John Bennie (missionary)
| John Bennie | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | 26 October 1796 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 9 February 1869 (aged 72) Rosmead, Cape Colony, |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation |
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| Spouse(s) | Margaretha Magdalena Marè |
| Parent(s) | James Bennie and Margaret Scott |
| Religion | Christian (Church of Scotland / Dutch Reformed Church) |
| Ordained | 1831 |
John Bennie (1796, Glasgow - 9 February 1869, Ciskei) was a Presbyterian missionary and early Xhosa linguist. In 1816 he became associated with the Glasgow Missionary Society while still in Scotland and sailed to South Africa on the ship Woodlark as a catechist where he carried out his missionary work in the Ciskei.
John Bennie is one of the founding fathers of the Lovedale Mission Station, which was established among the Ngqika. Bennie resigned from his post at Lovedale due to the deteriorating health of his wife. He went on to establish a mission church for the Dutch Reformed Church in Middelburg.
In 1843, John Bennie was transferred by the Glasgow Missionary Society to the Burnshill Mission Station in British Kaffraria. The station had been established by the society in 1831.
It was while Bennie was posted at Burnshill that he made the journey described in his book, An account of a journey into Transorangia and the Potchefstroom-Winburg Trekker Republic in 1843; edited by D. Williams, into the interior of South Africa to administer to the spiritual needs of the voortrekkers with his father-in-law and brother-in-law.
John Bennie was the son of James Bennie, a metal smith from Glasgow, Scotland and Margaret Bennie (née Scott). Six years after arriving in South Africa, John Bennie married Margaretha Magdalena Marè (1801–1868) from Graaf Reinet. She was an Afrikaner of Huguenot decent. This fact was most probably why he got involved with the Dutch Reformed Church. They had nine children together and also adopted another. 4 of his children were known to have been educated at Lovedale and his one son, John Angell became the boarding master and acting principal of the school after first teaching at another mission station for two years. Bennie died on 9 February 1869 at the age of 72.
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