Ceylon, Rev. William Oakley and the Oakley’s Church

Ceylon & the Church Missionary Society

The period immediately following the fall of the Kandyan monarchy was one of rapid changes in Ceylon in general and Kandy in particular. A new community was emerging along the island’s beaches, nourished by the British monarchy and the Christian faith. However, as freedom conflicts raged in the newly conquered hill country, this new era took its time to permeate across the entire island.

Following the upcountry subjugation of Kandyan Chiefs in 1815, the British took control of the Kandyan kingdom, and one of the measures of this new government was to create new Christian roots within the center of the island. This task was to be handled by the many missionary societies which arrived at Ceylon such as the London mission and the Baptist mission which were among the major societies who were keen on spreading their teachings in Ceylon.

The Church Missionary Society (CMS) was well established in India by 1814, with interests in new lands such as Ceylon. The new opportunity in Ceylon piqued their interest, and the first two CMS missionaries were sent here but were later reassigned to the India mission.

CMS again assigned four missionaries to Ceylon in 1817. These four missionaries were tasked with staying and carrying on the work of the previous missionaries who had been restated. Names of many famous and well-loved missionaries came to be recorded over the years, but in the Central Province, evangelistic agencies were only able to be properly established in the year 1853. However, prior to this, the CMS occupied Kandy as a mission station in 1819.

The Kandy mission and Rev. William Oakley

Sir Robert Brownrigg was the then Governor of Ceylon, and he was well-known for his efforts to keep the Central Province under control during this period. However, thanks to him and the initiative of a few missionaries, a mission station in Kandy was established to carry out the society’s work. Although a few missionaries who circulated among other mission stations took care of the Kandy mission in the coming years, the most connected name to Kandy is the Rev. William Oakley.

Establishing the Reverend’s lineage is an impossible task because there have been a staggering number of William Oakleys in recent years, and misinformation is unavoidable. The Reverend William Oakley, husband of Frances Mary Oakley, is the William Oakley in discussion. The Reverend Oakley arrived in Galle with his wife Mary on September 21, 1839, to begin his work as a missionary in Ceylon.

Few sources claim that he was tasked to serve in a few missions before moving to the Central Province, but the clearest records show that the Reverend was immediately tasked to the Kandy mission, where he and his wife were well-loved by the local congregation for their work and commitment to their mission. The CMS’s vision has always been to bring the Christian faith to the local community in a practical yet precise manner. Recognizing this, Rev. Oakley turned to the local language and conducted worship services in Sinhala and English languages. This drew a sizable crowd of Kandyans to his congregation.

The Oakley’s Church

Rev. Oakley was a devout Christian who never considered returning to England during his 32-year tenure in the Kandyan mission. In 1855, he worked in the Kandy mission, taking the initiative and laying the groundwork for one of the town’s most well-known churches, the Holy Trinity Church. However, because Rev Oakley was the founding father of the church and his devotion to the church, it became known as “Oakley’s Church.”

Following the formation of a well-nurtured Christian community, the Rev. William Oakley was transferred to other missions such as Nuwara-Eliya after his loving wife Mary Oakley died in 1859, and he continued his work as the secretary and counselor of the Ceylon CMS for another twenty years. His work in Kandy was later delegated to a number of clerics, including native priests such as Rev Cornelius Jayasinha.

Oakley’s Church near the entrance to the College – 1920

Birth of the Kandy Collegiate School

As Oakley’s Church served its purpose over the years, the Rev. John Ireland -Jones arrived with the idea of establishing a Christian-centered school of education in Kandy.

Rev. Ireland -Jones opened the Kandy Collegiate School on the same grounds as the Holy Trinity Church because the atmosphere was conducive to such an endeavor and because of Rev. Oakley’s assistance. This new institution existed for a few years with the support of the local Trinity Church congregation and was attended by the sons of local chiefs, but it was forced to close in 1871.

Trinity College Kandy, the school we know today was founded when the Kandy Collegiate School was reopened by the Rev. Richard Collins, and it would not have been possible without the assistance of Oakley’s church and its congregation.

Despite the formation of a new school, Oakley’s church was the front face of the compound, and the College sought a place of worship in the Church. In certain cases, the College was even referred to as Oakley’s College. Many generations of Trinitians and local Christians have spent time in the Oakley’s church. The church was home to everything from weekly Holy Communion services to daily morning prayers and evensongs! However, with the expanding Kandyan Christian community and the ever-improving Trinity College, Oakley’s Church needed to expand to fulfill rising demands. In the early 1920s, the church was nearing the end of its life as a historic structure. Many people expressed dissatisfaction with its restricted capacity and unmaintainable interior. It was Rev. A.G. Fraser, Trinity’s Golden Era Principal, who chose to build a new place of worship for Trinity College. The Oakley’s Church was demolished in 1939.

Reminiscing the Past and Looking to the End

There is no definite record of what happened to Reverend Oakley after he served as the CMS counselor. While some sources claim that he returned to England at the end of his term, other sources say that he passed away and was buried in Nuwara Eliya Mrs. Frances Mary Oakley passed away in Kandy in 1859, and the Church congregation buried her in what was then the Church grounds (and now a part of the the school compound).. At present, the gravestone can be seen on the slope near the newly constructed Hilary Abeyratne Paul Jeyaraj building.

The College Main Hall (built in 1941) now stands as the front face of the College compound. The current College car park is situated where Oakley’s Church originally stood. The only remaining artifact from the Oakley’s Church is its original entrance door, which can now be seen at the entrance to the catwalk leading to the College archives. The work begun by Rev. Oakley and his church is currently being carried on by the present College Chapel, which is also known as Holy Trinity Church.

It is obvious that Oakley’s church was a fountain that enriched our forefathers in Trinity, as well as the Christian community of modern Kandy, to live and behave spiritually. It is the obligation of everyone who bears the College’s name to remember that they are standing on a sacred ground where God’s work was once done!

Bibliography:

Ceylon-Ananda.com. 2021. The Trinity College Kandy Archives – Ceylon-Ananda.com. [online] Available at: <http://ceylon-ananda.com/11931/> [Accessed 12 November 2021].
Google Books. 2021. List of inscriptions on tombstones and monuments in Ceylon, of historical or local interest, with an obituary of persons uncommemorated. [online] Available at: <https://books.google.lk/books?id=lWHHDwAAQBAJ&pg> [Accessed 12 November 2021].
Internet Archive. 1922. One hundred years in Ceylon, or, The centenary volume of the Church Missionary Society in Ceylon, 1818-1918 : Balding, John William : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. [online] Available at: <https://archive.org/details/yearsinceylon00balduoft> [Accessed 12 November 2021].
Eprints.soas.ac.uk. 1974. Buddhism & Christianity in Ceylon. [online] Available at: <https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/33598/1/11010359.pdf> [Accessed 12 November 2021].
1900. The missions of the Church Missionary Society : the Ceylon and Mauritius missions.. [ebook] London : Church Missionary Society. Available at: <https://jstor.org/stable/10.2307/saoa.crl.25057615> [Accessed 12 November 2021].