Samuel Marsden
Samuel Marsden | |
|---|---|
Marsden, 1833 | |
| Born | 25 June 1765 Farsley, Yorkshire |
| Died | 12 May 1838 (aged 72) |
| Education | Magdalene College, Cambridge |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Fristan m. 21 April 1793 |
| Children | 8, including Ann, Mary, Martha |
| Parent(s) | Bathsheba Brown and Thomas Marsden |
| Relatives | Samuel Marsden |
| Church | Church of England |
| Ordained | May 1793 |
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 was a prominent figure in early New South Wales and Australian history, partly through his ecclesiastical offices as the colony's senior Church of England cleric and as a pioneer of the Australian wool industry, but also for his employment of convicts for farming and his actions as a magistrate at Parramatta, both of which attracted contemporary criticism.