Joshua Marshman & William Ward
Two of the 'Serampore Trio' (with William Carey)
William Carey is rightly famous, but he did not work alone. William Ward, a printer by trade, ran the Serampore press that poured out Bibles and Christian literature in dozens of Indian languages; Joshua Marshman, a schoolmaster, built the mission's schools, translated (even into Chinese), and with Carey founded Serampore College in 1818 — a Danish royal charter later making it the first degree-granting institution in Asia. Together the three formed the 'Serampore Trio,' pioneering vernacular printing, translation, education and social reform, and campaigning against sati and infanticide.
- Ran the Serampore press (Ward) and translated Scripture and literature (Marshman) into many Indian languages. Serampore
- Founded and ran the Serampore mission schools and Serampore College (1818), open across caste and creed. Serampore
- Campaigned, with Carey, against sati (widow-burning) and female infanticide. Serampore
- 1799Ward and Marshman joined Carey at the Danish settlement of Serampore. Serampore
- 1818Serampore College founded. Serampore
- 1823William Ward died at Serampore. Serampore
- 1837Joshua Marshman died at Serampore. Serampore
The Serampore press and college set the pattern for vernacular printing and higher education in India; Marshman and Ward's work underlies Carey's fame as much as Carey's own.
- Serampore College & Mission Press — Serampore (Srirampur), West Bengal, India still active
The two are often eclipsed by Carey's renown. Their translation output was vast but uneven in quality, and later revised — the achievement was the scale and the institutions as much as any single perfect text.
Wikipedia — Serampore TrioWikipedia — William Ward; Joshua Marshman
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