| Summary: |
Correspondence and papers, 1834-1950s, of and relating to David Livingstone, composed of four sub-collections, as follows:
Official papers of and relating to Livingstone, 1834-1872. Largely comprising a series of original letters from Livingstone to officials of the LMS and friends in connection with his work as a missionary in Southern Africa, the bulk dating from the 1840s and 1850s. These letters were originally held in a wooden box and are still referenced as "Livingstone Wooden Box".
The Bruce Livingstone collection, comprising original letters, largely from Livingstone to Robert Moffat, 1844-1857, and photocopies of four letters, 1847-1853, from David Livingstone to Charles Livingstone.
The LMS reference collection on Livingstone, comprising copies of the LMS Livingstone letters (detailed above); some additional letters relating to Livingstone, 1841-1881, including copies of material held elsewhere; copy of "Dr Livingstone's Answers to Queries to
the London Missionary Society while he was working at Blantyre Mill, 1838"; photocopy of Livingstone's Bechuana journal, 1853; two microfilms of materials on Robert and Mary Moffat and Livingstone; miscellaneous papers relating to Livingstone and his historical context, 1850s-1950s, including typescripts, press cuttings and printed ephemera.
Ephemera originally found with the letters held in the "Livingstone Wooden Box". Includes music scores, transcripts of correspondence and a small series of letters, 1852-1855, written by Livingstone's wife, Mary Livingstone (née Moffat), to the LMS, with typescript copies.
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| Main author: |
Livingstone; David (1813-1873); explorer and missionary |
| Other authors: |
Livingstone; Mary (1821-1862); née Moffat, missionary, Moffat; Robert; 1795-1883; missionary |
| Extent: |
15 boxes (including originals & copies)
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| Admin history: |
David Livingstone was born in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland, 1813; his surname was originally spelt Livingston; aged ten, he began work in a local cotton mill, but attended its school in the evenings; achieved university entrance qualifications and attended the Andersonian Medical School, Glasgow, supporting himself by working in the mill for part of the year; studied at the Theological Academy, Glasgow; accepted for service by the London Missionary Society (LMS); went to London for theological training and continued his medical studies there, 1838; returned to Glasgow to take his final medical exams; licentiate of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow University, 1840; appointed LMS missionary to Bechuanaland; ordained at Albion Chapel, London, and sailed for South Africa, 1840; arrived in Cape Town and travelled to Kuruman, Bechuanaland, 1841; served for a time under the LMS missionary Robert Moffat among the Tswana and became fluent in their language; married Moffat's daughter Mary, 1844; made various journeys in southern Africa and became determined to evangelise to the peoples living beyond white-dominated southern Africa, 1840s; his party was the first group of Europeans to see Lake Ngami, 1849; sent his family back to Scotland, 1852; travelled north to Zambia, walking with Kololo companions west to Luanda on the coast of Angola and subsequently walking across Africa to Mozambique, 1852-1856; LLD, University of Glasgow, 1854; awarded the Queen's Gold Medal by the Royal Geographical Society, 1855; saw the Victoria Falls, 1855; hailed a hero on his return to Britain, 1856; DCL, University of Oxford, 1856; retired from the LMS, 1857; elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, 1858; undertook a government-backed expedition to the lands of the Zambezi River and Lake Malawi, 1858-1864; the Royal Geographical Society sent him back to Africa to explore the headwaters of the Nile, Congo, and Zambezi Rivers with his Kololo companions, 1866; his whereabouts were often unknown for months at a time in Europe; he became increasingly concerned by the devastation the slave trade was spreading in the region; he was located by H M Stanley of the New York Herald at Ujiji and greeted with the famous words 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?', 1871; died at Chitambo's village, Zambia, 1873; his heart was buried there by his African companions, who carried his mummified body to Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), from where it was returned to Westminster Abbey for burial, 1874. Publications: Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa (1857); Narrative of an Expedition to the Zambesi and its Tributaries (1865).
