More than wives?: a study of four Church Missionary Society wives in nineteenth century New Zealand

Abstract

This is a study of four Church Missionary Society (CMS) wives in New Zealand in the nineteenth century. The women are Charlotte Brown (nde Arnett), Anne Wilson (nee Hawker), Elizabeth Colenso (n6e Fairburn) and Catherine Hadfield (nde Williams). My thesis is that these women who were regarded by the CMS as adjuncts to their husbands were in fact "more than wives." Until recently women, especially wiveso have been virtually invisible in the history of mission. If we train a camera lens back through history we find that the women have been shadowy figures, blurred at the edges so this thesis is an attempt to refocus the camera and to train the lens on these women It brings their lives and experiences into focus and asks certain questions of and about them. A narrative approach is used in collating the lives and stories of these four women. The work begins by surveying the range of literature available on Protestant women in mission in the nineteenth century. This introductory chapter also examines and discusses Dana Robertos framework of the model Christian home as a conscious and intentional paradigm for mission. The next chapter considers and reflects on the British evangelical context which shaped the background and worldview of these women. The chapters on each of the women bring their lives into focus and out of invisibility by asking new analytical questions. These chapters examine whether these women had their own vocation for missionary service and whether they could fulfil this as a missionary wife. They look at how these women understood their role and calling and what kind of work they were involved in and consider to what extent each woman served as an active missionary in her own right and not just as an adjunct to her husband. These chapters also reflect on what we learn from their daily lives and routines that provides a more holistic understandlng of missionary life and service during this period. The thesis concludes by considering how far the model Christian home was a rationale for mission service for these four women and to what extent they were "more than wives."