Marianne Williams

Marianne Williams, together with her sister-in-law Jane Williams, was a pioneering educator in New Zealand. They established schools for Māori children and adults as well as educating the children of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. The Māori women called her Mata Wiremu (Mother Williams).

Marianne Williams, née Marianne Coldham, was born in Yorkshire, England 12 December 1793. Marianne was the oldest child of Wright and Anne Coldham. Wright Coldham and Thomas Williams (Marianne's father-in-law) were hosiers in Nottingham, and both were Sheriffs. The family had moved to Nottingham from Norwich. Her father, Wright Coldham, was an active member of the Presbyterian High Pavement Chapel in Nottingham. Wright Coldham received recognition as a Burgess of Nottingham in 1796; as a Sheriff of Nottingham in 1798; and as the Mayor of Nottingham in 1809. In 1810 Anne Coldham died and at the age 16 Marianne 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. In 1815 Wright Coldham died.

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.

Marianne and Henry shared a Christian faith and they joined the Church Missionary Society (CMS), with the decision eventually being made that Henry would become an ordained minister and CMS missionary in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. In a letter to the Committee of the CMS of 6 August 1822, Henry said of Marianne: "she does not accompany me merely as my wife, but as a fellow-helper in the work".

On 11 September 1822 Henry and Marianne and three children embarked on the Lord Sidmouth, a convict ship carrying women convicts to Port Jackson, New South Wales, Australia.

After a short stay with Rev. Samuel Marsden, he accompanied them on ship the Brampton from Sydney to the Bay of Islands, New Zealand where they arrived at Kerikeri on 7 August 1823.

The CMS had an established mission at Kerikeri where they stayed while Henry and other CMS members and built a store of plank and timber and a raupo hut on Paihia beach. On 15 September 1823, the family moved into the raupo hut, which Marianne described as having the appearance of a beehive. In 1830 a more substantial house was built using lath and plaster.

Chickens, ducks, goats and a horse were brought from Sydney. A garden was soon cultivated. Food was either cultivated or imported on the infrequent ships from Sydney. Pork and Kūmara could be traded from the Māori, however in the early days muskets were the item of barter which Māori wanted to trade, but Henry Williams refused to trade muskets. The supply of pork and other food was withheld in an attempt to pressure Henry to trade muskets for food.