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History of Government and Laws, Part 6
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“The Development of the System of Government and Laws
of Pitcairn Island From 1791 to 1971"
Printed in and taken from Laws of Pitcairn, Henderson,
Ducie and Oeno Islands, Rev. Ed., 1971
By Donald McLoughlin, B.A., LL.B.
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Shipwrecks and Their Aftermath
Commencing in 1875 there followed a series of shipwrecks, namely
the wreck of the “Cornwallis” on Pitcairn Island and the
“Khandeish” on Oeno Island, both in 1875, followed by
the wreck of the “Acadia” on Ducie Island in 1881, and
of the “Oregon” on Oeno Island in 1883. Although these
shipwrecks brought no immediate gain to the Islanders their generosity
in affording hospitality to and feeding and clothing the shipwrecked
crews from those vessels, brought the Pitcairn community a considerable
amount of publicity with the result that the interest of the outside
world was once more aroused in the Island and gifts from outside
began to pour in. In addition to the many gifts sent by private
persons, as a result of a visit to the Island by the Rear-Admiral
de Horsey on H.M.S. “Shah” in 1878, the interest of the
Royal Navy in the Island community was revived and thereafter British
warships began annual calls at the Island bringing substantial gifts
on the occasion of each such call(32). These included an organ purchased
with a donation of 20 pounds by Queen Victoria and was brought to
the Island by H.M.S. “Opal” in July, 1859 as well as two
much needed whale boats brought by H.M.S. “Osprey” in
March, 1880. The latter was of considerable and lasting importance
to the Island constituting the prototypes for the celebrated Pitcairn
Island long boats still in use on the Island today.
In addition to the substantial gifts resulting to the Island from
the four shipwrecks the community also received from them a small
influx of new blood as four of the shipwrecked seamen settled on
the Island. The first of these was an American named Butler from
the “Khandeish” who married Alice McCoy but subsequently
deserted her leaving his wife and twin daughters on the Island.
The other three were all from the “Acadia.” These were
John Volk, a Welshman, Philip Coffin, and American and Albert Knight,
an Englishman.
Of these only Coffin was to remain and establish a family on the
Island. Volk who married Mary Young remained for only three years
before returning to Wales taking his wife with him. Knight, a skilled
boat builder and carpenter whose services were of considerable value
to the Island community had the misfortune to become enamoured of
one Maria Young who was already engaged to a Christian. The latter
was extremely incensed at Knight’s attentions to his betrothed
and aroused the entire Christian clan against Knight. In the result
the then Chief Magistrate, who was also the head of young Christian’s
family, ordered Knight from the Island and that unfortunate gentleman
was duly removed by Commander Clark of H.M.S. “Sapho” which called at the Island on the 2nd of July, 1882. In addition,
to ensure against the repetition of such an incident a new law was
passed with the reluctant approval of Commander Clark prohibiting
the settlement of any further strangers on the Island.
Degeneration and Disorder
Typical of the Pitcairn laws enacted in this period, that law
was introduced to deal with that particular situation and after
the departure of Knight the Islanders, coming to appreciate the
effect of that loss of his skilled services, and, with a view to
enabling his return, promptly amended that law by adding a proviso
permitting any person to settle on the Island if his presence there
was considered to be of benefit to the community(33). Other laws enacted
in the period between 1864 and 1884, similarly designed to deal
with specific problems as they arose, made provision for dealing
with such matters as illegitimacy, assault, profane and obscene
language, slander, making false reports, insulting the magistrate
and attempting to call in question the decisions of the Court. Having
regard to the circumstances in which they were enacted these laws
constituted a fair reflection of social trends on the Island and,
as confirmed by reports of naval captains and other visitors to
the Island, were indicative of a general deterioration in the character
and morals of the community and the ineffectiveness of its machinery
of government.
Two of these laws are deserving of special mention not only as
being indicative of the low ebb in the state of Pitcairn Island’s
government but also that, in view of their terminology and subject
matter it would appear extremely doubtful that the former practice
of referring all proposed laws to the captain of a visiting warship
for his approval was always followed. These two legal gems were
the new laws Nos. 8 and 16, the former of which provided that “no
two persons of different sex are permitted to lie in bed or have
any such unlawful connection,” and the latter provided for
the imprisonment of dogs for chasing cats(34). I find it difficult to
accept that any naval officer could seriously have approved either
of those laws.
The general state of retrogression on the part of the Island community
was most likely attributable to the lack of any strong personality
such as an Adams or a Nobbs having the respect of the entire community.
Warren although accepted into the community appears to have taken
little or no part in its affairs. The strongest personality on the
Island was James Russell McCoy, who although he exerted a considerable
amount of influence on the Island and prevented a greater amount
of degeneration than in fact occurred, being a native born Islander,
could not command the same respect or influence as an outsider.
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Footnotes:
(32) See Young, pp. 201-214 for a detailed account of the visit by Rear-Admiral de Horsey and of the subsequent gifts. The annual visits by warships were to be maintained regularly until 1898. Thereafter such visits continued less frequently until the outbreak of the First World War.
(33) Young, pp. 222-3.
(34) Maude I, p. 86.
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