Charles Elliot Fox (26 September 1878 – 28 October 1977) was an
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
and teacher in
Melanesia
Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea.
The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...
.
Fox was also the founder of the precursor club of
Real Kakamora, now considered to be the most popular football club in the
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
.
Career
Fox was born in
Stalbridge
Stalbridge () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale, near the border with Somerset. In the 2021 census the civil parish—which includes the hamlets of Stalbridge Weston, and Thornhill—had 1,224 househ ...
,
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
, England, and educated in New Zealand,
graduating
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
from
Auckland University College
The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loca ...
in 1901. He received a degree in
theology
Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
from
St John's College, Auckland
The College of St John the Evangelist or St John's Theological College is the residential theological college of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.
The site at Meadowbank in Auckland is the base for theological education ...
in 1902, joined the Anglican
Melanesian Mission
The Melanesian Mission is an Anglican missionary agency supporting the work of local Anglican churches in Melanesia. It was founded in 1849 by George Selwyn, the first Bishop of New Zealand.
History
Bishop Selwyn's see was focused on New Zealan ...
in 1903 and was ordained the same year.
Fox co-authored "
Beliefs and Tales of San Cristobal" in 1915, which was later printed in the ''J Royal Anthropological Inst.''
Starting around 1924, Fox worked on a dictionary the
Lau language
Lau or LAU may refer to:
People
* Lau (surname)
* Liu (劉/刘), a common Chinese family name transliterated Lau in Cantonese and Hokkien
* Lau clan, one of the Saraswat Brahmin clans of Punjab
* LAU (musician), Laura Fares
* Lau Lauritzen ...
of
Malaita
Malaita is the primary island of Malaita Province in Solomon Islands. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with a population of 161,832 as of 2021, or more than a third of the entire national population. It is also the se ...
and one of the
Arosi language
Arosi is a Southeast Solomonic languages, Southeast Solomonic language spoken on the island of Makira. Arosi is primarily spoken by inhabitants who live to the west of the Wango River on Makira (formerly known as San Cristobal Island). Makira is i ...
of
Makira
The island of Makira (previously known as San Cristóbal) is the largest island of Makira-Ulawa Province in Solomon Islands. It is third most populous of the Solomon Islands after Malaita and Guadalcanal, with a population of 55,126 as of 2020 ...
in the
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
.
In 1932, Fox declined the post of
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of the
Melanesian Mission
The Melanesian Mission is an Anglican missionary agency supporting the work of local Anglican churches in Melanesia. It was founded in 1849 by George Selwyn, the first Bishop of New Zealand.
History
Bishop Selwyn's see was focused on New Zealan ...
. In the same year he was admitted to the
Melanesian Brotherhood
The Melanesian Brotherhood is an Anglican religious community of men in simple vows based primarily in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea.
History
The Melanesian Brotherhood was formed in 1925 by Ini Kopuria, a policeman from ...
.
In the
1974 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1974 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countrie ...
, Fox was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
, for humanitarian services, particularly in the Solomon Islands. He died in New Zealand in 1977, aged 99 years. He is buried at the Melanesian Brotherhood headquarters at
Tabalia
Tabalia is the name of the Mother House of the Melanesian Brotherhood (MBH) on northeastern Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
Tabalia (pronounced "TAHM ba lia") was given by Ini Kopuria (the Brotherhood’s founder) to the Melanesian Brotherhoo ...
in the Solomon Islands.
Solomon Encyclopedia website, ''Fox, Charles Elliot (1878 - 1977)''
/ref>
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
Documents by Fox
from Project Canterbury
Project Canterbury (sometimes abbreviated as PC) is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999 with a grant from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, and is ...
Charles Elliot Fox Papers
MSS 18
Special Collections & Archives
UC San Diego Library.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Charles Elliot
1878 births
1977 deaths
Anglican saints
People from Stalbridge
English emigrants to New Zealand
New Zealand Anglican missionaries
University of Auckland alumni
20th-century Christian saints
New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Anglican missionaries in the Solomon Islands
Missionary linguists
New Zealand expatriates in the Solomon Islands
20th-century New Zealand Anglican priests