The Pitcairn Register

The Pitcairn Register - 

The Pitcairn Register stands as a most significant historical document for the people of Norfolk Island, representing our unique heritage. Created by John Buffett on Pitcairn Island in the early 19th century, this meticulous record chronicles the births, deaths, and marriages of the community from January 1790 until 1854.

Here, on Norfolk Island as we prepare to celebrate next year in 2026, the 170th anniversary of the Pitcairn Islanders' relocation, an ambitious fundraising campaign is underway to bring this treasured register home from the Royal Museums Greenwich in England. This initiative was instigated by Merv Buffett and Clare McPherson on Norfolk Island.

John Buffett, who arrived on Pitcairn in 1823 was not a mutineer himself but became an integral part of the island's legacy as he  began the painstaking work of documenting the island's demographics. The Register he created was not merely a bureaucratic document but a conscious effort to preserve the identity of a unique society that had emerged from extraordinary circumstances.

What makes the Register particularly remarkable is that it records not just the European mutineers but equally documents the Polynesian women and together, their children.

For the descendants of the Pitcairn Islanders now living on Norfolk Island, the Register represents far more than a historical curiosity. It serves as a tangible connection to our origins and a foundation document for our unique cultural identity.

As a living legacy, the Register embodies the remarkable story of cultural resilience. It charts how a community born from dramatic circumstances—mutiny, flight, and the meeting of different worlds—managed to forge a stable society with its own distinctive identity.

The Norfolk Island Museum Trust's campaign to temporarily bring the Pitcairn Register from the Royal Museums Greenwich represents a significant cultural moment. Planned as the centerpiece of celebrations marking the 170th anniversary of the Pitcairn community's relocation to Norfolk Island on 8 June 1856, the exhibition promises to be much more than a simple display of a historical document.

AUDIO >>Have a listen now to Norfolk Islander, Pauline Reynolds as Chair of the Norfolk Island Museum Trust

For visitors to Norfolk Island in 2026, the exhibition of the Pitcairn Register offers a rare opportunity to engage with a remarkable chapter of Pacific history.

Visitors may be drawn to the human drama behind the Register—a tale of mutiny, survival, and the founding of a new society that can often read like an adventure novel but in actual fact, is documented with remarkable precision.

The opportunity for visitors to meet descendants of the families recorded in the Register while visiting Norfolk Island creates a living connection to history that few tourist destinations can offer—history that walks and talks among our visitors.

Beyond historical interest, many visitors find themselves reflecting on broader themes that resonate in our contemporary world: how communities forge identities, the importance of keeping accurate records for future generations, and how small, isolated groups maintain cohesion and purpose. In an age of digital records and globalization, the handwritten Pitcairn Register stands as a powerful reminder of how historical documentation helps communities stand strong, understand themselves and preserve their unique ancestry across generations.

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Transcript

Welcome to Episode 43 of the Untold Norfolk Island travel podcast series.

My name is Jodie Williams and as a Norfolk Islander & Churchill Fellow, I am your ‘on island’ podcast host.

>>> Audio: You have just heard a snippet of ‘Maimitti’ as written and sung by Norfolk Islander and singer / songwriter, Eileen Snell. 

The Pitcairn Register

The Pitcairn Register stands as a most significant historical document for the people of Norfolk Island, representing our unique heritage. Created by John Buffett on Pitcairn Island in the early 19th century, this meticulous record chronicles the births, deaths, and marriages of the community from January 1790 until 1854.

Here, on Norfolk Island as we prepare to celebrate next year in 2026, the 170th anniversary of the Pitcairn Islanders' relocation, an ambitious fundraising campaign is underway to bring this treasured register home from the Royal Museums Greenwich in England. This initiative was instigated by Merv Buffett and Clare McPherson on Norfolk Island.

John Buffett, who arrived on Pitcairn in 1823 was not a mutineer himself but became an integral part of the island's legacy as he  began the painstaking work of documenting the island's demographics. The Register he created was not merely a bureaucratic document but a conscious effort to preserve the identity of a unique society that had emerged from extraordinary circumstances.

What makes the Register particularly remarkable is that it records not just the European mutineers but equally documents the Polynesian women and together, their children.

For the descendants of the Pitcairn Islanders now living on Norfolk Island, the Register represents far more than a historical curiosity. It serves as a tangible connection to our origins and a foundation document for our unique cultural identity. Unlike many colonial records of the era, which often marginalized indigenous peoples, the Pitcairn Register gives equal prominence to both European and Polynesian lineages of our community from its origin.

The Register provides us with precise documentation of our ancestral lines, connecting our present-day families directly to the original Bounty settlers and our Tahitian foremothers through an unbroken chain of recorded lineage.

As a living legacy, the Register embodies the remarkable story of cultural resilience. It charts how a community born from dramatic circumstances—mutiny, flight, and the meeting of different worlds—managed to forge a stable society with its own distinctive identity. For contemporary Norfolk Islanders navigating questions of autonomy and cultural preservation in the modern world, the Register serves as both inspiration and evidence of our unique historical journey.

The Norfolk Island Museum Trust's campaign to temporarily bring the Pitcairn Register from the Royal Museums Greenwich represents a significant cultural moment. Planned as the centerpiece of celebrations marking the 170th anniversary of the Pitcairn community's relocation to Norfolk Island on 8 June 1856, the exhibition promises to be much more than a simple display of a historical document.

AUDIO >>Have a listen now to Norfolk Islander, Pauline Reynolds as Chair of the Norfolk Island Museum Trust as she shares with us a little more insight to the Register itself.

For visitors to Norfolk Island in 2026, the exhibition of the Pitcairn Register offers a rare opportunity to engage with a remarkable chapter of Pacific history.

Visitors may be drawn to the human drama behind the Register—a tale of mutiny, survival, and the founding of a new society that can often read like an adventure novel but in actual fact, is documented with remarkable precision.

AUDIO >> Singer and songwriter, Norfolk Islander Eileen Snell composed this song as sung in our Norf’k language entitled ‘Du we lors ouwus waye!’ - Which translates as ‘let’s not lose our way’.

The opportunity for visitors to meet descendants of the families recorded in the Register while visiting Norfolk Island creates a living connection to history that few tourist destinations can offer—history that walks and talks among our visitors.

Beyond historical interest, many visitors find themselves reflecting on broader themes that resonate in our contemporary world: how communities forge identities, the importance of keeping accurate records for future generations, and how small, isolated groups maintain cohesion and purpose. In an age of digital records and globalization, the handwritten Pitcairn Register stands as a powerful reminder of how historical documentation helps communities stand strong, understand themselves and preserve their unique ancestry across generations.

We look forward to welcoming you here!

Thanks so much for joining me this week!