Reverend Thomas Barclay
Encyclopedia
Thomas Barclay (21 November 1849 - 5 October 1935) was a British
missionary
to Formosa (Taiwan)
from 1875 until his death. His ministry in South Taiwan has been compared to the work done in North Taiwan by George Leslie Mackay
. He founded Tainan Theological College and Seminary
in 1876.
the three became known as the "Glasgow Three" (in reference to the Cambridge Seven
) and went to Leipzig
for further study.
, brother of the principal of the college and missionary in Amoy
. Douglas inspired Barclay and his friends to move east, with Mackichan heading to Bombay, Gibson to Swatow and Barclay to Formosa (Taiwan). He would later joke that he was chosen over Gibson for Formosa because of his longer legs, the better to navigate the hillier country in southern Taiwan. After a year spent in Amoy
learning the language under Carstairs Douglas, Barclay moved to the then capital of Taiwan
, Tainan (then known as Taiwan-Fu), where he was to spend the rest of his life in service to the church and the people of that city. He was the fifth missionary from the Presbyterian Church of England to be stationed in Tainan, after James Laidlaw Maxwell
, Hugh Ritchie, William Campbell
and Matthew Dickson. He was responsible for introducing the first newsletter in Taiwanese Hokkien, which was also the first printed newspaper in Taiwan in any language, the Tâi-oân-hú-siâⁿ Kàu-hōe-pò
(Tainan Church News), printed using the Peh-oe-ji romanisation.
in 1916 and then the Old Testament
in 1932. Both volumes are still in print today, and have a reputation for elegance and accuracy, although due to both the passage of time and the fact that the church dialect is rather removed from everyday speech, the prose can sound strange to modern ears.
His other major contribution to the study of the language was an appendix to Carstairs Douglas
' Amoy-English Dictionary - in essence "completing" the work, which up until then had lacked a character index to accompany the romanised entries.
ceded the island of Taiwan to Japan
and relinquished all claim to it. In the resulting power vacuum before Japanese troops arrived to take over control, a fledgling resistance movement sprang up and a Republic of Formosa
(loyal to the departed Qing) was declared. The Japanese treated any such resistance harshly and looked set to make an example of Tainan as the former capital. With forces from both sides arrayed to fight, Barclay emerged from the city to mediate with the Japanese, persuading the defenders to surrender and the invaders against taking punitive measures. Barclay's services in the capitulation of Tainan were recognised by the Japanese by the award of a medal from the emperor.
Prix d’Excellence Award in 2007.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to Formosa (Taiwan)
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
from 1875 until his death. His ministry in South Taiwan has been compared to the work done in North Taiwan by George Leslie Mackay
George Leslie Mackay
George Leslie Mackay was the first Presbyterian missionary to northern Formosa . He served with the Canadian Presbyterian Mission. Mackay is among the best known Westerners to have lived in Taiwan.-Early life:...
. He founded Tainan Theological College and Seminary
Tainan Theological College and Seminary
Tainan Theological College and Seminary is a private Presbyterian educational institution in Tainan City, Taiwan. Founded in 1876 by Thomas Barclay, a missionary from Scotland, the seminary is still in operation today.-References:...
in 1876.
Early life
Thomas Barclay was born on 21 November 1849 in Glasgow, the youngest brother of six (he also had one sister). His father was a devout merchant who sold soft goods and fabrics, and claimed French Hugenot ancestry for the family. The younger Barclay was an able student, and matriculated at Glasgow University a few weeks before his 15th birthday (his young age not being unusual in those days). While there he excelled at mathematics and science, studying under Sir William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin) and earning a mention in the Encyclopaedia Britannica for his authorship of a scientific treatise on "the Specific Inductive Capacity of Dielectrics". He was the first student to graduate in the new Gilmorehill hall of Glasgow University, after which he studied at the Free Church Divinity College with his friends John Campbell Gibson and Dugald Mackichan. On deciding to become missionariesMissionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
the three became known as the "Glasgow Three" (in reference to the Cambridge Seven
Cambridge Seven
The Cambridge Seven were seven students from Cambridge University, who in 1885, decided to become missionaries in China; the seven were:*Charles Thomas Studd*Montagu Harry Proctor Beauchamp*Stanley P. Smith*Arthur T. Polhill-Turner*Dixon Edward Hoste...
) and went to Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
for further study.
From Scotland to the Far East
While at the Divinity College, Barclay had met Carstairs DouglasCarstairs Douglas
Carstairs Douglas was a Scottish missionary, remembered chiefly for his writings concerning the Southern Min language of Fujian, in particular his Chinese–English Dictionary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Amoy.-Early life:Castairs Douglas was born a son of the manse in Kilbarchan in...
