Fuller, William Robert (1834-1894)

William Robert Fuller was the first missionary sent to China by the United Methodist Free Church also called the English Methodist Free Church. He, along with his wife Harriet Peachy, and their two daughters, Harriet Elizabeth (b.1858) and Florence Ann (b.1862) arrived in Shanghai, China, on October 14, 1864. They reached their destination Ningbo a few days later. A letter by him dated October 24, 1864, states:

“Our Mission to China is now firmly set on foot”

William Fuller was born on November 1, 1834, in Chelmsford, UK, to William and Elizabeth Fuller. He was christened about a year later at the Wesleyan Methodist Church. He married Harriet Peachy on July 7, 1856 who was roughly the same age. William and Harriet would have been 30 years old when they embarked on their mission to China.

The mission of the United Methodist Free Church (U.M.F.C.) to China, specifically to Ningbo, was facilitated by James Hudson Taylor. As an early missionary to China, Taylor had established an independent mission station in Ningbo in 1857 but returned to his home country of England in 1860, eventually returning again to China in 1866 with the group that became known as the Lammermuir Party. During his time in England between these two tours, he founded the China Inland Mission and supported others in taking up the missionary cause, including the U.M.F.C. and specifically William Fuller.

The Missionary Echo of the United Methodist Free Church, August 1909, pages 187-189 explains:

“We are glad Dr. Barber draws attention to the fact (not generally known) that the M.F.C Mission to China is to be attributed to the late Hudson Taylor’s influence as well as that of the B.C. Mission in 1884. Mr. Taylor commenced work in China (at Ningpo) in 1854. He attended the sittings of the Missionary Committee in 1862, with the result that our S.E. china mission was commenced, and Mr. Fuller, the first missionary, was placed under the care of Mr. Taylor for training in the language”

William Fuller was recommended for the assignment by the London Fourth Circuit, later called Bermondsey, of which he was a member. He also received four years of medical training at the London Hospital, where the management waived the usual fees.

United Free Churches Magazine, 1864, page 394 provides additional background on Fuller:

“From his early youth he had an intense desire to be employed in the public ministration of the Word of Life. When he received the recommendation of his Circuit for the itinerant work, he engaged himself in solemn covenant with God that if He would give him a gracious assurance of acceptance, and make his call acceptable to the Church, he would lay himself upon the altar of service, and devote body, soul, and spirit to the promotion of Christ’s cause in the world. So far as his personal convictions were concerned, he was satisfied that God had accepted him, and he trusted that his appearance before his Christian brethren and friends that evening, and the cordial and loving manner in which they had received him, was a proof that God had made the matter clear to His Church. His prayer was that God would ratify his appointment by a present baptism of the Spirit for the work. No sooner was his mind directed to the prospect of entering upon the Christian ministry, than he was visited, as he then thought, by the Spirit of God. The foreign missionary work was brought prominently – he might almost say exclusively – before his mind, and it soon became apparent that if he had any intention of obeying the counsel of his heavenly Counsellor, he must abandon all thoughts of exercising the ministerial function in his native land. He saw China as the only open door for his labours, and after eighteen months of prayerful consideration, he was still more satisfactorily convinced than ever that there was the sphere which God had allotted him”

In the article Ningpo Reminiscences, 1864-1914, Missionary Echo of the United Methodist Church, 1914, page 25 fellow China missionary Fredrick Galpin who was eventually credited with the real establishment of the U.M.F.C. mission in Ningpo, remembers William Fuller during this period:

“I was present at the Exeter Hall valedictory service of Mr. Fuller, the first missionary of the U.M.F. Church to go to China. Mr. Fuller was an esteemed local preacher in the Fourth London Circuit, and for four years he had been in training for medical work. At the great valedictory meeting he spoke a few earnest words characterised with his usual modesty, but he created a deep impression upon many in the meeting. It was the fact of a young man ready for the work that was so exceedingly impressive. I well remember that meeting, there are deep reasons why I should not forget its influences. I was already in the preachers’ plan, and happily trying to do some work for the Master.Henceforth Mr. Fuller and his work in China had a prominent place in my heart, and eventually materialised into a strong desire to share in that work.”

