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Ghana in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1886-1951

As outlined in the short history entitled The beginning of Africanisation : the dawn of the missionary motive in Gold Coast education by F.L. Bartels, the SPG's mission was originally established at Cape Coast Castle in 1752 by Rev. Thomas Thompson, who was succeeded by Rev. Philip Quaque, the first African to be ordained a priest of the Church of England. The mid-nineteenth century saw the revival of Anglican activity with the arrival of missionaries sent by the Mission of the West Indian Church to West Africa, based in Barbados. The period from 1903 onwards is the most substantially documented in this collection, recording the amalgamation of the missions for the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, the spread of English education, the introduction of education for women and the development of missionary work in an ever-widening area. Records relating to the first 150 years are reproduced in both the Early colonial and missionary records from West Africa and the West Indies material in the archives of the USPG, 1710-1950. From the archives of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, now held at Rhodes House Library, Oxford.

The condition of the Church primary schools is thoroughly bad. At Accra three quarters of the boys in Saint Mary's School were Nonconformists. At Seccondee good work is being done in a building which will soon be condemned

Bishop Aglionby of Accra, May 1924., Copies of letters received, 1890-1927; West Africa, vol. 4; img 109

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Insights

The original letters from abroad cover West Africa from 1899 to 1933. They include Sierra Leone 1900-1933; Ghana 1903; Cape Verde 1904-1910; and St Vincent 1907-1912.
The Committee for Women's Work was responsible for the education of native girls. Their records from World War One show their distance from the war and yet that it did affect their decisions.
The copies of letters received, 1890-1927, mention the plan from 1914 to gain control of future Ashanti Chiefs using education. The South African War is not covered in this grouping of letters.
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Accounts and receipts, 1801 May 20 to June 26
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Miscellaneous items
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The beginning of Africanisation
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Resolutions adopted by a conference of bishops, 1906
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Correspondence of Bishop Hamlyn, 1905-1909
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Constitution of the Synod
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Papers relating to Bishops Tugwell & Hamlyn
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Documents from the Bishop of Gambia and the Rio Pongas