Categories: Race Issues, Religion, Tragedy

Countries: Pacific Islands

"Martyred" missionary. Born Tottenham. Trained as a foundry worker and mechanic. In 1817 the London Missionary Society sent him and his wife to the Pacific Islands where they took the good word to numerous islands. They were back in London 1834-7 during which Williams published a book about his missionary work.

On 20 November 1839 Williams and another missionary, James Harris, visited Erromango, an island in the Vanuatu archipelago, then known as the New Hebrides. There the men were attacked, killed and eaten by cannibals.

That's the story as told by Wikipedia who, on their cannibalism page, report that tales of cannibalism are thought by some to be exaggerated and racist. We would like to know how the story of the missionaries' fate reached their colleagues. Was there a witness who escaped?

The posthumous portrait is by George Baxter, who himself met a sad, but not so primitive, end.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
John Williams

Commemorated ati

John Williams

Near this site was born on June 29th 1796 John Williams, missionary and shipb...

Read More

Other Subjects

Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton

Children's writer. Born Enid Mary Blyton at 354 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich. Best known for creating the character of Little Noddy and the 'Famous Five' stories. Her works have been translated into...

Person, Children, Literature, Race Issues, Seriously Famous

4 memorials
Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton (d.1915)

Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton (d.1915)

Politician. Born Essex. Grandson of the first baronet.  Governor of South Australia. Died in a cottage at Cromer, rather than in his nearby family seat, Colne House, because at the time, WW1, that ...

Person, Politics & Administration, Race Issues, Social Welfare, Australia

0 memorials
Sam King, MBE

Sam King, MBE

Born in Jamaica, he served in the R.A.F. during the second world war. Along with other Jamaican airmen, he was ordered to leave the service at the end of the war. He returned to Britain as part of ...

Person, Politics & Administration, Race Issues, Jamaica

1 memorial
Henry Sterry

Henry Sterry

The Quakers list a Henry Sterry born 1803 in the parish of St George the Martyr, Southwark and a Henry Sterry (1803-1869) was included in the group portrait of 'The Anti-Slavery Society Convention ...

Person, Race Issues, Social Welfare

1 memorial
James Stephen

James Stephen

Anti-slavery campaigner.  Born Dorset.  Trained in law and worked for a time in the Carribean where he saw the cruelty to slaves and became an abolitionist.  The death of his first wife deepened hi...

Person, Law, Politics & Administration, Race Issues, Religion, Caribbean Islands

1 memorial

Previously viewed

E. J. W. Gray
War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Derby statue

Derby statue

SW1, Parliament Square

The relief panels, by Montford, on the four sides of the plinth show scenes from Derby's life and are entitled: House of Commons 1833, Ch...

1 subject commemorated, 3 creators
Celia Johnson

Celia Johnson

Actor. Born Celia Elizabeth Johnson at 46 Richmond Hill, Richmond, Surrey. Best known for her performance with Trevor Howard in the 1945 film 'Brief Encounter'; which, although it has been parodied...

Person, Cinema, Seriously Famous, Theatre, TV & Radio

1 memorial
Khadija's garden

Khadija's garden

N1, Hoxton Street

The plaque is at the northern end of this little patch of greenery, which was named Khadija’s Garden following her death. Brought to our ...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator