| Level | Sub-sub-sub-fonds |
| Finding Number (Click this to view full catalogue structure) | CMS/B/OMS/I10 |
| Title | 'Tinnevelly [Tirunelveli] mission' |
| Extent | 3 volumes, 2 boxes |
| Date | 1924-1934 |
| Description | Records compiled by the committees of the CMS Overseas (Foreign) Division, London, up to 1934.
Comprising papers under the West Asia (Group 2) Committee. Including incoming correspondence from the mission to CMS in London 1924-1934, outgoing correspondence from the CMS in London to the mission 1924-1934, and office summaries (précis) of the incoming correspondence 1924-1934.
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Work is underway to address outdated, discriminatory, and offensive language in finding aids used by the Cadbury Research Library, and to improve accessibility of the online catalogue in line with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 1924-1934 (outgoing)
O: Original papers 1924-1934 (incoming)
P: Précis books 1924-1934 (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 'Tinnevelly mission'. Alternatively, the original paper catalogues for the mission series can be consulted in the Cadbury Research Library and CMS (Oxford). The 'Tinnevelly' mission series 1924-1934 are listed in the ‘West Asia (Group 2) Missions’ catalogue, volume three: South India.
The ‘Catalogue to the Papers of the Overseas Division’, which includes a listing of the 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 | The incoming papers are each individually marked in red ink, and this number, plus the year, comprised the original archive reference for each item, for example, G2 I10/1927/11. 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 original 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 I10/O 1927/11. |
| Administrative History | CMS mission in South India began in Chennai (at the time named 'Madras') in 1814. CMS work across South India was run by the 'Madras Corresponding Committee' until 1881 when the 'Travancore and Cochin mission' was set up as an autonomous administrative unit. In 1924, work of CMS in South India was further divided as two new independent missions were created: 'Telegu mission' and the 'Tinnevelly mission'.
When diocesanisation in Tirunelveli (at the time known as 'Tinnevelly') was agreed, the administration of work in the area was transferred to the Diocesan Council. A CMS representative was appointed in July 1924 and a separate record series was begun although the diocese itself was not set up until March 1925.
Main centres of work (listed by start date with present-day place names in square brackets):
1820 'Palamcottah' [Palayamkottai]
1836 'Mengnanapuram'
1880 'Tinnevelly [Tirunelveli] town' |
| Archival Note | Catalogued by Rosemary A. Keen, CMS 1985-1986. 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/I); South India mission series (CMS/B/OMS/I2); 'Tinnevelly mission' series 1935-1959 (CMS/B/AS35-59/G2 I10). |