Pitcairn Islands 1951 Bounty Bible

The Bounty Bible is a Bible that is thought to have been used on HMS Bounty, the ship famed for the Mutiny on the Bounty.

In January 1790, nine of the mutineers from the ship and their Tahitian companions (six men, eleven women and a baby) settled on Pitcairn Island, having anchored HMS Bounty in a small bay on the northern side of the island and set her on fire after everything of utility was landed. Pitcairn had ample food, water and land for everyone and a mild climate. However after four years the community was in turmoil due to discontent and disorder fuelled by home-distilled alcohol and disputes over women that eventually led to the deaths of all but two of the mutineers; the survivors being Ned Young and John Adams (also known as Alexander Smith).

Young was an educated man and had been accepted as the leader of the island with Adams as his friend and deputy. He taught Adams to read using a Bible from HMS Bounty, which had been presented to the ship by the Naval and Military Bible Society (now the Naval Military & Air Force Bible Society) prior to sailing from England.  When Young died of asthma six years later Adams ruled the community of 11 women and 23 children and had them follow a Christian way of life, as described in the Bible, observing the rules of the Church of England. He built a school and educated the children, using the Bible to teach them to read and write a little.

On 15 October 1940 the Pitcairn Islands Post Office opened with the release of the first Pitcairn Islands postage stamps; the 4d (fourpence) value issued on 1 September 1951 features an illustration of the Bible.

Pitcairn Islands 1957 John Adams and Bounty Bible

The Pitcairn Islands 1957 2d stamp, issued on July 2, 1957, commemorates John Adams and the Bounty Bible, two pivotal elements in the island's history. This stamp is part of a series that highlights significant aspects of Pitcairn Island's heritage.

John Adams and the Bounty Bible

In 1790, following the mutiny on HMS Bounty, nine mutineers and their Tahitian companions settled on Pitcairn Island. Among them was John Adams (born Alexander Smith), who, after the deaths of the other mutineers, became the leader of the community. He used a Bible from the Bounty to teach the islanders to read and write, establishing a foundation for education and Christian faith on the island. This Bible, known as the Bounty Bible, was later returned to Pitcairn in 1950 after being held in the United States for over a century. It is now preserved in the Pitcairn Islands Museum.