John Henry Budden (1813–1890) was an English missionary associated with the London Missionary Society who worked in the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand, India, during the 19th century. He established the Almora Mission, and took part in setting up of Christian schools and healthcare facilities in the region.
Early Life.
Budden was born in London, England, to William Budden and Elizabeth Hanson. His family belonged to the Nonconformist tradition, and his father later resided in Kensington. He graduated from the Western College. Budden spent his early years in Canterbury, where he became involved in a local church. In 1835, he returned to London and worked at the wholesale firm of Johnson & Bulmer on Cannon Street. During this time, he attended the Weigh House Chapel, where the ministry of Thomas Binney affected him to pursue missionary work. After completing his preparation, he was ordained alongside his brother-in-law, under the London Missionary Society, and later that year, he departed for India.
History.
Budden was ordained on Tuesday evening, June 8, 1841, at the Weigh House Chapel, Fish Street Hill. He had been appointed as a missionary to Benares, North India. On June 17, 1841, Budden departed from Portsmouth on the ship "Peking", captained by Laing, and arrived at Calcutta on November 26, 1841, before proceeding to his assignment in Benares, where he arrived by January 12, 1842. In July 1842, he accompanied D.G. Watt to Fatehgarh, returning at the end of September. In November 1842, he visited Shimla for health reasons and returned to Benares in 1843. On November 25, 1843, he took charge of the mission at Mirzapur in the absence of Robert Cotton Mather. Budden was stationed in Mirzapur from 1843 to 1848.
On April 27, 1845, He returned to England and married Sarah Odell Newton, a church member from Kensington. They departed for India on August 1, 1845, arriving in Calcutta on November 18 and reaching Mirzapur in January 1846. In 1848, he visited Nainital for health reasons. He returned to Benares at the end of 1849 and continued his work there before resuming duties in Mirzapur in 1850.
Sarah died at Almora on January 31, 1859. In November 1859, John departed for England, arriving there on January 4, 1860. He returned to India in 1862, reaching Almora at the end of March, where he resumed his missionary and educational work. In 1863, he visited England again for health reasons, leaving Calcutta in December and arriving in England on April 2, 1864. He returned to India on September 25, 1865, and remained there until 1884.
In 1884, Budden returned to England on furlough, arriving on April 20. He went back to India in 1885 and submitted his resignation from active service in July 1887, citing age and health reasons. The London Missionary Society accepted his resignation on September 26, 1887.
Missions.
Almora.
Budden visited the Himalayan hills for health reasons, where he met Captain Ramsay, a colonial officer based in Nainital. Along with John Hallet Batten, Ramsay offered him a missionary position in the Kumaon Hills. The London Missionary Society approved the appointment, with arrangements for his salary and local expenses to be funded through subscriptions starting in January 1851.
In 1850 Budden and his wife with Ramsay’s support, established a mission station. The mission included two buildings and a Chapel, where Sunday services were held in both Hindi and English. That same year, the London Missionary Society under Budden founded the first English school in Almora, later named Ramsay High School. While the school was initially supported through local subscriptions, these declined over time, and the Directors in London resumed payment of Budden’s salary. He served in Almora for 46 years, and his wife was involved in the mission until her death in 1859.
Leprosy.
The leper house in Almora was originally established by Captain Ramsay, who had been supporting lepers since 1836. Budden assumed responsibility for its management in 1850, following Ramsay’s departure to England. He relocated the facility to a six-acre site, constructed the necessary buildings, and developed a stable support system. He administered the Almora Leprosy Asylum from 1851 to 1887. In 1864 and 1865, ninety-six lepers were baptized. Between 1880 and 1890, 250 patients were admitted, with ninety-one baptized and forty-two becoming church members. The 1895 report recorded 114 inmates, comprising sixty men and fifty-four women, most of whom identified as Christians.
Memorials.
The Budden Memorial Church in Almora was established, After his death, the mission station was overseen by his daughter, Mary Budden. In 1891, the Christian population in the Almora province was recorded at 706, primarily through the activities of the London Missionary Society during Budden’s time. By 1909, the number was 455.