Paton, Dr Lewis: album of missionary work in China

IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB )115/Y30377H
Held at: Royal Commonwealth Society Library
Domain: archival
Title: Paton, Dr Lewis: album of missionary work in China
Date(s) of contents: 1889 - 1907
Level of description: Fonds
Extent and medium: 1 album containing 98 images plus 2 other images

CONTEXT

Name of creator(s):

Administrative/Biographical history: Benjamin Lewis Paton was one of eight children of Robert and Jane Paton. He was born on 22nd December 1860 and was educated in Edinburgh. He undertook medical work at the Mildmay Bethnal Green hospital under Dr Gauld who had been a medical missionary with the English Presbyterian Mission in Swatow, China. In 1889 Paton went out to China with the EPM to work at the mission in Chuan-chou [Quan-zhou. Paton's sister, Edith who had also trained as a doctor, came out to join him in 1899 and begin medical work among women. She married a fellow- Missionary, H.W. Oldham, in 1907 but died in the following year. Lewis Paton remained in China until 1913 when he retired to England because of the ill-health of his eldest child (he had married Jane McFie in 1902).

Custodial history:

Immediate source of acquisition: Album was passed to the RCL in 1985 having originally been in the possession of Lewis Paton's son.

CONTENT AND STRUCTURE

Scope and content/abstract: Album of photographs recording Paton's missionary work in China. The photographs are captioned and have been numbered in pencil, but as there are several sequences, and these are not complete, fresh numbers have been given. Plates 68 to 78 show scenes taken in late August 1896 on Kulangsoo, the island south of Amoy [Xiamen]. The institutional work of the Amoy mission was centred here as it was found to be healthier than Amoy itself.

System of arrangement: *

ACCESS AND USE

Language: English

Conditions governing access: *

Conditions governing reproduction:

Finding aids: Handlist available on-line via Janus.

ALLIED MATERIALS

Related material: The archive of the English Presbyterian Mission is held in the Library of the School of Oriental and African Studies.

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Date(s) of descriptions: September 2004

INDEX ENTRIES

Subjects

Personal names

Paton | Benjamin Lewis | 1860-1936 | medical missionary

Corporate names

English Presbyterian Mission

Places

China

East Asia