CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY ARCHIVE
Section VI: Missions to India

Part 1: India General, 1811-1815, and North India Mission, 1815-1881

Part 1 begins with early correspondence, 1811-1815, documenting the work of the first CMS missionaries in Calcutta and the proceedings of the CMS Committee in Calcutta.

• There are letters from Rev David Corrie who arrived in India in 1806 and journals of the native catechist Abdul Masih.
• There are letters and diaries of Rev Rhenius and Rev Schnarre describing their first impressions and early experiences.

Most of the material covered here focuses on the North India Mission, 1815-1881.  Topics covered include:

• Methods of evangelism.
• Reports from mission stations and individual missionaries.
• Financial and strategic planning.
• The role of education.
• Relationships with the Anglican hierarchy and other Anglican and Protestant missionary groups.
• Biographical and autobiographical material for both Indians and Europeans.
• Printing and literary output.

The archive shows that CMS work in north India developed rapidly largely thanks to the careful control exercised by the CMS Committee in Calcutta. There are detailed reports from Allahabad (1828-1829), Gorrukpore (1836) and Benares (1845).