Australia in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1808-1967

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Australia in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1808-1967

A photograph of Sydney Opera House illuminated in lights for 'Vivid Sydney' a light festival with abstract designs, vivid colours and aboriginal artwork.

Australian records in the USPG archive

The Ladies Visiting Committee's in full operation, teaching the women various useful employments for the voyage, and supplying them with the materials proper for each

Rev. William J. Welsh, Feb 1884, Rev. J.W. Welsh's report on conditions facing emigrants; imgs 6-7

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Australia through the eyes of Anglican missionaries, 1808-1967

A stamp from Australia 1788, with the text 'The First Fleet'. The image shows boats arriving to the coast of Australia where a group of kangaroos are stood on the beach.

This collection contains records compiled by the United Society Partners in Gospel (USPG), a UK-based Anglican missionary organisation that operates around the world. From the 18th to the early-20th century, the USPG went by the name of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG).

In 1783 the British Government sent 1,500 people on a fleet of 11 ships, now known as the First Fleet, to establish a penal colony in New South Wales. The first missionaries from the SPG arrived a decade later in 1793. In the generations since the arrival of the mission, Christianity has become the main religion practised in Australia.

This collection includes letters, journals and supplementary material composed by the SPG’s Australian branches during the period 1808-1967. These documents contain reports on the progress of the mission, relations with the indigenous people, the passage to Australia, and insights into how monetary grants were spent. The papers provide an unparalleled insight into the establishment and subsequent development of the Church of Australia.

Content Warning: This collection contains racist or offensive terms. Owing to their historical importance, the sources are in their original state. Please read our Sensitivity Statement for more information.

Highlights

Handwritten note recording reports on Emigration, dated 12 February 1854 and 12 May 1854.

Licensed to access Reverend J.W. Welsh's reports, 1854

The handwritten reports of Reverend Welsh, Chaplain in Liverpool, describing the conditions facing emigrants sailing to Australia.

Section of A list of Government Emigration Ships from the Port of Southampton 1854.

Licensed to access List of Government emigration ships, 1854

A list of Government emigration ships that left the port of Southampton in 1854. Accompanied by reports on conditions from the port Chaplain.

Section of a handwritten letter dated 2 June 1835.

Licensed to access Correspondence from London, 1847-1927

Correspondence sent from the SPG in England to the Bishop of Melbourne. These letters discuss the establishment of the church in Melbourne, applications for funding, and the success of the mission in Australia.

Section of a handwritten letter addressed to the Bishop of Melbourne, dated 1 November 1847.

Licensed to access Correspondence from Australia, 1834-1841

Comprises of correspondence from the SPG's Australia branches to the SPG Committee in London. Correspondence is subdivided by dioceses within each province.

Insights

This archive contains information on a large geographical area of Australia, including: Adelaide, Melbourne, North Queensland, Perth, Rockhampton, Sydney, and Tasmania.
Documents include correspondence and journals written by SPG’s chaplains ministering to emigrants. They contain descriptions of the passage to Australia.
Aboriginal Australian spirituality is known as the Dreaming, which emphasises the ancestral significance of the land. The arrival of Europeans disrupted traditional ways of life and the indigenous population declined over the following centuries.
Documents include correspondence from Australia, between 1834 and 1928, informing the SPG in London of the progress of the mission.

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An image of a Māori statue, created by Māori people, who are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. Behind the statue is a mountain range.

Licensed to access New Zealand & Polynesian Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1838-1958

1838 1958

Native American warriors and their wives, arranged for a group sitting.

Licensed to access Colonial Missionaries' Papers from America and the West Indies, 1701-1870

1701 1870

Sculpture of enslaved people dedicated to victims of slavery in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Licensed to access Tanzania and Malawi in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1857-1965

1857 1965

Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church, Goa, pictured with palm trees.

Licensed to access Indian and Sri Lankan Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1770-1931

1770 1931