Dandeson Coates Crowther

Dandeson Coates Crowther KBE (24 September 1844 - 5 January 1938) was a leader of the Anglican Church in West Africa. He was born in Sierra Leone.[2] He was a part of the Christian Missionary Society (CMS) in 1870 and titled as "Archdeacon" of the Niger Delta in 1876.[3] He is credited with initiating the "mass movement" towards Christianity in the 1870s and ultimately the first African secession from the Anglican Church when he founded the Niger Delta Pastorate.[3] He was ordained at Saint Mary's Parish Church by Samuel Ajayi Crowther.[2] Prior to this role, he was Senior Pastor in Bonny, Niger Delta.[2]

Early life and education

Dandeson Coates Crowther was the youngest son of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, who was the first African Anglican Bishop in Nigeria.[3][4]

Crowther was educated in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and England. He attended the Christian Missionary Society Grammar School located in Lagos, Nigeria in 1860.[5] He then relocated and attended the Christian Missionary Society College in Islington, London, graduating in 1863.[2] He received a Doctorate of Divinity in Lambeth in 1921.[5]

Mission

Crowther's journey as a missionary began in 1870 after he was ordained by his father.[2] On 19 June 1870, he became a deacon at Saint Mary's Parish Church in Islington, London.[2] He returned to the Niger Delta in 1871 to join the Christian Missionary Society Niger Mission. On 12 March 1871, he became a priest in Lagos, Nigeria.[2] He remained at Bonny Island, Rivers State, Nigeria until becoming Archdeacon of the Niger Delta in 1876.[5] He was Archdeacon, often called "venerable," of the Lower Niger and Delta stations, and led the Southern Nigeria Province of the Christian Missionary Society Mission.[5]

Crowther frequently travelled across continents,[5] utilizing shipping lines between Great Britain and West Africa, such as the Elder Dempster Line.[6] He constantly travelled between London and Nigeria, but when he got sick, he traveled to Freetown, Sierra Leone.[5]

Crowther struggled throughout his mission as some of the leaders of the Christian Missionary Society did not want any non-native Europeans to run the Mission. The backlash against African-born clergymen skyrocketed after the Niger Crisis of 1890[4] and led to the death of Samuel Ajayi Crowther in 1891.[4] Letters written by Dandeson Coates Crowther express his realization of people attempting to kick him out of the Christian Missionary Society.[7] He concluded his role as Archdeacon of the Niger Delta in 1926.[5] In 1935, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire, being knighted by the King of England, although as an ordained clergyman, he refrained from using the pre-nominal "Sir."[5][8] He died on 5 January 1938 in Freetown, Sierra Leone.[5]

Legacy

Crowther was involved in the Delta Revolt and often fought for Africans to run their continent without the sole reliance on Europeans.[2] The Niger Delta separated from the Christian Missionary Society after Crowther advocated for a self-governing African church, establishing the Niger Delta Pastorate in 1892.[3] He translated the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, "Dusk to Dusk," into Igbo. He also translated a portion of the book of Jeremiah of the Bible into Yoruba.[5]

References

  1. ^ Kingdon, Zachary. (2008). Reinterpreting the African Collections of the World Museum Liverpool.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Hanciles, Jehu J. (October 1994). "Dandeson Coates Crowther and the Niger Delta Pastorate: Blazing Torch or Flickering Flame?". International Bulletin of Missionary Research. 18 (4): 166–172. doi:10.1177/239693939401800404. ISSN 0272-6122. S2CID 149088333.
  3. ^ a b c d J, Hanciles, Jehu (1844–1938). "Crowther, Dandeson Coates (B)". Dictionary of African Christian Biography.
  4. ^ a b c "Samuel Ajayi Crowther | Slavery and Remembrance". slaveryandremembrance.org.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j CMS Register 1804-1894, List III, no. 155
  6. ^ UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960, Liverpool, 1933 Aug 23
  7. ^ Papers relating to Africa: Miscellaneous papers, letters and reports, 1880-1892. A3/1/1J https://www-amscholar-amdigital-co-uk.proxy.library.upenn.edu/Documents/SearchDetails/CMS_VII_Part1_Reel15_Vol1
  8. ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette" (PDF). No. 34119. The Stationery Office, National Archives UK. 28 December 1934. p. 13. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  9. ^ "The black bishop: Samuel Adjai Crowther. With preface by Eugene Stock ... with 16 illustrations and map". HathiTrust.
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