In 1767, what was to become Pitcairn Island was discovered by HMS Swallow and named after  Midshipman Robert Pitcairn who as the lookout, was the first to spot the island. The Mutiny on the Bounty in 1789, eventually led to the mutineers settling on the island in 1790.

The early days on Pitcairn were not easy for the outcasts and many trials and tribulations were to face them, over the coming months. Today's Pitcairn is a far cry from what the settlers first had before them. but gradually it all took shape, with a reasonable living being carved out of the land, with the animals, plants and labour available. Even after most of the mutineers were rounded up and returned to face justice, their progeny and family's continued on until today when their descendants still live on the island.

The island of Pitcairn is nothing but a very small dot in a very big ocean, here (left) seen from the air. Any attempt to land on the island is a very difficult task indeed. The waters surrounding the island is very rocky and is constantly pounded by heavy swells, making any attempt to leave or return to the island, a job for people who really know their job. I still remain in awe of the sailors and navigators that could find these tiny atoll's in the middle of nowhere, using the primitive instruments they had at their disposal, in those early days.  

The arrow on the map (right), indicates just how isolated the island is, it is roughly half-way between the city of Los Angeles in California USA, and Northern Queensland in Australia. It would be like trying to find a grain of wheat in a million acres of sand, but they did it.!!

Over the years many items from the 'Bounty' have been salvaged including the anchor lost by Fletcher Christian when he departed Tahiti. On the island for the benefit of tourists are such reminders as, Christians Cave, John Adams grave, etc. The islanders today still carry the European characteristics, mingled with the typical Islander features, as shown here with a couple of descendants.

This obelisk or marker, commemorates the mutiny of the 'Bounty' events and the settlement of Pitcairn Island by the survivors and families of those who played a part in an extraordinary event in history. When the Bounty arrived at Pitcairn on the 15th January 1790,  it brought with it 9 mutineers, 11 Tahitian women, 1 Child and 6 black men. After the mutiny Fletcher Christian withdrew into himself, he became sullen, morose, maybe even mentally unbalanced. He became hated and despised by all the inhabitants of the island, due to his cruelty and inhumanity towards them. He was shot dead by a black man, in a field where Christian was working. The black man was later assassinated himself by one of the others. Two of the mutineers took their own lives and the remainder were murdered in their sleep by the their Tahitian servants who rose up against them. How ironic is that? In later years an American Sealer the "Topaz" stumbled across land where there should not have been any. That was at Latitude 25 degrees 04 minutes south and Longitude 130 degrees 06 minutes west. The skipper of the sealer was soon to realize that he had discovered Pitcairn Island which was previously thought to be 180 miles to the west. To his amazement a native longboat came driving through the pounding surf to reach his boat. To his further amazement, this 16 or 17 year old lad asked him in perfect English, "Do you know my father?". When he replied" No, I do not.!!" "Then do you know of Captain William Bligh? My father sailed with him." Only then did the Sealer skipper fully realize that he had, completely by chance, found the last unanswered question in the saga of the Mutiny of the Bounty. This was Thursday October Christian the son of Fletcher Christian. 

In 1838 Pitcairn became part of the British Empire and in 1856 it was abandoned because of overcrowding and the inhabitants relocated to Norfolk Island. The island re-populated again in 1858.

As a footnote, at the time when the American Sealer found Pitcairn again, the sole remaining mutineer was a John Adams, alias Alexander Smith, who changed his name to avoid possible detection by passing vessels. Of the mutineers returned to England for Court Martial, Peter Heywood and James Morrison both heavily involved with the mutiny, were both given pardons. Why?, well maybe it was because of lack of conclusive evidence, but more likely , it was Peter Heywood's family's considerable social standing. and the fact that he had a considerable number of relatives in the Admiralty.  So much so, that Heywood went on the become a senior officer in the Royal Navy. Proving the point, "Its not what you know" but rather,  "Who you know!!"

The remaining three John Millward, Thomas Burkett and Thomas Ellison were hanged on board the HMS. Brunswick, after a lengthy wait in goal.  

The "Mutiny on the Bounty" will go down as one of the few 'Bloodless' Coupe's in history. The individuals who perished were more the victims of fate and circumstance, rather than by acts of terror and murderous intent.