Hull in Print  INVESTIGATES THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF HULL-BORN JAMES EVANS

he newspapers, magazines and books of the Inuit people of northern Canada might not seem the most obvious place to look for evidence of one of Hull's forgotten pioneers.

But without the Rev. James Evans these publications probably would not exist. That's because Evans, a missionary born in Hull 200 years ago last month, helped to devise the written script that is still used by thousands of native Americans.

The eldest son of a sea captain, he grew up in Hull and was educated at a local boarding school before being apprenticed in 1816 to a Hull grocer. At school, Evans gained a good command of languages and an early form of English shorthand - skills that were to prove invaluable in carrying out his life's work. His religious interest also began early. Born into a devout Methodist family, he became a lay preacher in Hull while still in his teens and attended the Waltham Street Methodist Chapel (now Methodist Central Hall).

In 1820, the Evans family emigrated to La Chute, Quebec, Canada. James followed three years later, after finishing his apprenticeship in London.He eventually found work as a teacher and by 1828, Evans and his young wife Mary were living and teaching among the Ojibway Indians.

It was here that he experienced a second 'conversion', eventually being ordained as a Methodist minister in 1833. Evans's renewed religious zeal provided the spur for his groundbreaking language work. Like many missionaries, he was motivated to translate the Bible into native languages as a means of teaching and preaching.

Having learned to speak the Ojibway language, Evans realised that a conventional alphabet could not accurately represent its sounds and structure. He devised a new system, based on syllables, to give a much more accurate record of the language. However, the new syllabic script was rejected by the Toronto Bible Society.

On his travels through the district, James Evans came into regular contact with another native American people, the Cree. The Cree had no written language but within a year Evans, working with other missionaries and native Cree speakers, had created a new syllabic script for them.

The Cree script was a big step forward. Instead of using combinations of letters to denote syllables, the symbols were based on the English shorthand script that Evans had learned in his youth. This made it both easy to learn and adaptable to the Cree way of life and culture.

With no printing press available, the inventive Evans produced workable type by melting down the lead linings of tea chests and casting it in wooden moulds. Ink was made from fish oil and soot and a press from a modified fur packing press. Evans's invention spread rapidly throughout Canada's First Peoples and an adapted form of it even reached China.

Evans's own fate was not so happy. Jealous individuals in the Hudson Bay Company and the Mission engineered his disgrace on trumped up charges. And although he was completely exonerated, his health and enthusiasm were damaged. Returning to England in 1846, Evans went on a preaching tour with his wife, captivating chapel audiences with accounts of his experiences in Canada. On November 22, he preached at the Waltham Street Methodist Chapel in Hull. On the following day, he collapsed and died from a heart attack, aged 45.

James Evans was buried at the Hull chapel but in the 1950s his cremated remains were sent to Canada, following a request from the Christian Training School in Manitoba. However, his real monument is the legacy of his linguistic achievements, which have brought literacy to thousands of people from Canada to China.