William Carey
Father of Modern Missions
William Carey left an English shoemaker's bench for Bengal in 1793 with no patron and no permit, convinced ordinary Christians were obliged to carry the gospel abroad. Over forty years at Serampore he learned and translated the Scriptures into Bengali, Sanskrit and other tongues, helped found a college open to every caste, and used patient research to turn the authorities against infant sacrifice and widow-burning. He is widely remembered as the father of the modern missionary movement.
- Completed a first Bengali New Testament (drafted 1797) and saw it printed at Serampore; later issued a Sanskrit New Testament. carey-faithful-witness p.18
- Helped found Serampore College, whose charter barred no one by 'caste, color, or country', and lectured there in divinity, botany and zoology. carey-faithful-witness p.180
- Appointed professor at Fort William College, Calcutta, teaching Indian languages and shaping early Bengali prose. carey-faithful-witness p.18
- Investigated and publicised widow-burning (sati); his long campaign helped lead to its legal ban in 1829. carey-faithful-witness p.184
- Gathered evidence of ritual infant sacrifice; at the governor-general's request his inquiry led the Calcutta authorities to outlaw it. carey-faithful-witness p.182
- Opposed the slave trade, boycotting slave-grown sugar and rejoicing at West Indian emancipation near the end of his life. carey-faithful-witness p.181
- Baptised Krishna Pal, the first Hindu won to Christ through the mission, and gathered an early Bengali church at Serampore. carey-faithful-witness p.18
- 1761Born at Paulerspury, Northamptonshire, son of a weaver and village schoolmaster. carey-faithful-witness p.17
- 1775Apprenticed to a shoemaker; led to faith by a fellow cobbler. carey-faithful-witness p.17
- 1792Published his Enquiry, preached 'expect great things', and helped found the Baptist mission society at Kettering. carey-faithful-witness p.17
- 1793Sailed from England for Bengal with his family. carey-faithful-witness p.17
- 1794Took work as an indigo planter at Mudnabatty near Malda. carey-faithful-witness p.17
- 1800Moved to Serampore, formed the mission community with Ward and Marshman, and baptised Krishna Pal. carey-faithful-witness p.18
- 1818Serampore College founded, open to students of every caste and country. carey-faithful-witness p.18
- 1820Organised the Agricultural Society of India. carey-faithful-witness p.18
- 1829Widow-burning legally proscribed after his long campaign. carey-faithful-witness p.184
- 1834Died at Serampore, asking only for a plain grave-tablet. carey-faithful-witness p.18
Carey's Serampore press, his grammars and Bible translations helped shape modern Bengali prose, his college still stands, and his reform campaigns fed the movements that ended sati and ritual infanticide. He is remembered as the father of the modern missionary movement.
- Serampore Mission & Press — Serampore, West Bengal still active
- Serampore College — Serampore, West Bengal still active
- Fort William College — Calcutta (Kolkata) historical
“Expect great things; attempt great things.” — William Carey carey-faithful-witness p.17
Carey's reforms advanced through — and at times depended on — the authority of the British colonial state, and the bans on sati and infanticide were won alongside Indian reformers and others, not by the missionaries alone.
carey-faithful-witness— pp. 17, 18, 180, 181, 182, 184
Page numbers refer to the source PDF held in the project. Facts are retold in our own words; nothing is reproduced from the books.