, brother of the principal of the college and missionary in Amoy
Amoy
Xiamen, or Amoy, is a city on the southeast coast of China.Amoy may also refer to:*Amoy dialect, a dialect of the Hokkien lects, which are part of the Southern Min group of Chinese languages...
. Douglas inspired Barclay and his friends to move east, with Mackichan heading to Bombay, Gibson to Swatow and Barclay to Formosa (Taiwan). He would later joke that he was chosen over Gibson for Formosa because of his longer legs, the better to navigate the hillier country in southern Taiwan. After a year spent in Amoy
Xiamen
Xiamen , also known as Amoy , is a major city on the southeast coast of the People's Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province with an area of and population of 3.53 million...
learning the language under Carstairs Douglas, Barclay moved to the then capital of Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Tainan (then known as Taiwan-Fu), where he was to spend the rest of his life in service to the church and the people of that city. He was the fifth missionary from the Presbyterian Church of England to be stationed in Tainan, after James Laidlaw Maxwell
James Laidlaw Maxwell
James Laidlaw Maxwell Senior was the first Presbyterian missionary to Taiwan . He served with the English Presbyterian Mission....
, Hugh Ritchie, William Campbell
William Campbell (missionary)
William Campbell was a Scottish missionary to Taiwan. He wrote extensively on topics related to Taiwan and was also responsible for founding the island's first school for the blind. Interested in the early history of the island , his knowledge of the time was such that he was called "without...
and Matthew Dickson. He was responsible for introducing the first newsletter in Taiwanese Hokkien, which was also the first printed newspaper in Taiwan in any language, the Tâi-oân-hú-siâⁿ Kàu-hōe-pò
Taiwan Church News
The Taiwan Church News is a publication of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. It was first published in 1885 as the Tâi-oân-hú-siâⁿ Kàu-hōe-pò under the direction of missionary Thomas Barclay, and was Taiwan's first printed newspaper. This early edition was also notable for being printed in...
(Tainan Church News), printed using the Peh-oe-ji romanisation.
Written works
Barclay was also responsible for overseeing the translation of the Bible from English in to Taiwanese, first the New TestamentNew Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
in 1916 and then the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
in 1932. Both volumes are still in print today, and have a reputation for elegance and accuracy, although due to both the passage of time and the fact that the church dialect is rather removed from everyday speech, the prose can sound strange to modern ears.
His other major contribution to the study of the language was an appendix to Carstairs Douglas
Carstairs Douglas
Carstairs Douglas was a Scottish missionary, remembered chiefly for his writings concerning the Southern Min language of Fujian, in particular his Chinese–English Dictionary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Amoy.-Early life:Castairs Douglas was born a son of the manse in Kilbarchan in...
' Amoy-English Dictionary - in essence "completing" the work, which up until then had lacked a character index to accompany the romanised entries.
Averting disaster during the Japanese takeover
In 1895 the ailing Qing DynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
ceded the island of Taiwan to Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
and relinquished all claim to it. In the resulting power vacuum before Japanese troops arrived to take over control, a fledgling resistance movement sprang up and a Republic of Formosa
Republic of Formosa
The Republic of Formosa was a short-lived republic that existed on the island of Taiwan in 1895 between the formal cession of Taiwan by the Qing Dynasty of China to the Empire of Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki and its invasion and occupation by Japanese troops...
(loyal to the departed Qing) was declared. The Japanese treated any such resistance harshly and looked set to make an example of Tainan as the former capital. With forces from both sides arrayed to fight, Barclay emerged from the city to mediate with the Japanese, persuading the defenders to surrender and the invaders against taking punitive measures. Barclay's services in the capitulation of Tainan were recognised by the Japanese by the award of a medal from the emperor.
Death and memorials
Barclay is buried alongside several other missionaries in the Presbyterian section of a public cemetery in the southern part of Tainan City. His congregation raised up a church in his honour - the Barclay Memorial Church, which still bears his name today. To honor his contributions to the city, in 2004, the Tainan City Government renamed the Park No.18 (十八號公園) the Barclay Memorial Park (巴克禮紀念公園); the park itself won the FIABCIFIABCI
FIABCI the International Real Estate Federation, was founded in 1949 by the French asset manager Mr. Pierre Colleville. It was registered as a non-profit professional organisation in Paris on 2 June 1951. It is the only worldwide real estate association that represents all of the real estate...
Prix d’Excellence Award in 2007.