Henry Nott
Encyclopedia
Henry Nott was a British
Protestant Christian
missionary
to Tahiti
, Society Islands
, Polynesia
.
, arriving in Tahiti aboard the mission ship “Duff” in 1797. He had been a bricklayer by trade and the mission did not prepare these missionaries well for their situation in Tahiti. The "Duff" took a year to return to England. Then, when it was loaded with supplies and returning to Tahiti, it was taken by a French ship, Britain and France being at war during the reign of Napoleon.
During the five-year wait for resupply, several of his fellow missionaries deserted, died, or seemed to go mad. Nott continued on, building a relationship with the new king, Pomare
II. Nott did not see his first convert until he had been in Tahiti 22 years, Pomare II. Nott learned the language and worked with Pomare II on translating the Bible into the Tahitian language.
He married a newly arrived missionary from Britain, but she was not content in Tahiti and died within two years.
Nott returned to England only two times during 47 years overseas and was the primary translator of the Bible
into the Tahitian language
.
Missionary historian Ruth A. Tucker wrote:
. The Bricklayer and the King: Henry Nott of the South Seas. London, Edinburgh House, 1938.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Protestant Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
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...
to Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
, Society Islands
Society Islands
The Society Islands are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...
, Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
.
Life
He was one of the first missionaries sent out by the London Missionary SocietyLondon Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
, arriving in Tahiti aboard the mission ship “Duff” in 1797. He had been a bricklayer by trade and the mission did not prepare these missionaries well for their situation in Tahiti. The "Duff" took a year to return to England. Then, when it was loaded with supplies and returning to Tahiti, it was taken by a French ship, Britain and France being at war during the reign of Napoleon.
During the five-year wait for resupply, several of his fellow missionaries deserted, died, or seemed to go mad. Nott continued on, building a relationship with the new king, Pomare
Pomare
Pomare is one of the northernmost suburbs of Lower Hutt City in New Zealand. The suburb has the Hutt River on its northern and north-western sides....
II. Nott did not see his first convert until he had been in Tahiti 22 years, Pomare II. Nott learned the language and worked with Pomare II on translating the Bible into the Tahitian language.
He married a newly arrived missionary from Britain, but she was not content in Tahiti and died within two years.
Nott returned to England only two times during 47 years overseas and was the primary translator of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
into the Tahitian language
Tahitian language
Tahitian is an indigenous language spoken mainly in the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is an Eastern Polynesian language closely related to the other indigenous languages spoken in French Polynesia: Marquesan, Tuamotuan, Mangarevan, and Austral Islands languages...
.
Missionary historian Ruth A. Tucker wrote:
Popular Biography
Joyce ReasonJoyce Reason
Joyce Reason was a British author of missionary biographies and historical fiction for young readers.- Life and Works :Joyce Reason was born in Canning Town, London...
. The Bricklayer and the King: Henry Nott of the South Seas. London, Edinburgh House, 1938.