| Level | Sub-sub-sub-fonds |
| Finding Number (Click this to view full catalogue structure) | CMS/B/OMS/CE |
| Title | 'Ceylon [Sri Lanka] mission' |
| Extent | 43 volumes, 148 files, 21 boxes |
| Date | 1815-1934 |
| Description | Records compiled by the committees of the CMS Overseas (Foreign) Division, London, up to 1934.
Comprising papers under the Committee of Correspondence 1815-1880, and under the West Asia (initially 'Group 2') Committee 1880-1934. Including incoming correspondence from the mission to CMS in London c 1815-1934, outgoing correspondence from the CMS in London to the mission 1820-1934, office copies of the incoming correspondence 1819-1880, and office summaries (précis) of the incoming correspondence 1881-1934.
Papers under the West Asia and Asia committees 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Work is underway to address outdated, discriminatory, and offensive language in finding aids used by the Cadbury Research Library, and to improve accessibility of the CMS online catalogue in line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 | Papers under the Committee of Correspondence are arranged as:
E: Early correspondence 1815-1820 (incoming and outgoing)
I: Individual letter-books 1854-1879 (outgoing)
L: Letter-books 1820-1881 (outgoing)
M: Mission books 1819-1880 (incoming: copies)
O: Original papers 1818-1880 (incoming)
Papers under the West Asia (initially Group 2) Committee are arranged as:
I: Individual letter-books 1880-1913 (outgoing)
L: Letter-books 1881-1934 (outgoing)
O: Original papers 1880-1934 (incoming)
P: Précis books 1881-1934 (incoming: summaries) |
| 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 'Ceylon' mission. Alternatively, the original paper catalogues for the mission series can be consulted in the Cadbury Research Library and CMS (Oxford). The ‘Ceylon' mission papers 1815-1934 are listed in the ‘West Asia (Group 2) Missions’ catalogue, volume one.
The ‘Catalogue to the Papers of the Overseas Division’, which includes a listing of the 'Ceylon' [Sri Lanka] 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). |
| Access Status | Open |
| Physical Description | Each item of incoming correspondence under the Committee of Correspondence has the reference number marked in pencil on the back, for example, C CE/03/7. The incoming papers under the West Asia (Group 2) Committee are individually marked in red ink; this number, plus the year, comprised the archive reference for each item, for example, G2 CE/1921/48. 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, for the papers under the West Asia (Group 2) Committee, 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/G2 CE/O 1921/48. |
| Administrative History | The CMS began to consider work in Sri Lanka ('Ceylon' prior to May 1972) in 1813 but the first European missionaries did not arrive until 1818.
CMS work amongst the Sinhalese (formerly 'Singhalese') people of Sri Lanka, was begun at Kandy (1818), Baddegama (1819), 'Cotta' (1822) and Kurunegala (1880). Work among the Tamil people of Sri Lanka centred on Jaffna (1818) and Colombo (1852).
In 1855, a mission focusing on work amongst Tamil people who worked on the coffee estates was started under the name 'Tamil Cooly Mission' (later renamed 'Tamil Church Mission'). 'Cooly' is an outdated, discriminatory term which at the time was commonly used when referring to 'unskilled', low paid labourers in different parts of Asia.
Unlike most CMS missions, the 'Ceylon mission' did not at first have a local corresponding committee. There was an annual conference of all missionaries which supervised the general administration of the mission. Reports of the stations were presented each year by the missionaries and problems were discussed. There appears to have been a local committee also at Jaffna and one in the south. Matters arising between the annual meetings had to be decided by circular. The circulars dealt with: a) appointment or dismissal of catechists and increase of their salaries; b) establishment of schools, if more than two in each station; c) erection of buildings; d) incurring expense which was to be charged to the mission; e) purchase of horse or household furniture; f) change of station (including for medical reasons). The circulars were sent to members of the local committee (or to all missionaries if the matter was of sufficient importance) in the order of their seniority as missionaries. Complete agreement had to be reached before the request in the circular was granted. Correspondence with the committee at CMS 'headquarters' (London), the bishop or governor had to be through the chairman of the local committee.
In 1850, the Society sent out Rev George Pettitt to be secretary of a newly-formed Central Committee, which was to act as a corresponding committee. At the same time Southern and Jaffna Local Committees were formed The Central Committee was not considered successful and was dissolved by order of CMS in London in 1852. From this time the mission was administered by the local committees.
[Source: 'Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary and Thesaurus', Cambridge University Press. Available online at https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/coolie. Accessed 14 July 2024]. |
| Archival Note | Catalogued by Rosemary A. Keen, CMS 1961. Handlist revised and expanded by Rosemary Keen, CMS 1984. Copied to the University of Birmingham online archive catalogue, 2000. Updates underway, 2024. |
| Related Material | Records of the CMS Overseas Division: 'India General’ series (CMS/B/OMS/C I); 'Ceylon' mission series 1935-1959 (CMS/B/AS35-59/G2 CE). |