On September 25, 1764 Fletcher Christian was born. 
Sailor and notorious mutineer, Christian ended his days on the remote island of Pitcairn, leaving behind a legacy that has sparked romanticised movies about his life and actions. 

The Pitcairn post office has issued a number of stamps featuring Fletcher Christian, but the best is the extensive series released in 1989 to celebrate the
Bicentenary of Pitcairn Island Settlement, designed by Clive Abbott. The stamps step through the major events of the Mutiny like a small graphic novel. 

Loading stores, Deptford

Born in Moorland Close, Eaglesfield, Cumberland, England, Christian began his naval career late. At the age of 17, he joined the Royal Navy as a cabin boy (a position normally filled by boys between 12 and 15 years). It was on his first posting that he met William Bligh, and they began a friendship that would eventually end in violence. By the mid 1780s he left the Royal Navy and entered service aboard merchant ships, including Bligh’s new command Britannia. 

Bounty leaving Spithead / Bounty trying to round Cape Horn

In December 1787, Bligh in command of the HMAV Bounty, headed out on a 2 year voyage to transport breadfruit trees from Tahiti to the West Indies. Having sailed with Christian many times, Bligh trusted him and respected his skills as a seaman. He asked Christian initially to serve as the ship’s Master but was overruled by the Navy Board. Christian still signed aboard, as a Master’s Mate. Midway through the Bounty’s trip to Tahiti, Bligh promoted him the role of acting lieutenant. 

Anchored in Adventure Bay, Tasmania / Crew collecting breadfruit / Breadfruit in great cabin  

 

The Bounty arrived in Tahiti in October 1788. Bligh and Christian’s friendship had already begun to deteriorate during the long voyage to the island. After5 months in Tahiti, waiting for the trees to be prepared, it was at its breaking point. During the layover,  seeds of discontent were sown as the men enjoyed a relaxed, almost idyllic life on shore away from the harsh realities of the 18th century merchant navy.  When the ship finally sailed for the West Indies on April 4, 1789, sailors, led by Fletcher Christian began to grumble about life away from the island. Bligh was angry at what he views as lazy seamanship and lax work standards. Within 3 weeks of leaving Tahiti, discontent exploded into a full blown mutiny on April 28, 1789, with Bligh on one side and Christian on the other.

Bounty leaving Matavai Bay, Tahiti

Twenty-three days out to sea and 1300 miles from Tahiti, Christian and his men woke Bligh in the middle of the night, pointed a bayonet at him and forced him on deck. No blood was shed; instead the mutineers ordered Bligh and 18 of his loyal followers to board the Bounty’s launch.

Of the 42 men onboard, apart from Bligh and Christian, 18 joined the mutiny, two were passive and 22 loyal to Bligh (four of whom had to stay aboard the ship).
Mutiny on the Bounty | Royal Museums Greenwich (rmg.co.uk)

Mutineers waking Captain Bligh 

Christian put Bligh and his remaining loyal crew aboard a 20ft launch, allowing them to take a few navigational instruments and 5 days worth of food with them. They set off what would become a 3,600 mile (5,800 km) journey that was a testament to Bligh’s navigation skills and seamanship. 

Confrontation between Fletcher Christian and Bligh / Provisioning Bounty’s launch / “Mutineers Casting Bligh Adrift” (Robert Dodd)

 A tragic stop at a nearby volcanic island, Tofua, where one of them was killed by natives, resolved Bligh to sail directly for Timor, 3,600 miles (5,800 km) away. It was a voyage of extreme hardship, brilliant navigation, and mutual hatred, as the launch party blamed one another for the mutiny and their plight. Bligh and his men reached Timor on June 14, 1789. Continuing to Batavia (Jakarta) on the island of Java, they found transportation to England, finally arriving there in March 1790. 
William Bligh | English Admiral & Mutiny on the Bounty Leader | Britannica

Mutineers aboard Bounty /  Throwing breadfruit overboard 

But what of Fletcher Christian and the rest of the crew? They first tried to establish a home on the island of Tubuai, but abandoned the island after two attempts to settle it. The indigenous population were hostile to the struggles to settle there. Three months after the second try, 16 crew members decided to return to Tahiti (where they were either caught by British authorities or murdered). The remaining 8 remained with Christian along with men and women from Tahiti, as they sailed away in search of a remote, hidden island to settle. 

In September 1789, 16 of the crew voted to remain in Tahiti. Eight of the mutineers decided to stay with Christian and continue the search for an uninhabited island, hidden from the outside world. During the night, Fletcher Christian learned of a plot to take Bounty from him and ordered the anchor cable to be cut without the guests on board knowing. Although a few jumped off when they realized what was happening, and six other “rather ancient” women were sent ashore at Moorea, six Polynesian men (three of which were stowaways), twelve Polynesian women and a baby girl (Sully) were to continue the journey to their unknown home
Pitcairn Islands Study Center (puc.edu)

To the world, it looked as though Christian and the remaining mutineers had sailed off into the mists and disappeared. 

