Missionary Leaves Association

IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0150 MLA
Held at: Birmingham - University of, Information Services, Special Collections Department
Domain:
Title: Missionary Leaves Association
Date(s) of contents: 1871-1920
Level of description: Fonds
Extent and medium: 5 vols, 2 files

CONTEXT

Name of creator(s):

Administrative/Biographical history: The Missionary Leaves Association [MLA] was founded in 1869 by Rev. R. C. Billing and Mrs. H. G. Malaher of Reading, Miss Lanfear of Hungerford and other friends. Mr. Malaher was its first secretary and its headquarters were at 20 Compton Terrace, London. The purpose of the Association was to assist Church Missionary Society missionaries and indigenous clergy in the CMS mission areas, by providing an agency through which they could obtain things necessary for their work but not provided by CMS e.g. harmoniums, equipment for lantern shows, church furniture and bells etc. It also collected contributions for the support of orphans and children in boarding-schools. It supplied goods for sale to people in the British Isles who organised fundraising events for CMS.
Exhibitions were arranged by local friends of CMS and CEZMS following the successful first missionary exhibition in 1882 at Cambridge. Mr. Malaher, MLA Secretary, helped from the first in collecting and arranging the exhibits, many of which were provided by the CMS Loan Department. The number of exhibitions increased until by 1919 CMS decided that it wanted more control over them and decided to create its own Exhibition Department. It appointed T. H. Baxter, the MLA Secretary, as the head of a new department at CMS (to be called General Wants) which would be responsible for the exhibitions, the servicing of working parties and the CMS Loan Department. It was to absorb and develop the MLA work. In 1920 MLA went into voluntary liquidation and its work continued as part of the CMS's General Wants Department (which in 1921 was also to incorporate the Medical Wants Department).
Reference: Rosemary Keen, Catalogue of the papers of the Missionary Leaves Association

Custodial history:

Immediate source of acquisition: These records were deposited by the Church Missionary Society in 1987.

CONTENT AND STRUCTURE

Scope and content/abstract: Minutes of the Missionary Leaves Association and the Missionary Leaves Association Trust Association, legal papers and correspondence, annual reports and photographs

System of arrangement: The records are arranged into three series:
C: Committee work
F: Finance
Z: Miscellaneous

ACCESS AND USE

Language: English

Conditions governing access: Open Access to all registered researchers

Conditions governing reproduction: Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the University Archivist, Special Collections (email: special-collections@bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Finding aids: A paper catalogue is available in the Special Collections Department, at the National Register of Archives in London and the Partnership House Mission Studies Library, 157 Waterloo Road, London.

ALLIED MATERIALS

Related material: See also the archives of the Church Missionary Society, particularly the catalogue of the Medical Department and, for the continuing development of the work formerly undertaken by the MLA, see the catalogue of the Home Division Catalogue (principally CMS/H/H19).

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Date(s) of descriptions: Created 12/06/2002, modified 10/10/2002

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