Guide to the Records of the Commonwealth and Continental Church Society (as filmed by the AJCP)

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M413-M416, M577-M579

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Created: 2019

Collection Summary

Creator
Commonwealth and Continental Church Society
Title
Records of the Commonwealth and Continental Church Society (as filmed by the AJCP)
Date Range
23 September 1835 - 1955
Collection Number
M413-M416, M577-M579
Extent
20 items
Language of Materials
English
Repository
Australian Joint Copying Project
Sponsor
The Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP) online portal was created with the assistance of the Australian Public Service Modernisation Fund, 2017-2020. The National Library of Australia gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the other foundation AJCP partners, the State Library of New South Wales and The National Archives of the UK, and all other organisations which supported the work of the AJCP, the world's most extensive collaborative copying project, operating from 1948 to 1997.

Introduction

Scope and Contents

Annual reports of the Society 1834-1957. These are printed reports and in some cases only the sections relating to Australia have been microfilmed. There is an index to the earlier volumes. Each report lists missionaries and agents, and shows financial returns, as well as detailing colonial operations in Australia, New Zealand, India, Africa, Canada and North America.

Minutes of meetings of the Society in London 1839-1901, excluding 1843-1850. They are contained in six volumes, each of which has an index. As well as detailing financial matters and affairs in England, the minutes give summaries of letters from missionaries in Perth; Goulburn and Armidale, New South Wales; Queensland; and Christchurch, New Zealand.

Conditions Governing Access

Available for access.

Conditions Governing Use

Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the London Metropolitan Archives. For more information contact London Metropolitan Archives Enquiry service [https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/london-metropolitan-archives/visitor-information/Pages/enquiry-service.aspx].

Preferred Citation

Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the London Metropolitan Archives and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.

Items from this collection should include references to the London Metropolitan Archives and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.

Example: Western Australasian Trade Section Minute Book. 22 April 1895- 12 October 1904, London Metropolitan Archives. MS 16512 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-798920226).

Archival History

Filmed at the Commonwealth and Continental Church Society, London, as part of the Australian Joint Copying Project, 1962, 1964. (AJCP reels M413-416, M577-579). Original microfilm digitised as part of the NLA AJCP Online Delivery Project, 2017-2020.

At the time of filming the material was held by the Commonwealth and Continental Church Society. Between 1974 and 1985 the Society deposited its archives in the Manuscripts Section of Guildhall Library. The Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section merged with the London Metropolitan Archives in 2009.

Existence and Location of Originals

Commonwealth and Continental Church Society, London, England.

Currently held at the London Metropolitan Archives, London. For more information see:London Metropolitan Archives (https://search.lma.gov.uk).

Existence and Location of Copies

The original AJCP microfilm of the records filmed from this collection is available at the National Library of Australia [https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn348145] as well as other institutions holding AJCP microfilm.

Finding Aid Note

This finding aid is a revised online version of the original finding aid prepared by the Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP), published by the National Library of Australia in 2019. The original AJCP finding aids were unpublished typescripts or photocopies available from libraries that held copies of the original microfilm.

Dates used in this finding aid refer to the date range of the records selected for filming rather than to the date range of the Series or Files.

Subjects

Africa; Armidale, New South Wales; Australia; Bush Church Aid Society; Canada; Christchurch, New Zealand; Colonial and Continental Church Society; Colonial Church and School Society; Colonial Missionary Society; Commonwealth and Continental Church Society; Great Britain; Goulburn, New South Wales; India; Missions and missionaries: Australia; Missions and missionaries: New Zealand; New South Wales: missions; Newfoundland; New Zealand; North America; Perth, Western Australia; Queenslan: missions; Western Australia: missions

Bibliography

Originally cited in Australian Joint Copying Project Handbook. Part 8: Miscellaneous (M) Series. Third Edition, published 1998. Entry 108, p. 39. [http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-397322928]

Biographical / Historical

The Newfoundland School Society was founded at a meeting in London in 1823 with the aim of promoting the education of the poor in Newfoundland. Its activities gradually spread to other parts of Canada. In 1835, following an appeal from Captain Frederick Irwin who had returned from the Swan River colony, the Western Australia Missionary Society was established. In the first year it sent two clergymen and a catechist to Western Australia. In 1838 its name was changed to the Colonial Church Society and its purpose was defined as 'sending out clergymen, catechists and schoolteachers to the colonies of Great Britain and to British residents in other parts of the world'. In 1851 the Newfoundland School Society and the Colonial Church Society merged to form the Colonial Church and School Society. The first secretary was Mesac Thomas, who was later the first Anglican Bishop of Goulburn.

