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The Rev. Samuel Oughton (1803 – December 1881), Baptist missionary to Jamaica 1836-1866, and colleague of William Knibb, was an ardent slavery abolitionist who became an outspoken advocate of black labour rights in Jamaica during the gradual abolition of slavery in the late 1830s and thereafter. He was briefly imprisoned in Jamaica during 1840. Originally associated with James Sherman's Independent Congregational Surrey Chapel, and from time to time invited back by Sherman, he was closely associated with the Baptists in Jamaica, who were largely organised along Congregational lines and among the predominantly African-Caribbean population, following their founding by George Lisle, a former slave from America. ==Early life in Jamaica== Samuel Oughton's work for the Baptist Missionary Society in Jamaica, soon became well known. Arriving in 1836 from the Surrey Chapel in London, his posting was initially to help Thomas Burchell, a relative by marriage. However, by 1839 he was invited by the largely African congregation in Kingston to be their pastor at the prominent East Queen Street chapel. This was a key time in the emancipation of Jamaican slaves. After "legal abolition" began in Jamaica with the home government's Emancipation Act of 1833, conditions were little better for many Africans in Jamaica for some decades; particularly under the dreaded "indentured apprenticeship" system of forced labour, which was taken to extremes by the Planters, some masters and their overseers compelling the use of treadmills. The abuses of indentured apprenticeship were finally abolished on 1 August 1838, following a campaign led by Joseph Sturge, with support from the Baptists, the Anti-Slavery Society, and longstanding abolitionists such as William Allen. Even so, emancipation was no paradise; the planters frequently harassed tenants (see Free Villages, and sought to drive down wages when they could. Oughton once famously remarked to his flock in the parish of Hanover: For a time (during 1840) he was imprisoned by the Jamaican authorities for his outspoken views against liberties being taken by magistrates against African women. Back in Britain, Joseph Sturge of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society passed on Oughton's descriptions of the horrendous labour practices suffered by Africans in Jamaica, which Oughton continued to communicate whilst in prison. Joseph Sturge made representations to the Colonial Office on his behalf and Samuel Oughton was eventually discharged after a period released on bail. He records "simple but ardent expressions of delight and affection" from "our poor dear people", who welcomed him back to East Queen Street chapel with renewed hope. In 1841 Oughton was able to write: "my affection for the people, and theirs for me, seems to grow stronger by the day". The Baptist returns at about this date show Samuel Oughton, assisted by George Rowse, to be responsible for three "sub stations", two "day schools", two "Sunday schools", and, besides Rowse, two further teachers - Miss Simpson, and W.Spraggs. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Samuel Oughton」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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