| Level | Fonds |
| Finding Number (Click this to view full catalogue structure) | CPAS |
| Title | Archive of the Church Pastoral Aid Society |
| Extent | 18 linear metres |
| Date | 1836-2007 |
| Description | The collection comprises papers of the Church Pastoral Aid Society as well as papers of a number of Auxiliaries and other societies carrying out related activities.
Church Pastoral Aid Society records comprise minute books, registers of legacies, 1849-1946 and grants, 1836-1953; accounts, 1934-1936; minutes of General Committee and Sub-Committee/Executive Committee, 1840-1949; minutes of other committees, 1889-1936; press cuttings, 1884-1962; notebooks, 1836-1974; correspondence, 1886-1936; miscellanea, 1923-1961; printed material, 1836-1982; the records of Church Pastoral Aid Society Auxiliaries (or local associations of the CPAS) comprise mainly minutes and accounts of Bradford, Eastbourne, Newcastle and Durham, and York auxiliaries, 1836-1976; records of the Church Pastoral Aid Trust, a body established to acquire and hold property on behalf of the CPAS comprise minutes, 1894-1937; particulars of property and other assets, 1929-1935.
Records of other associated organisations include Church of England Scripture Readers’ Association: minutes, 1844-1847; Clerical Education Aid Fund: minutes, 1845-1876; printed material, 1845-1875; London Clerical Education Society: accounts, 1871-1877; London Clerical Education Aid Society: accounts, 1893-1939; stocks and securities, 1915; minutes, 1876-1985; correspondence, 1916-1939; printed materials including reports, 1878-1915, miscellanea, 1876; Society for the Relief of Poor Pious Clergymen: stocks and securities, 1811-1820; accounts, other financial documents, 1963-1966; minutes, 1849-1884; printed material, 1949-1958; Liverpool Junior Clergy Bible and Prayer Union: correspondence, 1981; printed miscellanea, 1891; and Churches’ Committee on Gambling: Printed miscellanea, c.1950.
As the records such as the CPAS periodicals provide illustrated accounts of work in parishes across the country, they are not only of interest for research into the history and work of the Society but also for local history, including life in Birmingham. |
| Arrangement | The papers arranged by organisation and by document type within |
| Access Conditions | Access to all registered researchers |
| Copyright | Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material. |
| Language | English |
| Finding Aids | A paper catalogue to file level (1994 handlist), and a box list detailing CPAS Educational Packs (mainly 2006 deposit), are available in the Special Collections Department and as PDF documents (see below).
For details of further material deposited in 2005, 2006, 2012 and 2015, please ask Cadbury Research Library staff - listings are available but with some restricted access. |
| Document | CPAS (1994 handlist).pdf |
| CPAS Educational packs & publications listing.pdf |
| Access Status | Open |
| Administrative History | The Church Pastoral-Aid Society (CPAS) was founded in the Committee Room of the Church Missionary Society 19 February 1836 for the purpose of benefiting the population of our own country by increasing the number of working clergymen in the Church of England, and encouraging the appointment of pious and discreet laymen as helpers to the clergy in duties not ministerial. In about 1974 the Society dropped the hyphen from the name. On 1 May 2010, CPAS merged with CYFA Pathfinder Ventures Ltd, an incorporated charity.
Reference: G. R. Balleine, 'A History of the Evangelical Party in the Church of England' (London, 1908). |
| Acquisition | This collection was deposited in 1991 by the Society. Additional deposits were made in 2005, 2006 and 2012. |
| Associated Materials | A limited archive mainly of modern material has been retained by the Society at its headquarters in Leamington Spa. |