The Rev. Samuel Marsden (born Yorkshire 1764, died Windsor, New South Wales 12 May 1838) was associated with William Wilberforce in England, was ordained in 1793, married Elisabeth Fristan, and then sailed to New South Wales, Australia. He arrived in Sydney on 10 March 1794, shortly after the birth of their first child, Anne. By 1795 he was settled in Parramatta, where he became Chaplain, wealthy landowner, farmer and magistrate. He was known as the "Flogging Parson", because even by the standards of his day, he inflicted extremely severe, cruel punishments. His savagery to convicts was probably the result of his hatred for Roman Catholics, as many convicts were of Irish origin.

In 1809, he was the first to ship wool to England from Australia, and is believed to have introduced sheep to New Zealand where he has a gentler reputation. Marsden was the first to preach the Christian gospel to the Maori people in 1814 and was greatly respected by that race.