The Fullers arrived at an early stage of Protestant missionary work in China. Ningbo was one of five cities legally opened to foreign trade in August 29, 1842 by the Treaty of Nanking, yet despite being an “open port” for 22 years, J. Hudson Taylor reports that William Fuller was only the eleventh missionary to work there.

The Fullers’ faith helped them cope with the severe challenges of missionary life. In the United Free Churches Magazine of 1865, page 202, William recounts what happened to their one-year-old son, William Henry:

“But though we have enjoyed many precious tokens of His goodness we have also experienced His Fathers chastening in the death of our infant son, who departed this life during our passage through the China seas, an we there committed his body to the deep. He had been poorly some time before we left England, and we had strong hopes that the voyage would recover his health; but after a short time it became evident that God had sent His messenger to remove him to a better home. His loss has cast the veil of sorrow over our recent experience though we feel it is ungrateful, even sinful, to repine or wish that our heavenly Father, who doeth all things well, had dealt otherwise with us. O for that confidence in God which enables the Christian to say under every earthly bereavement “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, and blessed be the name of the Lord”

Health became a major concern for the family, and within a year of arriving in China, Harriet Peachy and their two daughters returned to England for a period, while Fuller stayed behind to manage the fledgling mission. Fuller suffered from dysentery, from which he had fallen ill during the six-month voyage to China. The sickness got so bad that Fuller became too weak to even walk and had to be carried in a chair in order to fulfill his missionary duties. Due to this on June 23, 1868 William and his family who had returned to China, left Ningbo and the mission they started.

The book Historic Sketches of Free Methodism by Joseph Kirsop, page 108 reports that at this juncture, Fuller made a decision to stay in China.

“Mr. Fuller’s health having entirely failed, the Committee allowed him to proceed to Australia, or New Zealand, for change. He, however, thought that he would first try another part of China. He sailed to Amoy; but, deriving no benefit by his removal from Ningpo, he was providentially directed to Chefoo, which lies further north”

After arrival in Chefoo Fuller initially continued his work, but his health problems persisted and eventually did not permit further missionary activities. His last letter in the United Free Churches Magazine appeared in the 1871 edition on pages 71-72. And the last mention of him before his resignation is found alongside a letter from colleague Fredrick Galpin dated January 30, 1871:

“Mr. Fuller’s health has completely failed, and we are expecting his return shortly”

The United Methodist ministers and their circuits, Epworth Press, 1968 records his resignation in 1871. Despite resigning from missionary work, he and his family remained in Chefoo and as fellow U.M.F.C. China missionary William Edward Soothill noted that Fuller:

“took up the profession and sale of medicine in Chefoo, practising chiefly among the Chinese, in whom, and in all Christian work, he maintained a warm interest to the end of his life”

During these early years in Chefoo the Fullers became parents to Edith Eveline born January 6, 1870 and son Walter William born March 14, 1872. Besides practicing medicine, Fuller worked in Chefoo as an architect, builder, and storekeeper. A rebuilt version of the Union Church he constructed can be seen on the website:

Album: Yantai Beach Walk to Union Church

He also became a skilled gardener. According to the U.S. Foreign Consulate archives Fuller assumed charge of the American Consulate in Chefoo as acting Vice Consul on February 16, 1888 and served in this role for several years. Around this time, he also became associated with the Bible Student religious movement. On September 14, 1894, William Fuller died in Chefoo followed a few years later by his wife Harriet Peachy Fuller on June 5, 1898.

The following words are inscribed on William Fullers tombstone:

“Sleep on beloved sleep and take thy rest
Lay down thy head upon thy Saviour’s breast
We love thee well but Jesus loves thee best
Good night!

Until made beautiful by Love divine,
Thou in the likeness of thy Lord shalt shine
And he shall bring that radiant crown of shine
Good night!”

A request, found in the Missionary Echo of the United Methodist Free Churches for the year 1914, page 93, reads:

“The Editor is desirous of having the loan of photographs of the late W. R. Fuller (China, 1864-70)”

This request seemingly did not receive any responses, and no picture of Fuller can be found in any issues of this or other magazines related to the Methodist Free Church.

The editor may be happy to know that we are still looking. If you have a picture of W.R. Fuller and his family or know any surviving relatives could you please post to this website or email [email protected] so I can add it.