After fleeing Tahiti, Bounty sailed westward combing the Cooks, Tonga and the eastern islands of Fiji in search of a home. This was to be a journey that would take almost four months.
Pitcairn Islands Study Center (puc.edu)

Nothing was heard of them for nearly 2 decades until an American ship anchored at Pitcairn Island, located 1,350 miles (2,170 km) southwest of Tahiti. The whaling ship Topaz dropped anchor in 1809, and found a small community, inhabited by the children of the mutineers and the Tahitians who left with them.  

Landing

What happened after January 1790 is a murky tale of fear, paranoia, murder, jealousy, missed opportunities for rescue and gross mistreatment that led to a spasms of violence over the decades since being voluntarily marooned on the island. 

The island was already known to the British navy, having been discovered in 1767 and named Pitcairn at that time.  

. . . . we discovered land to the northward of us. Upon approaching it the next day (Friday, 3 July), it appeared like a great rock rising from the sea. . . and it having been discovered by a young gentleman, son of Major Pitcairn of the Marines, we called it Pitcairn’s Island.
Captain Philip Carteret Captain 1767
Pitcairn Islands Study Center (puc.edu)

Exploration of the island / Carrying goods ashore / Burning the Bounty

Fletcher Christian was familiar with Captain Carteret’s discovery of Pitcairn and set off to try and find it. The ship zigzagged for months in search of this hidden island eventually sighting it January 15, 1790. They dropped anchor in what would become known as Bounty Bay, rowing to the island to inspect its suitability.

The violent swell made it impossible to make a safe landing at the island. After waiting two to three days for the weather conditions to subside, Christian, Brown, Williams, McCoy and three Tahitians rowed ashore at Tedside. The island was lonely, inaccessible, uninhabited, fertile and warm; it exceeded Christian’s highest hopes. Pitcairn Islands Study Center (puc.edu)

After deciding to remain, the crew and Tahitians, stripped the ship clean of anything usable and set fire to it on January 23. They were now committed to remaining. 

By September 1793, several children had been born on the island. The four remaining Polynesian men now shared one woman (Mareva). Having suffered enough from their ill treatment, the Polynesian men set out to kill the mutineers. John Williams was the first victim, followed by Fletcher Christian, John Mills, Isaac Martin and William Brown. John Adams was shot, but survived.

The Polynesian men then began fighting over the women. Teimua was shot dead by Manarii, then Manarii himself was shot by William McCoy and Matthew Quintal. One of the women, possibly Teraura, killed Tatahiti and Edward Young shot Niau. None of the six Polynesian men left behind any children. Four European men remained: Edward Young, Matthew Quintal, John Adams and William McCoy, along with ten women and their children.
Pitcairn Islands Study Center (puc.edu)

If it hadn’t been for the women on the island, starvation would have claimed all their lives. They possessed the knowledge of how to fish, garden and maintain canoes, making them invaluable.

The women played an important role in ensuring the survival of the island and even more so after the massacre. Only they could have known how best to tend gardens, catch fish and make traditional tools and canoes. They would also have had almost sole influence on the up bringing of the children.
Pitcairn Islands Study Center (puc.edu)

Settlement

Through the next decade life settled down on the island, except for a few violent reactions by the women who pushed back against the vile treatment they suffered from the men. Eventually, a sense of community took over, with both sides resigned to the knowledge they were indeed trapped on the island and needed to make the best of it. That was until one of the mutineers discovered how to brew a potent drink from the ti plant, which caused further spasms of alcohol fueled violence, and more murders.

When the Americans sailed into view on February 6, 1808, the islanders were re-introduced to the outside world, although only briefly. England was up to it’s canons in war with Napoleon, and the news of old mutineers was low on the British Navy’s list of priorities. Pitcairn fell back into the shadows until 2 British ships sailed into the harbour in 1814, hunting for an American man-of-war ship. The captains of the ships, Briton and Tagus, were shocked to find a small, viable community on the island. So much so, they refused to arrest the last surviving mutineer, John Adams, now the leader of Pitcairn, calling his arrest “an act of cruelty and inhumanity”. 

Pitcairn was now shoved onto the world stage, and became a public curiosity. 

Twenty-five years of isolation had ended. News of the island community attracted great attention around the world and increasing visits were made by ships sailing from India and Australia to South America or to England via the Horn. The reports sailors brought back stimulated an interest. English missionary societies sent gifts of Bibles, prayer books and spelling books to the island, as well as such practical necessities as crockery, razors, tools and guns.

In addition, nearly every visiting ship made generous gifts and bartered surplus stores for provisions, and it was at this time that the orange was introduced, that houses were improved with the aid of saws and planes, and clothes and living became more European in character.
Pitcairn Islands Study Center (puc.edu)