| Level | Sub-sub-sub-fonds |
| Finding Number (Click this to view full catalogue structure) | CMS/B/OMS/I5 |
| Title | 'Travancore and Cochin [Kochi] mission' later 'Kerala mission' |
| Extent | 9 volumes, 12 boxes |
| Date | 1881-1934 |
| 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 of the CMS Overseas Division, London up to 1934. Including incoming correspondence from the mission to CMS, London 1881-1934, outgoing correspondence from the CMS in London to the mission 1881-1934, minutes 1893-1896, and office summaries (précis) of the incoming correspondence 1891-1934.
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Work is underway to address outdated, discriminatory, and offensive language in finding aids used by the Cadbury Research Library, and to improve accessibility of the online catalogue in line with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 1881-1934 (outgoing)
M: Minute books 1893-1896
O: Original papers 1881-1934 (incoming)
P: Précis books 1891-1934 (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 'Travancore and Cochin' mission. Alternatively, the original paper catalogues for the mission series can be consulted in the Cadbury Research Library and CMS (Oxford). The ‘Travancore and Cochin' mission papers 1881-1934 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 I5/1901/14. 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 I5/O 1901/14. |
| Administrative History | CMS mission in South India began in Chennai (at the time named 'Madras') in 1814. CMS work across South India, including work in present-day Kerala, was run by the 'Madras Corresponding Committee' until 1881. 'Travancore and Cochin' was set up as an autonomous mission in 1881 in the historic Kingdom of Travancore (or Thiruvithamkoor) and present-day Kochi. The mission was renamed as 'Kerala mission' in 1956.
Main mission stations (listed by start date and giving present-day place names or alternatives in square brackets):
1816 'Alleppie' [Alappuzha]
1817 'Cottayam' [Kottayam] and 'Cochin' [Kochi]
1839 Mavelikara
1842 'Trichur' [Thrissur]
1845 'Pallam'
1849 'Tiruwella' [Thiruvalla or Tiruvalla]
1854 'Kunnankulam'
In 1855, CMS began work amongst 'Hill Arrians' [possibly meaning the Malai Aryan tribal peoples of Kerala].
In 1881, an 'Alwaye' [Aluva] itinerancy was established. |
| Archival Note | Papers catalogued by Rosemary A. Keen 1985-1986. Copied to the University of Birmingham online archive catalogue by L. Needham, 2000. Revisions underway by I. Frlan, Cadbury Research Library, 2024. |
| Related Material | Records of the CMS Overseas Division: 'India General' series (CMS/B/OMS/I); 'South India Mission' series (CMS/B/OMS/I2); 'Travancore and Cochin Mission' 1935-1955 and Kerala Mission 1956-1959 series (CMS/B/AS35-59/G2 I5). |