The handbook by Woodward was a revision of "Collections for a Handbook of the Makua" by the Rev. Chauncey Maples (afterwards Bishop of Likoma), which were published in 1879, in which he said "The Makua language is a step further from Swahili than Yao, and is on the whole more difficult to acquire upon a basis of a knowledge of Swahili. The Makuas are a very large and extensive tribe, inhabiting the country that lies at the back of Mosambique, stretching inland for several hundred miles".
The collection contains the papers of Rev. Reginal Jeffcoat, a priest in the Anglican Church. They consist of newspaper clips, poems, cards and drawings. Rev. Jeffcoat immigrated to South Africa from England and lived in Cape Town.
The collection contains biographical information relating to the family of Thomas and Margaret Clementson and their children, in the form of newspaper articles and photos. They lived in Hoetjies Bay (Saldanha), where Thomas worked as catechist and teacher amongst the fishing community at Saldanha Bay.
Undated article entitled "An analytical outline of the socio-political role of the Church of the Province of South Africa as reflected in the resolutions of Provincial Synods from 1910-1948".