CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY ARCHIVE

Section II: Missions to Women

Part 4: The Indian Female Evangelist, 1881-1893, continued as The Zenana: or, Woman’s Work in India,

            1893-1935, continued as The Zenana: Women’s Work in India and Pakistan, 1936-1956 from

            Interserve, London

Part 5: Minutes of the Zenana, Bible and Medical Mission, 1865-1937 and the Annual Reports of the

            Indian Female Normal School and Instruction Society, 1863-1879 from Interserve, London

Organisation of the CMS Microfilm Collection

The CMS archive is held partly at CMS Headquarters in London but mainly at the University of Birmingham Library. To date, only the material relating up to 1949 is held in Birmingham but the papers for 1950-1959 will be moved to Birmingham in 1999. The material for later years, which is held in London, will follow in stages as the material becomes available for research.

Birmingham holds the papers of the General Secretary’s Department, which includes the main committee minutes of the Society concerned with its policy and overseas missions, together with the papers of the Candidates, Finance and Medical Departments and the Home Division. It also holds the Accessions series (collections of papers relating to the Society and its missionaries, which have largely been donated to CMS and do not form part of its official headquarters archives).

Birmingham also holds the archives of the Female Education Society (FES) and the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society (CEZMS) which were amalgamated with CMS. The CMS Gleaner is held in London. Copies of the Gleaner’s Pictorial Album, the Missionary Atlas, the Annual Letters, The History of the Church Missionary Society and the Register of CMS Missionaries can be found both in Birmingham and London. However there is only one annotated copy of the Register and this is held in London.

The microfilm publication of the CMS Archive is a major and extensive project. We have therefore divided the archive into manageable sections which largely reflect its original organisation.

Section I - East Asia Missions. This consists of the Loochoo Naval Mission 1843-1861, the Papers for Japan 1869-1949, for China 1834-1951 and the Archive of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society (CEZMS) for 1880-1957.

Section II - Missions to Women consists of Part 1: The Archive of the Society for Promoting Female Education in China, India and the East (or Female Education Society) (FES), 1834-1899. Part 2: the CEZMS periodicals - India's Women and China's Daughters 1880-1939, retitled Looking East at India's Women and China's Daughters 1940-1957; Homes of the East 1910-1948; Daybreak 1889, 1893-94 and 1906-09 ; and The Indian Female Evangelist 1872-1880 (published by the Indian Female Normal School and Instruction Society). Part 4: the continuation of The Indian Female Evangelist 1881-1893, continued as The Zenana: or, Woman’s Work in India, 1893-1935, continued as The Zenana: Women’s Work in India and Pakistan, 1936-1956 published by the Zenana, Bible and Medical Mission and located at Interserve in London. Part 5: Minutes of the Zenana, Medical and Bible Mission, 1865-1937 and the Annual Reports of the Indian Female Normal School and Instruction Society, 1863-1879 from Interserve in London.

Section III - Central Records consists of the Annotated Register of CMS Missionaries 1804-1918, The History of the CMS, Catalogues to the Overseas Archive and Loochoo, CEZMS and FES Archives. It also includes the CMS Gleaner 1841-1921, retitled CMS Outlook 1922-1972; the CMS Gleaner Pictorial Album; and CMS Missionary Atlas. Also included are the Annual Letters 1887-1912 and the CMS medical periodicals Mercy and Truth 1897-1921, retitled The Mission Hospital 1922-1939, retitled The Way of Healing 1940; The Medical Mission Quarterly 1892-1896; and Preaching and Healing 1900-1906.

Section III continues with CMS Circular Books and Letters 1799-1921, the CMS Committee Minutes and Indexes 1799-1949, General Secretary's Papers, Candidates' Papers, Medical Department Papers and the Card Indexes. It concludes with the papers of the Home Division, the responsibilities of which included deputation work, the field staff, the Society’s publications and publicity and work amongst children and youth.

Section IV - Africa Missions contains the papers of the West Africa (Sierra Leone) Mission 1803-1949, the Nigeria - Yoruba Mission papers 1844-1934, Nigeria - Niger 1857-1934, Nigeria - Northern Nigeria 1900-1934 and Nigeria Missions 1935-1949. The other papers included are the Sudan Mission 1905-1949, Egypt 1889-1949, South and East Africa 1836-1949 and East Africa 1875-1949, Mauritius and Madagascar 1856-1929, Persia (Iran) 1875-1949 and Turkish Arabia (Iraq) 1898-1949 and the Mediterranean and Palestine 1811-1949.

Section V - Missions to the Americas covers the papers of the West Indies Mission 1819-1861 and continues with the North - West Canada Mission 1821-1930 and British Columbia 1856-1925.

Section VI - South Asia Missions comprises the papers of the following missions: North India 1811-1949, South India 1811-1949, Western India 1820-1949, India General 1811-1815 and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1815-1949.

Section VII - Australasia Missions contains the papers of the New Zealand Mission 1809-1914. These papers include those of the short-lived Australia Mission covering the period 1830-1842.

In addition to a General Guide to the Archive there are also individual guides to the different sections of the project. The guides comprise an introduction written by Rosemary Keen (ex-archivist of the CMS) covering the history of the CMS and describing the organisation of the archive, a publisher’s note and introduction to the material and a content of reels listing.

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