Marianne Williams, together with her sister-in-law Jane Williams, was a pioneering educator in New Zealand.
13 Facts About Marianne Williams
1.
2.
Wright Coldham and Thomas Williams were hosiers in Nottingham, and both were Sheriffs.
3.
Marianne Williams's father, Wright Coldham, was an active member of the Presbyterian High Pavement Chapel in Nottingham.
4.
In 1810 Anne Coldham died and at the age 16 Marianne Williams took over raising her three sisters, Sarah, Maria and Anne, caring for her blind grandmother Mrs Temple, the running of the mayoral household and acting as Lady Mayoress at civic events.
5.
Marianne and Henry Williams were married on 20 January 1818 by Henry's cousin and brother-in law, the Rev Edward Marsh, a member of the Church Missionary Society.
6.
On 15 September 1823 the family moved into the raupo hut, which Marianne Williams described as having the appearance of a beehive.
7.
Pork and Kumara could be traded from the Maori, however in the early days muskets were the item of barter which Maori wanted to trade, but Henry Marianne Williams refused to trade muskets.
8.
Together with Jane Williams, Marianne set up a boarding school for Maori girls; and provided classes to the children of CMS missionaries in the morning with schools for Maori children and adults in the afternoon.
9.
Marianne Williams trained and supervised the teachers, who included the wives of other CMS missionaries, her daughters, nieces or future daughters-in-law.
10.
The domestic responsibilities of Marianne Williams extended beyond her large family and included Maori and Pakeha visitors to the mission as well as providing assistance to other CMS members in Paihia, Kerikeri and Waimate North.
11.
Henry and Marianne Williams moved to Pakaraka when Henry refused to back down in an argument with Governor George Grey over the amount of land Henry had acquired so as to provide for his children.
12.
Henry and Marianne Williams lived in the house known as The Retreat, that still stands at Pakaraka.
13.
Marianne Williams died at Pakaraka, New Zealand, on 16 December 1879 and was buried in the grounds of the Holy Trinity Church at Pakaraka alongside the grave of Henry Williams.