During the 1850s, in addition to its colonial work, the Society established a growing number of chaplaincies on the European continent. This development led to another name change in 1861. The Colonial and Continental Church Society remained the name of the organisation until 1958, when it was changed to the Commonwealth and Continental Church Society. In 1979 it became the Intercontinental Church Society.

The earliest activities of the Society in Australia took the form of the selection and financial support of missionaries, catechists and schoolteachers in the settlements at the Swan River, Port Phillip and Van Diemen's Land. Funds were also provided for the purchase of books and the appointment of chaplains on emigrant and convict ships. By 1856 the Society was supporting three lay missionaries in the diocese of Sydney, one lay missionary in Newcastle, eight missionaries, one lay missionary and a teacher in the diocese of Melbourne and one missionary in the diocese of Perth. In the 1860s and 1870s the Society began to give priority to the large rural dioceses, which often lacked resources. In 1873 it paid for the stipends of eight missionaries in the diocese of Goulburn and five in the diocese of Bathurst. By 1887 grants to the dioceses of Sydney and Melbourne had come to an end, but the Society had extended its support to the dioceses of the Riverina, Ballarat and North Queensland, followed in later years by the dioceses of Gippsland, Wangaratta, Grafton and Armadale, and Carpentaria. In New Zealand its support was largely limited to the dioceses of Auckland, Waiapu and Nelson. In 1904 the Society funded 45 clergy and four lay evangelists in twelve Australian and New Zealand dioceses.

After 1914 the Society gradually reduced its involvement in Australia and New Zealand. In 1924 it supported 18 clergy, eight lay evangelists and teachers, and nine divinity students in nine dioceses. It also provided some funds to the Bush Church Aid Society. By 1934 it was supporting eight clergy, six lay evangelists and five divinity students in eight dioceses.

Item Descriptions

Newfoundland and British North America School Society. Statement concerning the extension of the operations of the Society to all the colonies of Great Britain (12pp.), 30 July 1846 (File Volume 2?/1)

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M413.

Proceedings of the Church of England School Society for Newfoundland and the Colonies, 25th year, 1847 - 1848 (File Volume 2/2)

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M413.

Reports of the Colonial Church Society, 1st-11th Year, 23 September 1835 - 1847 (File Volume 3/1)

The first report uses the name 'Australian Church Missionary Society, established 23 September 1835'. Each report contains proceedings of the annual meeting of the Society, regulations, the anniversary sermon, the report, appendices, a list of subscribers, and the cash account. The appendices include extracts from reports of missionaries in the colonies.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M413.

Colonial Church Society Occasional Papers, 1841 - 1846 (File Volume 3/2)

The papers contain extracts from reports of the Society and letters from missionaries and catechists. Paper nos. 1-12.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M413.

Colonial Church Record vol. 1, nos. 1-9, October 1838 - February 1840 (File Volume 3/3)

No. 3: Churches in South Australia.

No. 4: New South Wales.

No. 5: Van Diemen's Land.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M413.

Proceedings of the Church of England School Society for Newfoundland and the Colonies, 1848 - 1849 (File Volume 4/1)

The pages filmed relate to Melbourne only.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M413.

Annual reports of the Colonial Church Society (1848-1850) and the Colonial Church and School Society (1851-1856), 1848 - 1856 (File Volume 4/2)

In each report the early pages were filmed, followed by the section on Western Australia, Port Phillip (after 1850 Victoria) and Van Diemen's Land. In the last two reports (1854-1855 and 1855-1856) the Australian section was divided into dioceses: Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Perth).

Filmed selectively.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M413.

Colonial Church and School Society Occasional papers, nos. 16-20, 1851 - 1856 (File Volume 4/3)

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M413.

Abstract of Reports Presented at Annual Meetings, May 1855 - May 1856 (File Volume 4/4)

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M413.

Annual reports of the Colonial Church and School Society (1856-1860) and the Colonial and Continental Church Society (1861-1897) (File Volumes 5-12)

In each report the early pages were filmed, comprising a list of officers, a list of local honorary secretaries, the minutes of the annual general meeting of the Society, a lists of missionaries and agents (arranged geographically),and a summary of the colonial operations of the Society. In some instances, the anniversary sermon was also filmed, as well as financial and statistical details and a summary of the continental (European) operations of the Society.

