Rev. William Knibb (1803 - 1845), Baptist Missionary in Jamaica, 1825-1845

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Rev. William Knibb (1803 - 1845)

 

Rev. William Knibb (1803 - 1845), Baptist Missionary in Jamaica, 1825-1845. An active worker, instrumental in agitating for Emancipation.

 

Image from the National Library of Jamaica Photograph Collection. Permission to reproduce this image must be obtained from the National Library of Jamaica

 

Further information - Biography

 

WILLIAM KNIBB (1803 – 1845)

In 1988, on the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, William Knibb was granted Jamaica’s highest civil honour – The Order of Merit.

 

William Knibb was sent to Jamaica in 1823 by the Baptist Missionary and started work as a teacher in a free school in Kingston in 1824. Knibb’s time in Jamaica proved difficult. In 1831, there was a slave rebellion (the Christmas rebellion) which was swiftly and brutally suppressed. Baptist leaders, including Knibb were considered by the Jamaican authorities as having raised the expectations of the slaves, leading them to believe that freedom was theirs by right. He was, on many occasions directly accused of inciting the slaves to revolt. He never did so. Instead, he relied on his acquired skills as prolific letter writer and orator to turn the minds of those men whose authority on the islands made them desired targets for his rhetoric. At the time of the Christmas Rebellion, he was arrested and threatened with death by the Authorities. The revolt, allegedly led by the slave and Baptist deacon, Samuel Sharpe, occurred when the slaves mistakenly thought that freedom had already been sanctioned by the British Parliament. Knibb was forced to convince his congregation that this was inaccurate and change had to be achieved by peaceful means. He was eventually freed and shortly after these events was sent to England to represent the Jamaican Baptist Missionaries.

The primary purpose of the journey was to explain the circumstances surrounding the Rebellion and to attempt to raise badly needed funds for the rebuilding of the missions destroyed in retaliation for perceived participation in the revolt. In the pursuit of this mission, Knibb took every opportunity to bring to the public’s attention the evil of slavery. His speeches to packed audiences were regularly printed in pamphlet form and were reported in local/national newspapers, thereby reaching many more thousands of electors. He also gave evidence along with others, before the Committees of both Houses of Parliament. This resulted, after a lengthy struggle, in the Abolition of Slavery Bill being passed, with slavery to be abolished in the British Colonies as of August 1, 1834. This however did not mean immediate freedom as an Apprenticeship period of six years was attached. Continued pressure by Knibb and other agitators eventually reduced the period to four years and on August 1, 1838, slavery was finally abolished.

Back in Jamaica, Knibb adopted the innovative and highly successful system of Free Villages. He acquired land for settlements where emancipated slaves could live and build houses free from the threat of eviction. He personally stood surety for all monies borrowed and founded new chapels at each new village as well as day schools to educate the young. These villages were:

Kettering - founded nine miles outside of Falmouth and named for his birthplace and housed his principal church.

Hoby Town - in memory of his friend Dr. James Hoby

Birmingham - named for Joseph Sturge’s city of birth.

 

He died of fever at the age of 42 in 1845.

 

Sources:

Dick, Devon M. William Knibb: A National Hero? Kingston: Faculty of Arts and General Studies, University of the West Indies, 1985.

Lusty, F.C. How William Knibb Fought Slavery and Won Freedom. London: Arthur H. Stockwell, n.d.

 

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