Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1889 - 1934 (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
Form of materialLetters
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Administrative history
The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, previously known as the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, is the province of the Anglican Communion in Southern Africa. Its primate is the Archbishop of Cape Town. The church includes dioceses in present day South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Lesotho, Swaziland and St. Helena.
An agreement was signed in 1937 between the Church of the Province of South Africa (CPSA) - now known as the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA) - and the University of the Witwatersrand, whereby the church's central record library was places on loan with the University. The library consisted of books, pamphlets, periodicals and manuscripts. The richness of the Anglican Church's manuscript collection is due to the efforts of the provincial archivists appointed by the church to collect material and transfer it to the university. The first, 1937-1957, was Father Osmund Victor, followed by Canon Cecil Thomas Wood from 1958-1979. Mrs AR Kotze then took over from 1979-2000, until Carol Archibald was appointed as Provincial Archivist in 2001.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
The letters were purchased by the library in November 1971, from Sawyers, the London dealer.
Content and structure area
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Calendar.
The letters are interesting, not only giving a good picture of the work of the Anglican church in various parts of Africa but also fore-shadowing some of the political problems which have arisen in Africa such as the racial friction between black and white, the colour bar in South Africa and the church's attitude to it and the question of the native franchise. From the letters it appears that there were problems common to the various dioceses such as the shortage of clergy, need for more money, the importance of educating the African and training African priests and the difficulties of working in vast areas where parishes were scattered.
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Copyright Historical Papers Research Archive, The Library, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Note
Biographical and administrative history: Of the 27, 2 are to Mrs Burrows, wife of the Bishop of Sheffield and 1 each to "My dear Madam", Mr Adams, Mr Drake, Gillian, Mr Phillips, Dr Swayne and Miss Ward and these letters arc of no particular interest. The other 18 letters were written to Bernard Osborne, in answer to an enquiry from him about the needs of individual dioceses.
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Archivist's note
Compiled by Anna M. Cunningham, 1971