This Index provides a listing of the digitised Registers of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa, which are now available on DVDs and on the website of the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They cover the years 1850-2004 and include baptism, marriage and burial records.
The collection contains records relating to the activities of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa's Canon Law Council. There are legal documents, diocesan reports, minutes of the meetings and correspondence.
Canon Law regulates the internal ordering of the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox and the Anglican Communion. Canon Law is amended and adopted by the legislative authority of the church, such as councils of bishops, individual bishops, the Pope for the Catholic Church, and the British Parliament for the Church of England. In South Africa Canon Law is an Amalgam of Roman-Dutch Civil Law and English Common Law, as well as the Customary Law. Bishops and church leaders should know how to respect and uphold Canon Law and the regulations of the church in all forms. Canon Law should be included in training of the clergy.
An account, compiled in 1935, describing how an elderly Zulu warrior was killed by order of Cetshwayo because he had dared to become a Christian. Also included two items of correspondence.
Possible different spelling provided as Maqamusela.
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.