Mary Livingstone was born in Griquatown, South Africa, 1821; eldest child of the LMS missionary Robert Moffat and his wife Mary (née Smith); spent five years at Salem School in the eastern Cape Colony; teacher training at Cape Town; lived in Britain with her parents, but found life there uncongenial, 1839-1843; taught at the school at Kuruman in Griqualand, 1843-1845; married David Livingstone, 1844; worked with him in his missionary work; with their children, accompanied him on his two journeys to the north, 1850-1851; following her parents' insistence that she should not accompany him on his exploration of the Zambezi Valley, she spent four unhappy years in Britain; following her husband's return (1856) she spent two more years in Britain; insisted on joining him on the next Zambezi expedition and returned to Africa, 1861; died at Shupanga on the Zambezi River, 1862. |
David Livingstone was born in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland, 1813; his surname was originally spelt Livingston; aged ten, he began work in a local cotton mill, but attended its school in the evenings; achieved university entrance qualifications and attended the Andersonian Medical School, Glasgow, supporting himself by working in the mill for part of the year; studied at the Theological Academy, Glasgow; accepted for service by the London Missionary Society (LMS); went to London for theological training and continued his medical studies there ... View more |
| Custodial history: |
Some papers formed part of the records of the London Missionary Society, created by Livingstone during his missionary work. Others were collected by the LMS to form a reference collection relating to his life. The Livingstone-Moffat letters were presented to the LMS by Diana Bruce. The photocopy of Livingstone's Bechuana journal was presented by Professor I. Schapera. |
| Acquisition: |
Deposited on permanent loan with the records of the London Missionary Society by the Congregational Council for World Mission (later Council for World Mission) in 1973.
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| Arrangement: |
Broadly, the papers are arranged as follows: original letters to LMS officials and friends ("Livingstone Wooden Box" on restricted access, with copies available in CWM/LMS/Africa Odds/Boxes 1-3); the Bruce Livingstone collection (Box 4 on restricted access, with copies available in CWM/LMS/Africa/Odds, Box 5); additional LMS collected papers relating to Livingstone (Boxes 6-11); ephemera from the "Wooden Box", including letters of Mary Livingstone. |
| Document(s): |
Livingstone list.pdf
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| Access status: |
Restrictions apply
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| Access conditions: |
Copies of original letters must be consulted where available. See catalogue for details.
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| Language: |
English
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| Finding aids: |
Unpublished list to item level available for consultation.
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| Copies: |
Digitised copies and transcriptions of some of the letters in this collection have been included in the Livingstone Online project website, available at http://www.livingstoneonline.ucl.ac.uk/ |
| Related material: |
The archive of the London Missionary Society also includes a miniature portrait of Livingstone (Ref: CWM/LMS Miniature Portraits/Box 1, Bundle 3, Miniature 11A), three boxes of visual materials relating to Livingstone (Ref: CWM/LMS/Home/Livingtone Pictures/Boxes 1-3), and papers relating to Robert and Mary Moffat.
SOAS also holds an incomplete copy of a set of original lantern slides (copies on 35mm slides) made to illustrate an LMS talk on the life and work of David Livingstone (Ref: MS 380689). Originals are held at the David Livingstone Centre, Blantyre, Scotland . There is also a copy of the script made to accompany the lantern slides, 'The life and work of David Livingstone' (Ref: CWML J224 & CWML Q361). Digital copies of the slides can be viewed on the website of the National Portrait Gallery, London, UK. |
The archive of the London Missionary Society also includes a miniature portrait of Livingstone (Ref: CWM/LMS Miniature Portraits/Box 1, Bundle 3, Miniature 11A), three boxes of visual materials relating to Livingstone (Ref: CWM/LMS/Home/Livingtone Pictures/Boxes 1-3), and papers relating to Robert and Mary Moffat.
SOAS also holds an incomplete copy of a set of original lantern slides (copies on 35mm slides) made to illustrate an LMS talk on the life and work of David Livingstone (Ref: MS 380689). Originals are held at the David Livingstone Ce ... View more |
| Publications: |
Livingstone letters held at SOASe listed in G. W. Clendennen and I. C. Cunningham, David Livingstone: a catalogue of documents, National Library of Scotland, 1979.
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| Format: |
Archive
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