The Life of John Wilson

Smith,G.

Published by John Murray, UK, 1878

rebound quarter leather,gilt spine title,652 pages,fron tis port.exlib

John Wilson (1804–1875) was a Christian missionary & educator in Bombay.In 1829 he married Margaret Bayne & they went as Christian missionaries to Bombay.The couple first studied Marathi at Harnai, Maharashtra ; then in 1831 they moved back to Bombay, where John established the Ambroli church.. Determined to set up educational institutions for the young in Bombay, John first established an English school in 1832, & added a college in 1836 – now called Wilson College, Mumbai. With this School John was able to introduce European education, examinations & textbooks.In 1857 John helped to establish the Bombay University, and went on to become its Vice-Chancellor in 1869.

John's wife, Margaret, also influenced the education system in Bombay, and aided the female population by establishing schools for girls in 1829. In 1832 she established a boarding school for females, now called St. Columbia High School. This was western India's first boarding school for females.

The couple also opened schools in Marathi and Hebrew for the Native Jewish community of the Bene Israel of the Konkan region,teaching Boys as well as girls and translating the Holy Bible especially the Old Testament for their benefit.

Wilson was a passionate advocate for the preservation of Indian historical monuments. He was the Honorary President of what was then the Asiatic Society of Bombay. When the Bombay Cave Temple Commission was established in 1848, he was elected the first president. He was an important lobbyist for the establishment in 1861 of the Archaeological Survey of India.