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Australia in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1808-1967

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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.

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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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.
Collection Flyer Australia in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1808-1967 - Collection Flyer
Collection Summary Australia in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1808-1967 - Collection Summary
Sample Images Australia in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1808-1967 - Sample Images

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Account book, 1807 April 5 to 1813 Nov. 15
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C/AUS
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CLS/151
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CLS/146
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CLS/144
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CLS/143
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CLS/142