Ralph Wardlaw Thompson Papers
Papers, 1746-1918, of and relating to Dr Ralph Wardlaw Thompson and his family, comprising correspondence and papers concerning his antecedents and family, 1746-1872, including letters to the Rev Dr Ralph Wardlaw, 1795-1852, and papers concerning Dr John Wardlaw, 1838-1872; Bible given to Ralph Ward...
| Order number: |
CWM/LMS/Home/Personal/Boxes 2 & 3 |
|---|---|
| Date(s) of creation: |
1746-1918 |
| Level: |
Sub-series |
| Format: | Archive |
| Main author: | Thompson; Ralph Wardlaw (1842-1916); foreign secretary of the London Missionary Society |
| Other authors: | Wardlaw; family; missionaries |
| Subjects: |
| collection |
SOAS Archive |
|---|---|
| id |
CWM.LMS.20.01.02 |
| recordtype |
archive |
| scb_item_location |
Archive & Special Collections |
| item_location |
Archive & Special Collections |
| scb_loan_type |
Reference only |
| scb_order_with |
CWM/LMS/Home/Personal/Boxes 2 & 3 |
| callnumber |
CWM/LMS/20/01/02 |
| callnumber_txt |
CWM/LMS/20/01/02 |
| callnumber-sort |
CWM/LMS/20/01/02 |
| prefix_number |
02 |
| title |
Ralph Wardlaw Thompson Papers |
| scb_date_creation |
1746-1918 |
| scb_level |
Sub-series |
| level_sort |
7/Collection/Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Sub-Collection/Series/Sub-Series/Sub-Sub-Series/File |
| scb_extent |
2 boxes |
| author |
Thompson; Ralph Wardlaw (1842-1916); foreign secretary of the London Missionary Society |
| author_facet |
Thompson; Ralph Wardlaw (1842-1916); foreign secretary of the London Missionary Society Wardlaw; family; missionaries |
| authorStr |
Thompson; Ralph Wardlaw (1842-1916); foreign secretary of the London Missionary Society |
| author_letter |
Thompson; Ralph Wardlaw (1842-1916); foreign secretary of the London Missionary Society |
| author2 |
Wardlaw; family; missionaries |
| author2Str |
Wardlaw; family; missionaries |
| format |
Archive |
| scb_admin_history |
Ralph Wardlaw Thompson was born into a London Missionary Society (LMS) family at Bellary, southern India, 1842; son of the Rev William Thompson and Jessie Crawford (daughter of the Rev Dr Ralph Wardlaw); moved to South Africa when his father became the LMS agent there; educated at the South African College, Cape Town; BA, University of the Cape of Good Hope; returned to England, but poor health prevented him from becoming a missionary, 1861; minister of Ewing Place Congregational Church, Glasgow, 1865-1870; minister of Norwood Congregational Church, Liverpool, 1871-1880; elected to the Board of Directors of the LMS, 1874; foreign secretary of the LMS, 1881-1914; visited missions in India, China, South Africa, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, and the South Seas; Chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales, 1908; leader at the Edinburgh World Missionary Conference, 1910; first chairman of the Conference of British Missionary Societies; retired, 1914; Doctor of Divinity, Glasgow University and Edinburgh University; died, 1916. For further information see Basil Mathews, Dr Ralph Wardlaw Thompson (1917). Publications include: with Arthur N Johnson, British Foreign Missions 1837-1897 (1899); My Trip on the `John Williams' (1900); Griffith John: the story of 50 Years in China (1906).
Dr Ralph Wardlaw was born at Dalkeith, Mid-Lothian, Scotland, 1779; educated at the grammar school, Glasgow; matriculated at Glasgow University, 1791; entered the theological school; came under evangelical influence; completed his studies, 1800; became a Congregationalist; an independent chapel was erected for him in North Albion Street, Glasgow, 1803; married Jane Smith, 1803; eleven children; professor of systematic theology at the newly-founded Glasgow Theological Academy, 1811; secretary of the Glasgow auxiliary of the British and Foreign Bible Society and actively interested in the London Missionary Society; active in the anti-slavery movement; Doctor of Divinity, Yale College, Connecticut, 1818; a larger chapel was erected for him in West George Street, Glasgow, 1819; maintained his connection with his Glasgow chapel until his death; prominent in Britain and America as an author on theological questions; died at Easterhouse, 1853. Publications: various theological writings.
