| Order number: |
MMS/Special Series/Biographical/West Africa/FBN 4 (fiche 122)
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| Summary: |
An account written by Thomas Raston (at the request of Dr Bunting) of the Wesleyan Methodist mission in Sierra Leone.
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| Main author: |
Raston; Thomas (fl 1842-1896); ordained missionary |
| Admin history: |
Thomas Raston was born in Sheffield [Yorkshire] and ordained into the Methodist Church on 9th November 1841. He departed for Sierra Leone on 10th November 1841 onboard 'Charlotte Wyllie' and arrived a few weeks later. Much of his energy was directed towards education, including a period in charge of the Institution for Training Native Teachers at King Tom's Point, Freetown. In 1844 he left on furlough for England and returned to Sierra Leone, newly married to Jane Padley (b. 1815), in November 1845. Sadly Mrs Raston died a few weeks later on 27th December 1845. A second furlough followed in 1847 (again marrying whilst in England) and upon returning in December he became Chairman of the District. During this period he declined the offer of becoming Colonial Secretary.
In 1851 Raston returned to England where he remained until he was posted to Australia in 1852. However, during his journey he was shipwrecked off Brazil in December of that year and did not actually arrive in Melbourne until July 1853. In 1854 the Australians formed their own Methodist Connexion and Raston joined them. He served principally in Victoria but became a supernumerary in Adelaide in 1872. At the same time he became mission secretary and served in that post until 1892. He died in Kent Town, South Australia, on 17th July 1896. |
Thomas Raston was born in Sheffield [Yorkshire] and ordained into the Methodist Church on 9th November 1841. He departed for Sierra Leone on 10th November 1841 onboard 'Charlotte Wyllie' and arrived a few weeks later. Much of his energy was directed towards education, including a period in charge of the Institution for Training Native Teachers at King Tom's Point, Freetown. In 1844 he left on furlough for England and returned to Sierra Leone, newly married to Jane Padley (b. 1815), in November 1845. Sadly Mrs Raston died a few we ... View more |
| Access status: |
Open
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| Access conditions: |
Only to be viewed on microfiche
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| Copyright: |
Copyright probably held by Methodist Missionary Society |
| User restrictions: |
For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance |
| Language: |
English
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| Related material: |
Also within the records of the (Wesleyan) Methodist Missionary Society is the official correspondence for Thomas Raston both in Sierra Leone (MMS/West Africa/Correspondence/Sierra Leone/FBN 25-26) and the start of his career in Australia (MMS/Australasia/Correspondence/Australia/FBN 3). The latter letters are few in number but include an account of his shipwrecking off Brazil. Furthermore, the synod minutes will mention his work, and the work of his colleagues, in both Sierra Leone (MMS/West Africa/Synod Minutes/Sierra Leone/FBN 7) and Australia (MMS/Australasia/Synod Minutes/FBN 1).
There are also copies of two of his letters available - one regarding his return to Sierra Leone in 1845 and the other the death of his first wife in December 1845 (MMS/Special Series/Biographical/Notes&Transcripts/FBN 1). Lastly, an obituary for Thomas Raston appears in Wesleyan Missionary Notices, 1896, pp 170-172 whilst an obituary for his first wife appears in William Fox's 'A Brief History of the Wesleyan Missions on the Western Coast of Africa' (1851). |
Also within the records of the (Wesleyan) Methodist Missionary Society is the official correspondence for Thomas Raston both in Sierra Leone (MMS/West Africa/Correspondence/Sierra Leone/FBN 25-26) and the start of his career in Australia (MMS/Australasia/Correspondence/Australia/FBN 3). The latter letters are few in number but include an account of his shipwrecking off Brazil. Furthermore, the synod minutes will mention his work, and the work of his colleagues, in both Sierra Leone (MMS/West Africa/Synod Minutes/Sierra Leone/FBN 7) and Australi ... View more |
| Format: |
Archive
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