Record

LevelSub-fonds
Finding Number (Click this to view full catalogue structure)CMS/ACC683
TitleAccession 683: Papers of John Walmsley
Extent1 folder
Date1907-1922
DescriptionThis collection consists of the formal papers and documents relating to the church offices held by John Walmsley: appointment as canon; consecration as bishop; commission to exercise episcopal functions; address of welcome as bishop
ArrangementThis collection forms part of the Church Missionary Society Unofficial Papers. It is arranged into one series: Official papers
LanguageEnglish
Finding AidsA catalogue of this collection (forming part of the wider CMS/ACC unofficial papers catalogue) is available on the online archive catalogue. Click on the Finding Number to display the summary contents list of the catalogue and to view the full catalogue. A paper copy of this catalogue is also available for consultation at Special Collections.
Access StatusOpen
Administrative HistoryJohn Walmsley (1867-1922) was born in Hereford and educated at Hereford Cathedral School, Brasenose College Oxford and Wycliffe Hall. As a small boy in Hereford he once heard Bishop Crowther speak at a CMS meeting. Walmsley was himself ordained deacon in 1890 and was appointed curate in the parish of Stokenham, Devon. He was later appointed vice-principle at Wycliffe Hall Oxford but in 1898 moved to Nottinghamshire where he again took up work as a parish priest. His reputation for hard work and strength of character drew the attention of his bishop who suggested him for the challenging position of Bishop of Sierra Leone on the death of Bishop Elwin. Walmsley accepted the invitation and was enthroned Ninth Bishop of Sierra Leone in 1910. The challenges he faced, the vastness of the diocese and the many tours he undertook weakened his constitution and he eventually succumbed to blackwater fever and died in Sierra Leone in 1922.

Reference: John Walmsley, Ninth Bishop of Sierra Leone
A Memoir for His Friends Arranged by E.G. Walmsley, M.A. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1923.
Custodial HistoryDeposited with the CMS October 1992
Related MaterialThe Special Collections Department also holds the Church Missionary Society Archive, the official archive of the society which contains material relating to John Walmsley's connection with the CMS as Bishop of Sierra Leone