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Richard Johnson ( – 13 March 1827) was the first
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
cleric in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.


Early life

Johnson was born , in Welton, East Riding of Yorkshire, to John and Mary Johnson. He was educated at Hull Grammar School under Joseph Milner. In 1780 he entered
Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...
as a
sizar At Trinity College Dublin and the University of Cambridge, a sizar is an Undergraduate education, undergraduate who receives some form of assistance such as meals, lower fees or lodging during his or her period of study, in some cases in retur ...
and graduated in 1784. His first post was as
curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...
of Boldre, where William Gilpin was vicar. After about a year in Boldre, Johnson moved to London to work as assistant to Henry Foster, an itinerant evangelical preacher.


Life in New South Wales

Johnson was appointed chaplain of the prison colony at
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
in 1786. This appointment was due, in large part, to the influence of the Eclectic Society and two notable men,
John Newton John Newton (; – 21 December 1807) was an English evangelical Anglican cleric and slavery Abolitionism, abolitionist. He had previously been a captain of slave ships and an investor in the slave trade. He served as a sailor in the Royal Nav ...
and
William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the Atlantic slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780 ...
, who were keen for a committed evangelical Christian to take the role of chaplain in the colony. Johnson and his wife Mary sailed with the
First Fleet The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the History of Australia (1788–1850), European colonisation of Australia. It consisted of two Royal Navy vessel ...
and arrived in Australia in 1788. In addition to guiding the spiritual life of convicts, soldiers and settlers in the new colony, Johnson was charged with providing education to the convicts. At the first Christian service held at
Sydney Cove Sydney Cove (Eora language, Eora: ) is a bay on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, one of several harbours in Port Jackson, on the coast of Sydney, New South Wales. Sydney Cove is a focal point for community celebrations, due to its central ...
on Sunday, 3 February 1788, Johnson took as his text
Psalm The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of H ...
116:12-13: What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. As Governor,
Arthur Phillip Arthur Phillip (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New South Wales, governor of the Colony of New South Wales. Phillip was educated at Royal Hospital School, Gree ...
was primarily concerned with finding means of feeding and housing the soldiers and convicts in the harsh conditions of the colony in its early years, labour could not be spared for the building of a church. Services were held in the open air and even four years later, when Johnson appealed to Phillip for churches at both
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
and
Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...
, he had no success. Under lieutenant-governors Grose and Paterson, Johnson fared even worse. Grose made vague charges against him and Johnson made many complaints about the treatment he received. He was given a grant of land where the suburb of Ashbury now stands and worked it so successfully with the help of some convict labour that, in November 1790, Captain
Tench The tench or doctor fish (''Tinca tinca'') is a freshwater, fresh- and brackish water, brackish-water fish of the order Cypriniformes found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including Great Britain, Britain and Ireland east into Asia as far ...
called him the best farmer in the country. He planted seeds of oranges and lemons he had obtained at
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
, which later on produced good crops of fruit, and occasional references are found to his having made a fortune by his farming; this is all probability an overstatement, though he sold his land and stock to good advantage when he left the colony. In May 1789, the Johnsons took into their home an indigenous girl aged about 15, called Araboo or Boorong, who had survived the 1789 Sydney smallpox outbreak. She learned some English and some Western customs and visited the Johnsons after returning to her own people. In 1790, he and Mary had a daughter, who was given the Aboriginal name Milbah. They also had a son in 1792. In early 1793, Johnson cared for the ill chaplain of Malaspina's Spanish expedition, Fr José de Mesa, with, according to the expedition's journal, "a kindness, spirit of unity and a simplicity that were truly of the Gospel”. In June 1793, tired of waiting on the authorities, he began to build a
church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
himself, and by September, at a cost of about £67, completed a building capable of holding 500 people. Even allowing for the difference in the purchasing power of money and the comparative flimsiness of the structure, this was a remarkable achievement. This church was burnt down in 1798. Johnson, with his wife Mary, taught between 150 and 200 school children in this church. An assistant chaplain, the Reverend
Samuel Marsden Samuel Marsden (25 June 1765 – 12 May 1838) was an English-born priest of the Church of England in Australia and a prominent member of the Church Missionary Society. He played a leading role in bringing Christianity to New Zealand. Marsden w ...
, was appointed in the same year and arrived early in 1794; and henceforth Johnson had the support of a stronger personality than his own. In 1794 he published ''An Address to the Inhabitants of the Colonies established in New South Wales and Norfolk Island'' and, in 1800, obtained leave of absence to visit England. He sailed on the '' Buffalo'' in October and did not return to Australia. In June 1802, King in a dispatch said: "I understand that Rev'd Mr Johnson does not mean to return." Practically he retired in 1802, but so late as July 1805 he appears on a list of officers as "On leave in England, no successor or second clergyman appointed".


Return to England and later life

After returning to England, in about August 1801 Johnson took up a curacy with the Reverend Thomas Dykes of St John's,
Kingston-upon-Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...
. During this time he had opportunity to influence
William Cowper William Cowper ( ;  – 25 April 1800) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th-century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the Engli ...
, who became the third chaplain to New South Wales after being recruited by Samuel Marsden. In November 1803, Johnson was curate at Bunwell, Norfolk, a position he occupied until he moved to West Thurrock, Essex, in April 1809. In 1810, he was presented by the king to the united parishes of St Antholin and St John Baptist, in London. He never served as a curate at Ingham, despite oft-repeated claims to the contrary. The Richard Johnson who served at Ingham was a different person. Johnson continued to take an interest in Australia, appearing before the House of Commons Select Committee on Transportation in 1812 and in 1815 he recommended John Youl to be chaplain at
Port Dalrymple George Town (palawa kani: ''kinimathatakinta'') is a large town in north-east Tasmania, on the eastern bank of the mouth of the Tamar River. The Australian Bureau of Statistics records the George Town Municipal Area had a population of 6,764 as ...
. He died on 13 March 1827, aged 70 or 71.


See also

*
Journals of the First Fleet There are 20 known contemporary accounts of the First Fleet made by people sailing in the fleet, including journals (both manuscript and published) and letters. The eleven ships of the fleet, carrying over 1,000 convicts, soldiers and seamen, le ...
* Richard Johnson Anglican School


References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference.


Further reading

* ''Richard Johnson - Chaplain to the Colony of New South Wales'' by Neil K. Macintosh, 1978. * ''Australian Christian Life from 1788 - An Introduction and an Anthology'' by Iain H. Murray, The Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh 1988. * Peter G. Bolt, "The Case of the Disappearing Chaplain: Reverend Richard Johnson's 'Missing Years'", ''Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society'', 95.2 (2009), 176–195. * ''The state of religion and education in New South Wales'' by William Westbrooke Burton, 1840. Available o
Google Books
* ''Some letters of Rev. Richard Johnson, B.A.: first chaplain of New South Wales'', collected and edited, with introduction, notes and commentary by George Mackaness, Sydney: G. Mackaness, 1954 (Sydney : D. S. Ford)


External links

*

* ttp://yorkstreetanglican.com/#/our-story/our-history ''The Original St. Philip's'', The Parish Church of St. Philip, Church Hill, Sydney* http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/johnson-richard-2275 article from the
Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...
* http://acl.asn.au/resources/richard-johnson-first-chaplain-to-australia/ "Richard Johnson – first Chaplain to Australia" at the Anglican Church League website {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Richard 1750s births 1827 deaths 18th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century English Anglican priests Australian Anglican priests Australian chaplains History of education in Australia English emigrants to colonial Australia People from Welton English chaplains Anglican chaplains Clergy from Yorkshire First Fleet