Thomas Burchell facts for kids
Thomas Burchell (1799–1846) was an important Baptist missionary. He also worked to end slavery in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in the early 1800s. He was one of the first missionaries sent from London after African Baptists on the island asked for help.
Thomas Burchell started churches and schools to help enslaved people. He is known for coming up with the idea of "Free Villages". These were places where formerly enslaved people could live and own land. He encouraged other Baptist friends, like William Knibb, and even other church groups to create these villages. Before slavery ended, he helped raise money in Great Britain. This money was used to buy land for freed people after they became free.
Burchell started the Burchell Baptist Church. Here, he was helped by a leader and preacher named Samuel Sharpe. Sharpe helped organize a strike of workers, which led to the Baptist War (1831-1832). Sharpe was executed by the government in May 1832. Burchell avoided being arrested. He returned to Jamaica to continue his missionary work after things calmed down. He kept preaching and setting up schools and churches. He died in London from a fever after a short visit there.
His first church was later renamed Burchell Memorial Church to honor him. Many parents in Jamaica still name their children 'Burchell'.
Early Life and Training
Thomas Burchell was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1799. He was born in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England. He had a brother named William, who supported his work later on. Their grandfather was a Baptist minister in their town.
Burchell first trained to work in cloth making. While doing this, he was inspired by the Shortwood Baptist Church. He decided to become a missionary. He went to Bristol Academy for more education. Before leaving England, he married Hester Crocker. Burchell was 23 when he and his wife traveled to Jamaica. He went there to begin his work as a Baptist missionary. In the early 1820s, missionaries were told by their church group to stay out of issues about slavery.
Missionary Work in Jamaica
Thomas Burchell worked in Montego Bay, Jamaica, for 22 years, from 1824 to 1846. During these years, the movement to end slavery grew stronger. He supported this movement. He wrote letters to his family, friends, and the missionary group in England. These letters described the harsh conditions of slavery. He and his wife lived to see slavery ended in the British Empire. This happened between 1834 and 1838.
Burchell built what was called Burchell Baptist Church in Montego Bay in 1824. This was the year he arrived in Jamaica. He chose Samuel Sharpe to be a church leader. Sharpe was born into slavery in Jamaica but had gained an education. He became a well-known leader and preacher in the Baptist Church.
In 1827, Thomas's brother William published one of Thomas's letters in England. In this letter, Burchell criticized plantation owners. He especially spoke against their efforts to limit the religious life of enslaved people. Parts of this letter were shared in Jamaica. Burchell faced criticism from the plantation owners.
After the Christmas Rebellion, also called the "Baptist War" of 1831, many slave owners suspected Burchell and other Baptist missionaries had encouraged it. This was a large rebellion of about 60,000 enslaved people across the island. Burchell had been away from Jamaica during the rebellion. But he was investigated when he returned. To stay safe, he left with his family in March 1832.
After the rebellion, the Jamaican government and plantation owners punished many suspected enslaved people and their supporters. Burchell's church leader, Samuel Sharpe, had organized a general strike of enslaved people. He was captured and found to have played a major role in the rebellion. Sharpe was executed by the government in May 1832.
After the rebellion, many Baptist churches were destroyed. White people thought these churches had encouraged the slave revolt. A mob burned down the Burchell Baptist Church. The church was not rebuilt until 1834. But Burchell had returned before then to continue his preaching and teaching. Today, the church building is called the Burchell Memorial Church. It is protected by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust. The church is located in Montego Bay.
Starting in the 1830s, people began talking about ending slavery in Parliament. The Baptist churches in Jamaica, along with their leaders, suggested the idea of "free villages." These villages would give freed people plots of land to farm. This would help them become independent. These villages would be built around a Baptist church. Burchell worked on this idea with other English Baptist missionaries. These included William Knibb and James Phillippo.
Leaders of the Baptist churches asked their supporters in England for money. This money was used to buy land in Jamaica. This land was then used to create free villages for freedmen. Many plantation owners did not want to sell land to formerly enslaved people. They wanted to keep them working on plantations.
Thanks to Burchell's efforts, Sandy Bay, Jamaica, was founded as a Baptist Free Village. Today, its playing field is named Burchell Field in his honor. Other free villages were also started by Rev. James Phillippo and William Knibb. Other church groups soon adopted this idea too.
The missionaries could not help all the freed people. But their free villages allowed many families to build independent lives. As the Baptist churches on the island grew, Burchell suggested that the Jamaica Baptist Church become independent. It became separate from the Baptist Missionary Society in the 1840s.
Many missionaries also provided health care to the freed people. Burchell moved to Mount Carey, Jamaica, in the hills above Montego Bay, for his own health. He set up a clinic there. He helped thousands of freed people each year. He trained local people to help with wound care and other tasks. He even mixed his own medicines. He had studied chemistry in college. This helped him care for his people, as he could not afford to import all supplies.
Lasting Impact
Thomas Burchell cared deeply about educating young people in Jamaica. His passion lives on through The Burchell Youth Development Foundation. This group was created to continue his work. The Foundation's main goal is to help and support young people in Jamaica. They help them build better lives through spiritual and educational support. The Foundation works with local Jamaican Baptist and Roman Catholic Churches. They identify and help deserving students in several areas of Jamaica.
Personal Life
Burchell and his wife Hester Crocker Lusty (who died in 1856 in Jamaica) had one daughter. Her name was Esthrana Louisa Burchell (born 1827, died 1903). She later married Rev. Edward Hewett and they had twelve children.
In 1846, Burchell caught a fever from his friend Knibb. He had helped care for Knibb before Knibb's death in 1845. Burchell still felt weak in the new year. He returned to England in April to visit friends. There, he got sick again and died on May 16, 1846. His wife was still in Jamaica, expecting him to return. She arranged for him to be buried in London.
Burial
Burchell is buried at the Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington, London. In 1992, his great-grandchildren put up a memorial at his grave.
