Francis Roger Hodgson

Francis Roger Hodgson (1853 – April 4, 1920)[1] was a British Anglican missionary and Bible translator in Zanzibar (1876–1888) and parish priest in Devon, England. The Anglican church appointed Hodgson as Archdeacon of Zanzibar (1882–1889),[2] with Hodgson taking over both mission compound oversight and Bible translation work from Bishop Edward Steere. Their gradual church growth came from caring for slaves, refugees, and the marginalized. Christianity in Zanzibar started as a religion for slaves.

Before Steere's death in 1882, he and Hodgson completed the New Testament in 1880 and a revised New Testament in 1882. Steere had also begun work on the books of Isaiah, Kings, and Genesis.[3] The British and Foreign Bible Society printed their book of Genesis in 1884.[4] With the assistance of his wife Jessie (1853–1933),[5] Hodgson translated the first Old Testament into southern Swahili in Roman script. The Zanzibar dialect, Kiunguja, grew in popularity to become standardized written Swahili.[6]

In 1886, Jessie gave birth to their only son, Richard.[7] In 1888, mission records indicate that Jessie was "Invalided".[8] In 1889, Francis completed the Old Testament, and they took the long journey back to England via the Suez Canal.[3] In 1895, Richard died.[7] Later that year, the British and Foreign Bible Society published their translation of the Old Testament from their London print shop.[6] This translation became helpful reference to George Pilkington as he translated the Lugandan Bible translation in the 1890s.[3]

Francis's childhood was in the village of Warton, Fylde, in Lancashire, England. His father Reverend Richard Hodgson (1828–1895) served as the Curate of Warton, Lancashire, and baptised Francis as an infant in January 1854.[9] His mother Caroline (1828–1889) later gave birth to another son, Charles Herbert Hodgson.[2]