Dr John Smith Wardlaw was born, 1813; son of Ralph Wardlaw; LMS missionary in India; at Bellary, 1842-1855; at Vizagapatam, 1855-1858; returned to England, 1858; president of Farquhar House, Highgate (an LMS institute for training missionaries), 1863; Doctor of Divinity, Glasgow University, 1870; died, 1872. |
| scb_custodial_history |
The papers were deposited with the London Missionary Society and form part of the special series of personal papers of individual LMS missionaries and officers. |
| scb_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. |
| description |
Papers, 1746-1918, of and relating to Dr Ralph Wardlaw Thompson and his family, comprising correspondence and papers concerning his antecedents and family, 1746-1872, including letters to the Rev Dr Ralph Wardlaw, 1795-1852, and papers concerning Dr John Wardlaw, 1838-1872; Bible given to Ralph Wardlaw Thompson by his parents, 1847; four letters to Thompson, 1851-1866, including one from Ralph Wardlaw; palm leaf address to Thompson and Albert Spicer, London Missionary Society (LMS) deputation members in India, 1882; Thompson's diaries of a deputational visit to India, China and South Africa, 1882-1883; notes of deputational visits to South Africa, 1892, 1898, and to the South Seas and Papua New Guinea, 1897; notes on the LMS conference at Shanghai and on a deputational visit to India, 1907; notes for speeches, 1880s-1890s and undated; decorative addresses presented to Thompson, 1880, 1908; letters received on Thompson's death, 1916; biographical material on Thompson collected by Basil Mathews, 1916-1918. |
| scb_related_name_code |
GB/NNAF/P145850 GB/NNAF/P158367 GB/NNAF/P142581 GB/SOASNAF/F27 GB/SOASNAF/P490 GB/NNAF/P130750 GB/SOASNAF/F28 |
| scb_related_name_relationship |
Creator of |
| scb_place_code |
1814991 7729894 6255151 7729895 9406051 1269750 2088628 1796236 953987 |
| scb_access_status |
Open |
| language |
English |
| language_search |
English |
| scb_finding_aids |
Detailed list of the papers of Ralph Wardlaw Thompson (list A3) is available for consultation at the School of Oriental and African Studies, SOAS Library. |
| scb_copies |
Published on microfiche by IDC Publishers. |
| scb_related_material |
The School of Oriental and African Studies holds the records of the London Missionary Society (Ref: CWM/LMS), including Ralph Wardlaw Thompson's letters in India, China, Mauritius and South Africa during his deputational visit, 1882-1883, and terms of reference for the 1907 deputational visit to India and China by Thompson, W Bolton and A W Whitley, 1906 (Ref: CWM/LMS Home Miscellaneous Box 8/3-4); several portrait photographs of Thompson (Ref: CWM/LMS General Portraits Box 6); and various other photographs of or relating to him. The LMS records also include John Smith Wardlaw's candidate's papers (Ref: CWM/LMS Candidates' Papers Box 17 No 9); a portrait of him (Ref: CWM/LMS Miniature Portraits Box 2 Bundle 11 Miniature 22); and a photograph of an engraving of him (Ref: CWM/LMS Missionary Portraits Box 6). SOAS also holds papers of James Hudson Taylor, including a postcard from Ralph Wardlaw Thompson to Howard Taylor concerning missionaries in Shanghai, 1909 (Ref: CIM/JHT Box 4 File 34); papers of James Trenchard Hardyman, including a typescript letter from P G Peake to Thompson, 1891 (Ref: PP MS 63 Box 58 file 102), and undated information on Thompson (Ref: PP MS 63 Box 58 File 104). |
| scb-callnumber-first |
Clergy Congregationalism Congregationalists Missionaries Missionary deputations Missionary work Protestantism Protestants Travel abroad |
| topic |
Clergy Congregationalism Congregationalists Missionaries Missionary deputations Missionary work Protestantism Protestants Travel abroad |
| topic_facet |
Clergy Congregationalism Congregationalists Missionaries Missionary deputations Missionary work Protestantism Protestants Travel abroad |
| hierarchy_top_id_raw |
CWM |
| hierarchy_sequence |
CWM.00LMS.0020.0001.0002 |