| Level | Sub-sub-sub-fonds |
| Finding Number (Click this to view full catalogue structure) | CMS/B/OMS/A9 |
| Title | Northern Nigeria mission |
| Extent | 4 volumes, 5 boxes |
| Date | 1900-1934 |
| Description | Records compiled by the Committees of the CMS Overseas (Foreign) Division, London, up to 1934.
Comprising papers under the Africa (initially Group 3) Committee. Including incoming correspondence from the mission to CMS in London 1900-1934, outgoing correspondence from the CMS in London to the mission 1907-1934, and office summaries (précis) of the incoming correspondence 1907-1934.
The incoming correspondence dates from before the formal establishment of the Northern Nigeria mission as a separate administrative unit in 1907. Corresponding outgoing correspondence and précis for the same time period (1900-1906) are filed with the Niger mission papers.
Papers under the Africa Committee for the years 1935-1959 are catalogued separately. Details are given below under ‘Finding Aids’. |
| Notes | When the catalogue was created names of mission stations were standardised but there was no attempt to give present-day place names where these differ from place names in the records. The bulk of names in the sub-number references are the spellings used in the documents.
Work is underway to address outdated, discriminatory, and offensive language in finding aids used by the Cadbury Research Library, and to improve accessibility of the online catalogue in line with current standards including adding present-day place names standardised according to 'The Times Atlas of the World', comprehensive edition, 2023. Copies of the original catalogues have been retained as a record. |
| Arrangement | The papers are arranged as:
L: Letter-books 1907-1934 (outgoing)
O: Original papers 1900-1934 (incoming)
P: Précis books 1907-1934 (incoming: summaries) |
| Access Conditions | For preservation reasons microfilm or digital copies are made available in place of the originals. |
| Finding Aids | Click on the Finding Number to display the full online catalogue of the Overseas Division mission series up to 1934, including the lower level entries for the Northern Nigeria mission. Alternatively, the original paper catalogues for the mission series can be seen in the Cadbury Research Library: Special Collections and CMS (Oxford). The Northern Nigeria mission papers 1900-1934 are listed in the 'Africa (Group 3) Missions' catalogue, volume two.
The 'Catalogue to the Papers of the Overseas Division' which includes the catalogue of the Northern Nigeria mission series 1935-1959 is not available online. A paper copy of the catalogue is available to view in the Cadbury Research Library and CMS, Oxford. Copies can also be supplied on request (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk).
Guides to the Adam Matthew microfilm and digitally published copies of the 'Northern Nigeria Mission' papers are available online and in CMS (Oxford), Cadbury Research Library, and other subscribing institutions. |
| Access Status | Open, but subject to some access restrictions |
| Physical Description | The incoming papers are each individually marked in red ink, and this number, plus the year, comprised the archive reference for each item, for example, G3 A9/1914/24. When the records were transferred to the University of Birmingham and the online copy of the catalogue was created the archive finding numbers for the records of the Overseas Division were extended: the letters CMS/B/OMS were added at the beginning of the filing numbers (denoting records of the Church Mission Society Archive: Overseas Division: Overseas Mission Series). In addition, a letter denoting the type of record (O for Original papers or L for Letter-book, etc) was added after the mission reference, for example, CMS/B/OMS/G3 A9/O 1914/24. |
| Administrative History | CMS began work in the north of Nigeria at Lokoja in 1865. Work was administered as part of the Niger mission until the Northern Nigeria mission was established as an independent administrative unit in April 1907. From 1900-1906 work in the north was distinguished in the Niger mission papers as 'Hausaland mission'.
Main mission stations (listed by start date):
1865 Lokoja
1897 Basa country
1903 Bida
1905 Zaria
1921 Kano
CMS work begun by the Cambridge University Missionary Party ('CUMP'):
1907 Panyam; Kabwir; and Per
The work begun under CUMP was handed on to the Sudan United Mission in 1930. |
| Archival Note | Papers catalogued by H. S. Cobb, CMS 1952. Hard copy handlist revised and expanded by Rosemary Keen, CMS 1978. Copied to the University of Birmingham online archive catalogue, 2000. Updates underway, 2024. |
| Copies | Available on microfilm and online.
Microfilm:
'Church Missionary Society Archive', Section IV: Africa Missions, Part 11.
Publisher: Marlborough: Adam Matthew Publications, 2001.
Location in the Cadbury Research Library: microfilm drawer C7.
Digital publication:
'AM Scholar-Church Missionary Society Archive': Africa Missions: Nigeria: Northern Nigeria Mission.
Publisher: Adam Matthew Digital.
Access: by institutional subscription: free to members of the University of Birmingham and visitors to the Cadbury Research Library and other subscribing institutions. |
| Related Material | Records of the CMS Overseas Division: Niger mission series (CMS/B/OMS/A3); Northern Nigeria mission series 1935-1959 (CMS/B/AF35-59/G3 A9). |