Ajayi was 12 years old when he was captured, along with his mother and toddler brother and other family members, along with his entire village, by Muslim Fulani slave raiders in 1821 and sold to Portuguese slave traders. However, before his slave-ship left port, it was boarded by a British Royal Navy ship under the command of Captain Henry Leeke, and Crowther was taken to Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he was released. Ajayi's mother was a descendant of King Abiodun.[2][3]

While in Sierra Leone Crowther was cared for by the Anglican Church Missionary Society and was taught English. He converted to Christianity. On 11 December 1825 was baptized and he named himself after the vicar of Christ Church, Newgate, London - Samuel Crowther, who was one of the pioneers of the CMS.[1] Ajayi was baptized by John Raban.


In Niger Territory, 1888
While in Freetown, Crowther became interested in languages. In 1826 he was taken to England to attend St Mary's Church in Islington and the church's school. He returned to Freetown in 1827 and attended, as the first student,[4] the newly opened Fourah Bay College, an Anglican missionary school, where his interest in language found him studying Latin and Greek but also Temne. After completing his studies he began teaching at the school.

He married a schoolmistress, Asano (i.e. Hassana; she was formerly Muslim), baptised Susan. She was also rescued from the Portuguese slave ship that originally brought Crowther to Sierra Leone, and had also converted to Christianity. Their several children included Dandeson Coates Crowther,[5] archdeacon of the Niger Delta.[6] Crowther was father-in-law to Thomas Babington Macaulay, a junior associate, who married Crowther's 2nd daughter (Abigail Crowther).[7] Crowther's grandson Herbert Macaulay (Thomas Babington Macaulay and Abigail Crowther's son) became one of the first Nigerian nationalists and played an important role in ending British colonial rule in Nigeria.

Crowther was also a close associate and friend of Captain James Pinson Labulo Davies, an influential politician, mariner, philanthropist and industrialist in colonial Lagos.[8] Both men collaborated on a couple of Lagos social initiatives such as the opening of The Academy (a social and cultural center for public enlightenment) on 24 October 1866 with Crowther as the 1st patron and Captain J.P.L Davies as 1st president.

Great man





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Great man with great work!

Fulani had been raiding this country for long