1856

Containing over 84,000 images, Indian and Sri Lankan Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1770–1931, was curated in association with the Bodleian Libraries. This collection contains records compiled by the United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG), a UK-based Anglican missionary organisation that operates globally. From the eighteenth to the early twentieth century, the USPG went by the name of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG). The collection contains correspondence, reports, and supplementary materials compiled by its Indian and Sri Lankan branches throughout the period 1770–1931.

It features correspondence left by Revd Christian David, the first Indian ordained into the Anglican priesthood. The sources also include annual diocesan reports from across India and Sri Lanka. The standardised structure and detailed nature of these reports allow for the progress and reach of each mission to be tracked over time. 

Significantly, the extensive range of primary sources in this fascinating collection allow students, educators, and researchers to survey the spread of Anglicanism throughout South Asia, as well as the (at times hostile) reception that missionaries received. The collection will likewise appeal to those exploring the social history of the British Raj.

The E series consists of annual reports from missionaries, including some statistical returns. These reports are arranged by diocese. There is no document for 1857, the year of the Sepoy Rebellion, though a small number of reports are included in the documents for adjacent years.