The other pages filmed contain reports received from dioceses in Australia and New Zealand. They vary in regularity and detail. Some dioceses supplied reports almost every year, while some were erratic. In some cases, there is just a brief message from the bishop expressing his gratitude to the Society, while other reports extend to several pages, with each missionary in the diocese providing summaries of their work during the year. This is particularly the case with rural diocese such as Goulburn and Bathurst.

Reports from the following dioceses are contained in the annual reports:

Sydney: 1856-1884

Newcastle: 1856-1857

Goulburn: 1865-1887, 1889-1897

Bathurst: 1870-1897

Riverina: 1884-1886, 1887-1888, 1890-1897

Melbourne: 1856-1869, 1871-1872, 1875, 1881, 1885, 1886, 1891, 1892

Ballarat: 1880, 1883-1887, 1888-1890, 1891-1893, 1894-1895, 1896-1897

Adelaide: 1856-1857

Brisbane: 1859-1868

North Queensland: 1880-1887, 1889-1891, 1892-1895, 1896-1897

Perth: 1856-1857, 1859-1872, 1876, 1879-1897

Tasmania: 1870, 1874-1875, 1878-1883

New Zealand: 1857-1858

Auckland: 1878-1880, 1882-1897

Waiapu: 1870-1873, 1886-1888, 1890-1891, 1892-1894, 1895-1897

Nelson: 1894-1895, 1896-1897

Filmed selectively.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M414.

Annual reports of the Colonial and Continental Church Society, 1897 - 1926 (File Volume 13-20)

In each report the early pages were filmed, comprising a list of officers, a list of local honorary secretaries, the minutes of the annual meeting, the constitution and rules of the Society, a list of missionaries and agents in the colonies, statistics, and an abstract of the annual report. The anniversary sermon has sometimes been copied. The other pages filmed are the reports received from dioceses in Australia and New Zealand. No reports from the dioceses were included in the 1916-1917 and 1917-1918 annual reports.

Reports from the following dioceses are contained in the annual reports:

Sydney: 1909-1910, 1912-1915, 1918-1925

Goulburn: 1897-1916

Bathurst: 1897-1905, 1906-1916, 1918-1923

Riverina: 1897-1916, 1918-1924, 1925-1926

Grafton and Armidale: 1898-1912

Grafton: 1913-1916, 1918-1923

Armidale: 1913

Melbourne: 1913-1914

Ballarat: 1898-1907, 1908-1912, 1913-1914, 1915-1916

Bendigo: 1902-1916, 1918-1926

Gippsland: 1902-1903, 1904-1906, 1908-1916, 1918-1926

Wangaratta: 1902-1903, 1904-1907, 1908-1910, 1911-1916, 1920-1924, 1925-1926

North Queensland: 1898-1899, 1900

Carpentaria: 1901-1913, 1914-1916

Willochra: 1918-1926

Perth: 1898-1899, 1900, 1913-1916

Bunbury: 1903-1906, 1908-1910

Kalgoorlie: 1914-1915, 1918-1919

Auckland: 1897-1898, 1901-1905, 1906-1908

Waiapu: 1897-1907, 1913

Wellington: 1913-1914

Nelson: 1897-1911, 1912-16, 1918-1923

The reports from the Diocese of Sydney in 1920-1925 deal with the activities of the Australian Bush Church Aid Society, which was founded in 1919 with the assistance of the Colonial and Continental Church Society. Its aims were to provide training and support for clergy, catechists, lay evangelists and teachers in the bush areas of Australia. Its work soon spread beyond New South Wales and, in particular, it played a major role in the Diocese of Willochra in South Australia.

Filmed selectively.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M414.

Annual reports of the Colonial and Continental Church Society, 1926 - 1939 (File Volume 21/1)

The reports, which are similar in content and arrangement to the earlier reports, were filmed selectively. After 1932 diocesan reports no longer appeared in the annual reports. The diminishing involvement of the Society in Australia and New Zealand is reflected in the relatively small number of diocesan reports appearing in the annual reports in 1926-1932:

Bendigo: 1926-1932

Gippsland: 1926-1928, 1930-1932

Wangaratta: 1926-1927, 1929-1930

St Arnaud: 1929-1932

Willochra: 1926-1927, 1931-1932

Bunbury: 1927-1932

Nelson: 1926-1927, 1928-1932

In addition, there is a report on the Bush Church Aid Society in every annual report.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M416.

Abstracts of the annual reports of the Colonial and Continental Church Society, 1939 - 1955 (File Volume 21/2)

The abstracts are very brief and usually contain no more than a paragraph on Australia, mainly dealing with the Bush Church Aid Society. There are no reports for 1940-1941 and 1943-1944. The reports are not dated after 1948, but from internal evidence they appear to have been issued each year until 1955.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M416.

