PITCAIRN ISLANDS - AN ENCAPSULATED HISTORY

by Horace A. Basham - horace@pin.co.nz

Part Four: Return to Pitcairn & Religious Conversion (1856-1864)

Not all the community now on Norfolk Island were happy. Many of the islanders were homesick and pined for their old home, they wanted nothing more than to return. By this time no matter who was appointed chief magistrate the real leader was George Nobbs, who had been ordained priest in the Church of England in 1884. In spite of his earlier failings he had won great affection for his long selfless service to his adopted home. Had he opposed the migration few would have left Pitcairn. But even he could not over come the nostalgia.

Late in 1858 an opportunity arose when the Mary Ann, en route to Tahiti, offered passages, and 16 of the islanders led by Moses and Mayhew Young boarded her. Characteristically, those who stayed behind voted to pay the costs of the journey from communal funds.

The return to Pitcairn stopped the French, who thought the island abandoned, from annexing their home.

In 1864 a further four families returned to Pitcairn lead by Simon Young who, with Nobbs' final blessing was to become the community's new leader. It was a different Pitcairn now 43 people and only five families - the Youngs, Christians, McCoys, Buffetts and the American Warrens. And of these, the male lines of the McCoys and Buffetts were to die out.

This third wave of settlers knew how to make the best of their resourses, but they were worse off than the original mutinneers having no sail cloth to make cloths for instance, no means of lighting their homes other than by candlenut. What was more there were far fewer ships calling for them to exchange goods. The peak period of whaling in those latitudes was past and, of these there were only about a dozen.

The occastional vessel that did stop was likely to be a steamer carring passengers. The islanders therefore put Buffett's lessons into practice and made curios selling them in place of food they sold to the whaling crews. Their limited resourses were fortunately supplimented by a succession of shipwrecks which brought them a new 'bounty' from the outside world. The kindly community fed and clothed the shipwrecked sailors who, after they returned home, rewarded their rescuers with gifts of crockery, clothes, flour, books and even an organ.

Renewed visits from the Royal Navy in the Pacific revived interest in the children of the mutineers of the 'Bounty'. Queen Victoria sent another organ as a personal gift in appreciation of the islanders' "domestic vertue".

Fresh settlers in 1882 brought trouble with their new ways and ideas. One incident was when one fell in love with a girl who was already engaged to a Christian. Strong passions were aroused and the commander of the visiting HMS Sappho was induced to approve a law forbidding strangers to settle on Pitcairn. The law was later amended but only to permit settlement by those whose presence was considered of benefit to the island.

A change of religion; 1887. With the passing years and no strong leader, reports of social deterioration grew. Simon Young, loved and respected, and his gentle and talented daughter Rosalind, were too humble and tolerant of flailty to impose their will, and family factions inhibited cohesion.

From the days of John Adams, the islanders had been staunch adherants of the Church of England. They read and studied the Bible, which was for many of them their only reading matter, and its texts were truth. Not unnaturally, therefore, they read with increasing interest the contents of a box of Seventh Day Adventist literature sent to them from the United States in 1876. And when a missionary arrived ten years later he was allowed, by unanimous vote, to stay and argue his case.

The result was recorded in Mary McCoy's diary in March 1887. "The forms and prayers of the Church of England laid aside. During the past week meetings were held to organise our church services on Sabbath". So Saturday again became the day of rest as it had been until 1814 when Fletcher Christian's omission to correct the date was retified.

Conversion was greeted with great pleasure by the Seventh Day Adventists in America and in 1890 they raised funds to send a missionary ship to Pitcairn. The islanders were baptised in one of the rocky pools by the shore. But few other changes were needed; all were already total abstainers, most were vegetarians, except for accastional meals of goat, which is not forbidden by the SDA. discipline; pork is not allowed. All the pigs on the island had earlier been slaughtered at the time of the baptisms.

Part One: The First Ten Years (1790-1800)
Part Two: The End of Isolation (1800-1830)
Part Three: The Moves to Tahiti & Norfolk (1830-1856)
Part Four: Return to Pitcairn & Religious Conversion (1856-1864)
Part Five: Toward Modern Pitcairn (1864-1940)

I have reproduced in the main the first part of the "A Guide to Pitcairn" Published by the Government of the Pitcairn Islands. The booklet may be purchased from:

The Office of the Governor of Pitcairn,
Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands.
C/o British Consulate General,
Private Bag 92014,
Auckland, New Zealand.
Phone ++64 9 366 0186,
Fax ++64 9 303 1836.
Price is NZ$8.30 includes surface mail.