McDougall was born in
Sydenham, son of William Adair McDougall, captain in the 88th regiment. He was educated at
King's College London, where he trained as a surgeon, and
Magdalen Hall, Oxford. While at Oxford, he rowed in the winning
Oxford eight in the
1842 Boat Race. On leaving Oxford, McDougall found employment in superintending the
Trimsaran iron-works in
South Wales, in which Robert John Bunyon had an interest; Francis married his daughter,
Harriette, in
Llanelli in July 1843. This was around the time of the
Rebecca Riots, and McDougall was a prospective target for planning to open a company '
truck' shop. The ironworks closed in 1844 and he left to be ordained in 1845, by
Edward Stanley,
Bishop of Norwich. William Bodham Wright was a second missionary, who made the same journey with his family, arriving with them in
Kuching in June 1848. McDougall established a
medical mission. The work of setting up a school was delegated to the Wrights, but immediately proved contentious. Wright favoured
co-education, which was culturally sensitive. The Wrights returned to the United Kingdom after eight months. Returning to
England in 1868 he was appointed
Vicar of
Godmanchester. Later he was
Archdeacon of Huntingdon, then
Vicar of
Milford on Sea; and finally
Archdeacon of the Isle of Wight from 1874 until his death. ==See also==