Malaysia, Southern Africa, Jerusalem and General Papers, Church of Scotland
- Reference:GB 3189 CSCNWW42
- Dates of Creation:1917-1988
- Name of Creator:
- Language of Material:English
- Physical Description:2 boxes; 7 volumes
Scope and Content
The collection contains:
- Account books
- Letter registers
- Material relating to St Andrew's Church, Perak, Malaysia
- Press cuttings and notes on church and society in South Africa, including press releases on Namibia, cuttings related to the Sharpeville Six and papers and notes on apartheid
- Diary by W Clarke (1948), press cuttings, articles and reports concerning St Andrew's Church, Jerusalem
Administrative / Biographical History
The Foreign Mission Committee (later Overseas Council then Board of World Mission and Unity) of the Church of Scotland was responsible for the Church's mission work around the world. In 1824, the Church's General Assembly resolved to send its first missionary to India and appointed Alexander Duff who arrived in Bombay in 1830. Other missionaries were sent to Calcutta (1830), Poona (1834), and Madras (1837). The Disruption of 1843 which saw the separation of the Free Church of Scotland from the main Church caused the loss of most missionaries and the missionary spirit, as the work continued but under the umbrella of the Free Church. The United Presbyterian Church, formed in 1847, inherited some existing missionaries in the West Indies and in Calabar, Nigeria and by the 1870s was active in Jamaica, India, South Africa, Japan and Manchuria, China. The Church of Scotland resumed its missionary work in 1857 in the Punjab and in the 1870s established its first stations in Nyasaland (Malawi, 1876) and China (1878).
In 1900 the Free Church joined with the United Presbyterians to form the United Free Church but remained separate from the Church of Scotland. Co-operation between the two Churches was secured in some areas, in India, for example, joint colleges were formed in Madras and Calcutta. However it was not until 1929 that the Free Church and the Church of Scotland joined as the Church of Scotland.
Access Information
Open to researchers. It is essential to arrange an appointment in advance to view the archive in order that someone can be available to help. Please contact us by email at is-crc@ed.ac.uk . Telephone the Centre on: 0131 650 8900. Postal address: Centre for the Study of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh School of Divinity, New College, Mound Place, Edinburgh, EH1 2LX.
Acquisition Information
The Church of Scotland presented most of these papers to the Centre in the 1990s. The history of the Church in Perak was given to the Church of Scotland by the Largs and District Historical Society.
Other Finding Aids
A paper catalogue listing the collection is available to researchers at the Centre.
Archivist's Note
Description originally written and researched by Caroline Brown in August 2001. This was added to Archives Hub in August 2012 by Louise Williams.
Conditions Governing Use
Reproduction of materials (for example by digital camera) is free for private research and educational use, although we ask researchers to sign an agreement. Please contact us for enquiries on using the material in a commercial setting, for which there will be a fee. Contact us by email at is-crc@ed.ac.uk . Telephone the Centre on: 0131 650 8900. Postal address: Centre for the Study of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh School of Divinity, New College, Mound Place, Edinburgh, EH1 2LX.
Accruals
No further material is expected to be added to the collection.
Related Material
The National Library of Scotland holds the main archives of the Church of Scotland.
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