Minute book of the Committee of the Colonial Church Society, 8 January 1839 - 19 July 1842 (File 1)

The minute book, which has been filmed selectively, dates from 8 January 1839 to 19 July 1842. The minutes refer to the appointment of missionaries to the Swan River and Port Phillip, requests for assistance for clergy in Australia, the construction of churches at the Swan River, the stipends of itinerant missionaries, and the supply of books to Norfolk Island.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M577.

Minute book of the Committee of the Colonial Church and School Society, 27 December 1850 - 7 August 1855 (File 2)

The minute book, which has been filmed in its entirety, dates from 27 December 1850 to 7 August 1855. The minutes refer to the merger of the Colonial Church Society and the Newfoundland School Society, the annual expenses of the colonial missions (1851-1855), the appointment of clergy, catechists, Scripture readers and schoolmasters for Australia, religious instruction on emigrant and convict ships, requests for financial assistance, the appointment of a missionary to the Victorian goldfields (August 1852), properties owned by the Society in Australia, the purchase of books for the colonies, letters from bishops commenting on the performance of missionaries, interviews with bishops and other visitors from the colonies on the state of religion in the colonies, the appointment of seamen's chaplains in colonial ports, and the resignation of missionaries.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M577.

Minute book of the Committee of the Colonial Church and School Society, 18 September 1855 - 19 December 1861 (File 3)

The entries refer inter alia to reports by bishops, missionaries and lay agents in the colonies, relations with the Church Missionary Society, the selection of missionaries and catechists for Australia, assistance with passages to Australia, meetings with the Bishop of Perth and other visitors from Australia, the appointment of an itinerant missionary in the Diocese of Newcastle, and the appointment of a chaplain for seamen in Sydney. Most of the relevant correspondence is from the dioceses of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reels M577-M578.

Minute book of the General Committee of the Colonial and Continental Church Society, 16 January 1862 - 19 December 1872 (File 4)

The minute book, which was filmed selectively, dates from 16 January 1862 to 19 December 1872. The minutes refer inter alia to the annual grants to colonial dioceses, financial transactions, reports from bishops and clergy in the colonies, the Society's properties in Western Australia, the appointment of Mesac Thomas as Bishop of Goulburn (1862), the commencement of grants to the dioceses of Goulburn (1862), Bathurst (1870) and Waiapu (1870), the need for missionaries on the New South Wales goldfields, the work of the Society's agents in the colonies, appointments made by bishops in Australia, the effects of drought on rural parishes in Australia (1865), and the return of R. Munden to England (1868) after 14 years as a catechist in Queensland. Most of the relevant correspondence is from the dioceses of Sydney, Melbourne, Goulburn and Perth.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M578.

Minute book of the General Committee of the Colonial and Continental Church Society, 6 February 1873 - 10 May 1883 (File 5)

The entries deal inter alia with the annual grants to colonial dioceses, financial transactions, addresses to the Committee by the Bishops of Melbourne and Goulburn (1875), the mission at Kati Kati in New Zealand, the withdrawal of Government aid to churches in Western Australia, and the creation of the diocese of North Queensland. Most of the relevant correspondence is from the dioceses of Sydney, Goulburn, Bathurst, Melbourne, Perth and Auckland.

Filmed selectively.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reels M578-M579.

Minute book of the General Committee of the Colonial and Continental Church Society, 10 May 1883 - 24 June 1891 (File 6)

The minute book, which has been filmed selectively, dates from 10 May 1883 to 24 June 1891. The entries refer inter alia to annual grants to dioceses, requests for increased grants, progress in parishes supported by grants from the Society, and grants for remote communities in New Zealand and northern Australia. Most of the relevant correspondence is from the diocese of Bathurst, Ballarat, Goulburn, Riverina, North Queensland, Perth and Auckland.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M579.

Minute book of the Committee of the Colonial and Continental Church Society, 21 October 1891 - 8 October 1901 (File 7)

The minute book, which was filmed selectively, dates from 21 October 1891 to 8 October 1901. The entries refer inter alia to appointments to the eastern goldfields in Western Australia, the death of Bishop Mesac Thomas (1892), and concerns that only evangelical clergymen should be appointed to positions funded by the Society. Most of the relevant correspondence is from the dioceses of Bathurst, Goulburn, North Queensland, Perth, Auckland and Waiapu.

Archival History

Originally filmed on AJCP reel M579.


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