Samuel Oughton facts for kids
Samuel Oughton (born 1803, died 1881) was a Baptist missionary who worked in Jamaica from 1836 to 1866. He was a strong supporter of ending slavery, known as an abolitionist. Samuel Oughton also spoke up for the rights of black workers in Jamaica. This was especially important during the time when slavery was slowly being abolished in the late 1830s and beyond. He worked closely with other important figures like William Knibb. Oughton was briefly put in prison in Jamaica in 1840 for his views. He was connected to the Baptists in Jamaica, who were mostly African-Caribbean people. Their church was started by George Lisle, who used to be a slave in America.
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Samuel Oughton's Work in Jamaica
Samuel Oughton's work for the Baptist Missionary Society in Jamaica quickly became well-known. He arrived in 1836 from London. His first job was to help Thomas Burchell. By 1839, the mostly African church members in Kingston asked him to be their pastor. He led the important East Queen Street chapel.
This was a very important time for ending slavery in Jamaica. The British government passed the Emancipation Act in 1833. This law started the process of ending slavery. However, conditions for many Africans in Jamaica did not get much better for a long time. A system called "indentured apprenticeship" forced people to work. Plantation owners and their managers often used this system in very harsh ways. They even made people work on dangerous treadmills.
The unfair "indentured apprenticeship" system finally ended on August 1, 1838. This happened after a campaign led by Joseph Sturge. The Baptists and other groups like the Anti-Slavery Society helped him. Even after slavery ended, life was not always easy. Plantation owners often bothered former slaves who rented land. They also tried to pay very low wages.
For a short time in 1840, the Jamaican authorities put Samuel Oughton in prison. This was because he spoke out against magistrates who were unfair to African women. In Britain, Joseph Sturge of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society shared Oughton's stories. These stories described the terrible work conditions Africans faced in Jamaica. Oughton kept sending these messages even from prison. Joseph Sturge spoke to the Colonial Office (a British government department) for him. Samuel Oughton was eventually released after being out on bail. He wrote about the "simple but ardent expressions of delight and affection" from "our poor dear people." They welcomed him back to East Queen Street chapel with new hope. In 1841, Oughton wrote that his love for the people, and their love for him, seemed to grow stronger every day.
Around this time, Baptist records show that Samuel Oughton, with help from George Rowse, was in charge of:
- Three smaller church locations
- Two day schools
- Two Sunday schools
- Two other teachers, Miss Simpson and W. Spraggs
Oughton's Strong Beliefs
In the 1844 elections, Oughton actively supported African candidates. Most of his church members were of African background. He stayed as pastor at East Queen Street chapel for the next twenty years. He had some challenges because he believed in a strong moral code. He applied this code to everyone, including the freed citizens he was helping.
Oughton believed in doing things the right way, even if it was unpopular. For example, the ownership of Baptist chapels could be complicated. Sometimes, a chapel was owned by one person. But the proper way was through a "trust deed," which meant a group of people managed it. At his own East Queen Street Chapel, almost all the trustees had died. This meant there weren't enough people to make decisions legally. Oughton refused to be part of any illegal ownership plans for his church. Some of his church members wanted him to ignore the rules. But Oughton stuck to his strong moral standards. This made him unpopular with some people, just as he had upset some white people earlier.
Jamaican Baptists and Freedom
The Baptist missions in Jamaica played a big role in ending slavery and making changes. The mission was started by George Lisle, an African man who was once a slave from America. Their churches in Jamaica promoted important leaders. For example, the enslaved man Samuel Sharpe (1801–1832) became a Deacon at the Burchell Baptist Church. Later, Paul Bogle (1822–1865), who was born free, became a Deacon in Stony Gut.
There was also progress in getting women involved in church leadership and society. Roles like "assistant class leader" and "class leader" were open to anyone who could read and write, both men and women. One of the Baptists' main beliefs was that churches should govern themselves. Everyone could vote in elections and sign petitions. This was the first chance for many poor workers to have their voices heard. This was an early way for working people to gain political power. However, progress was sometimes very slow.
The Baptist Missionary Society strongly encouraged girls and women to learn to read. In 1841, a newspaper called Baptist Herald and Friend of Africa reported good news. There were thirty-six female teachers and over 2,000 girls in day schools. A training school for female teachers was also set up in Britain, in a town called Kettering.
Family Life
Samuel Oughton's first wife was Hannah. She was the niece of Hester Burchell, who was married to Thomas Burchell.
Samuel Oughton's second wife was Sarah (1819–1882). She was the sister of a rich British doctor and Baptist named Nathaniel Rogers MD. Samuel Oughton died in London in December 1881. He is buried with Sarah in the Rogers' Family Mausoleum at Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington. Both have memorial plaques.
- His daughter, Lavinia Oughton, married a writer named E. Paxton Hood.
- His youngest son, George Oughton (1842–1898), became famous in South Australia as a bandleader and organist.
- His oldest son, Thomas S. Oughton (1825-1894), was a lawyer in Kingston, Jamaica. His life's work was mentioned in the Baptist Missionary Society's "The Missionary Herald" after he passed away.
