Rev William Dowson journals
Journals and papers of William Dowson being: 1) Unbound manuscript entitled 'Journal and Recollections of a Mission to the West India Islands'. Journal begins on 20th April 1810 before his departure for Trinidad and ends upon his return to England at Liverpool on 29th April 1817. Includes transcript...
| Order number: |
MMS/Special Series/Biographical/West Indies/FBN 3 (fiche 97-108) |
|---|---|
| Date(s) of creation: |
1810-1840s |
| Level: |
Sub-series |
| Format: | Archive |
| Main author: | Dowson; William (c1787-1846); missionary |
| collection |
SOAS Archive |
|---|---|
| id |
MMS.17.02.02.14 |
| recordtype |
archive |
| scb_item_location |
Archive & Special Collections |
| item_location |
Archive & Special Collections |
| scb_loan_type |
Reference only |
| scb_order_with |
MMS/Special Series/Biographical/West Indies/FBN 3 (fiche 97-108) |
| callnumber |
MMS/17/02/02/14 |
| callnumber_txt |
MMS/17/02/02/14 |
| callnumber-sort |
MMS/17/02/02/14 |
| prefix_number |
14 |
| title |
Rev William Dowson journals |
| scb_date_creation |
1810-1840s |
| 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 |
4 files |
| author |
Dowson; William (c1787-1846); missionary |
| author_facet |
Dowson; William (c1787-1846); missionary |
| authorStr |
Dowson; William (c1787-1846); missionary |
| author_letter |
Dowson; William (c1787-1846); missionary |
| format |
Archive |
| scb_admin_history |
William Dowson was born c1787. He arrived on the island of Trinidad in 1810 to serve as a Wesleyan Methodist missionary but later transferred to the Bahamas, arriving there in March 1812 at the time it became a missionary district. Frequently suffering ill health, he served in New Providence until 1817 when he was compelled to return to England. Whilst resident in the Caribbean he married Elizabeth Jane Banks of New Providence at Christ Church, Nassau, on 21st Feburary 1814. He remained in England - working at Leigh [Lancashire], Newcastle-upon-Tyne [Northumberland], Barnard Castle [Durham] and Stockton [Cheshire] - until 1823 when he returned to the Bahamas District and, not long after his arrival, was made Chairman of the District. Initially he served on the island of Bermuda but later worked on Harbour Island and New Providence. In 1827 he transferred to the Jamaica District where he worked in Kingston and was Chairman of the District but soon moved on to the island of St Eustatius in 1828. Ill health forced him to move to cooler climes and in 1830 he began work in Canada, mainly in Nova Scotia but also briefly on Prince Edward's Island. By 1834 he was back in England and five years later he had become a supernumerary in Selby [Yorkshire]. However, in 1843 he returned to New Providence and whilst there remarried. He died, aged 59, on the island of Bermuda on 29th May 1846. |
| scb_custodial_history |
Given to the Methodist Missionary Society by Dr A Deans Pegg on behalf of Mrs K M Cross of Nassau, Bahamas, 10th October 1964 |
| description |
Journals and papers of William Dowson being:
1) Unbound manuscript entitled 'Journal and Recollections of a Mission to the West India Islands'. Journal begins on 20th April 1810 before his departure for Trinidad and ends upon his return to England at Liverpool on 29th April 1817. Includes transcripts of letters written and received by him as well as a few other documents at the end of the manuscript.
2) Unbound and incomplete journal. Begins mid sentence on [22] July [1823] on board a ship bound for the Bahamas District and ends whilst resident at New Providence on 18th December 1826. Includes transcripts of letters written and received by him.
3) & (4) Two files of loose leaves (may have once been one volume), a number of which are in a poor condition, comprising what appears to be a manuscript history of Methodism in the Bahamas and a personal memoir by Dowson. Probably written in the 1840s. |
| scb_related_name_code |
GB/SOASNAF/P895 |
| scb_related_name_relationship |
Subject of |
| scb_place_code |
3572887 3573345 3573591 2635167 7729891 |
| scb_access_status |
Open |
| scb_conditions_gov_access |
Only to be viewed on microfiche |
| scb_copyright |
Copyright held by Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes |
| scb_use_restrictions |
For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance |
| language |
English |
| language_search |
English |
| scb_related_material |
The first journal was edited and published in 1960 by A Dean Peggs as 'A Mission to the West Indies: Dowson's Journal for 1810-1817' (MMSL AM-BA5).
Also within the records of the (Wesleyan) Methodist Missionary Society is the official correspondence for William Dowson (MMS/West Indies/Correspondence/General/FBN 1-2 & 5-8). Unfortunately there is no correspondence extant for when he was a supernumerary in the Bahamas District. However, the synod minutes will detail his work, and that of his colleagues, in the West Indies Districts in the 1820s and may mention his work as a supernumerary in the Bahamas District in the mid 1840s (MMS/West Indies/Synod Minutes/FBN 1). Furthermore, there is correspondence written by him when serving in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island (MMS/North America/Correspondence/Nova Scotia/FBN 4) as well as the accompanying Synod Minutes (MMS/North America/Synod Minutes/FBN 1).
There are two letters by Dowson, with some brief biographical information, within the Steele Collection (MMS/Special Series/Various Papers/FBN 46).
A letter, dated 30th April 1811, from Dowson whilst in Trinidad to Rev Dr Thomas Coke is extant amongst some miscellaneous papers for the West Indies Districts (MMS/Special Series/Various Papers/FBN 45)
A copy of a print by J Renton (based on an engraving by W T Fry) of Dowson is available (MMS/West Indies/Photographs/Box 1200, file 22). |
| hierarchy_top_id_raw |
MMS |
| hierarchy_sequence |
MMS.0017.0002.0002.0014 |