London Missionary Society

Records of the London Missionary Society, dating mainly from the foundation of the Society in 1795, but with some material from 1774 onwards relating to Madagascar and Mauritius, and a series of 'Extra' correspondence dating from 1764. The records relate to the structure and administration of the So...

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Date(s) of creation: 1774 - 1977
Level: Sub-collection
Format: Archive           
Main author: London Missionary Society
Other authors: Missionary Society, Council for World Mission (Congregational and Reformed), Congregational Council for World Mission
Subjects:

Summary: Records of the London Missionary Society, dating mainly from the foundation of the Society in 1795, but with some material from 1774 onwards relating to Madagascar and Mauritius, and a series of 'Extra' correspondence dating from 1764. The records relate to the structure and administration of the Society and mission activity overseas and comprise LMS Home Office minutes and papers, committee minutes, correspondence inward and outward, candidates' papers, and papers of official deputations; official journals, reports and correspondence from LMS missionaries in the field; special series of 'Odds', a collection of miscellaneous documents including material from the mission field; a large collection of portraits of missionaries; more than 15,000 photographs, showing individual converts, mission staff and buildings, and also depicting the lives, work and pursuits of indigenous peoples, means of transport, topographical scenes and historical events. Personal papers of LMS missionaries in the archive include an important collection of 115 original letters from David Livingstone (1813-1873), as well as correspondence of Robert Moffat (1795-1883) in Southern Africa, Robert Morrison (1782-1834) in China and James Sibree (1836-1929) and Elizabeth Lomas (1877-1959) in Madagascar. Home Personals include the papers of Dr Ralph Wardlaw Thompson (1842-1916), Foreign Secretary of the LMS from 1881-1914. Records after 1966 are those of the Congregational Council for World Mission, and reflect the administrative changes and restructuring leading up to the creation of the Council for World Mission in 1977. Records for this period have been arranged and listed as a continuation of the LMS papers as in many cases changes to administrative structures took place gradually.
Main author: London Missionary Society
Other authors: Missionary Society, Council for World Mission (Congregational and Reformed), Congregational Council for World Mission
Extent: 2,720 boxes/loose volumes & additional maps, blueprints & pictures
Admin history: The origins of the London Missionary Society (LMS) lie in the late 18th century revival of Protestant Evangelism. A meeting of Independent Church leaders, Anglican and Presbyterian clergy and laymen, held in London in November 1794, established the aims of the Missionary Society - 'to spread the knowledge of Christ among heathen and other unenlightened nations'. The Missionary Society was formally established in September 1795 with a plan and constitution. This governed the establishment of a Board of Directors and the conduct of busi ... View more
Custodial history: Much outgoing material from 1914 onwards was lost to bomb damage during the Second World War.
Acquisition: Deposited on permanent loan by the Council for World Mission in 1973. Further deposits in 1988, 1991, 1994, 2001, 2005 and 2007.
Arrangement: The papers in the main series are arranged into home material and foreign missions material, with the foreign missions papers arranged geographically by country. The material is divided into the following categories: Home materials; Africa; Americas; Australia; China; Europe; India; Madagascar; Papua New Guinea; South Seas/South Pacific; Ultra Ganges/South East Asia; West Indies and British Guyana; Personals. Up to 1927, incoming and outgoing letters are kept separately, as are reports (from 1866 onwards) and journals. From 1928, incoming and ... View more
Access status: Open
Copyright: Copyright held by Council for World Mission unless otherwise indicated.
User restrictions: For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance
Language: English
Multiple languages
Finding aids: An unpublished guide to the CWM/LMS papers, 1795-1940, was prepared by Hannah Lowery in 1994. This has been subject to a number of revisions and is available on the archive catalogue and in the Special Collections Reading Room, SOAS Library. Unpublished lists for the three accruals to the collection, 1941-1950, 1951-1960 and 1961-1970 and detailed lists for certain sections of the London Missionary Society papers, including early missionary correspondence (to c1899), journals and missionary deputations, 1795-c1900, reports, 1866-1939, candidates papers (to 1940) and missionary portraits, are available in the Special Collections Reading Room, SOAS Library.
Copies: The main accession of London Missionary Society papers, 1795-1940, and the first accrual, 1941-1950, have been published on microfiche by IDC Publishers (now Brill). Copies are held at a number of research libraries around the world.
Related material: SOAS Library also holds records of the Commonwealth Missionary Society (Ref: CWM/CMS), which forms part of the records of the Council for World Mission (Ref: CWM), and the library of the Council for World Mission (Ref: CWML). Personal papers of a number of LMS missionaries were deposited with the Council for World Mission/London Missionary Society by individual missionaries and their families, including letters of Robert Moffat in southern Africa, Robert Morrison in China, and James Sibree and Elizabeth Lomas in Madagascar, and papers of Dr Ral ... View more
Format: Archive           
Subjects: