During the early 1870s, William Barleycorn was a Sunday school teacher, a member of the Native Missionary Class, and a preacher at the local Bubi village of Basupu. In 1871 he abandoned running a small trading store and moved to San Carlos (North-West Bay) to work as an assistant for a European missionary.
In the early 1870s, William Barleycorn held various roles in his community: Sunday school teacher, member of the Native Missionary Class, and preacher at the Bubi village of Basupu. In 1871, he left his small trading business to become an assistant for a European missionary in San Carlos (North-West Bay).