Papers of Reverend Harold Brelsford Lewin

This collection comprises papers and photographs of Reverend Harold Brelsford Lewin as a CMS missionary in Uganda from 1894 until 1930. It includes an account of a voyage across the Victorian Nyanza which he undertook in 1899; and several albums containing photographs he took during his time in Uganda, many with manuscript captions, which include group and individual photographs of people, both missionaries and the local population, views, buildings and events. There are few miscellaneous letters, including one to his brother in 1895 and Lewin's own letters of instructions from the CMS; and his writings comprising a manuscript account of the early life of Reverend Aloni Muyinda, 1902 and the typescript of an article on caves in the Uganda protectorate. There is also an unascribed history of the church in Luganda.

Administrative/Biographical History

Reverend Harold Brelsford Lewin (1873-1972) of Boston, Lincolnshire was educated at Boston Grammar School. He was accepted as a Church Missionary Society (CMS) missionary in 1894 and served in Uganda until 1930. He was stationed at Kikoma and then at Mbarara. He retired from full service in 1930. He was married to Isabella, ne Fergusson (d. 1950).

Reference: Register of missionaries (clerical, lay & female) and native clergy from 1804 to 1904 ( Church Missionary Society, 1905 ). ; and unpublished additions to this register in the CMS archives.

This collection forms part of the Church Missionary Society Unofficial Papers. It is arranged into one series: Family Papers.

Access Conditions

Open. Access to all registered researchers.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Presented to the CMS in June 1972; transferred on permanent loan to the Special Collections Department by the CMS in the 1980s.

See full catalogue for more information.

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. Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult.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.

The Special Collections Department holds the Church Missionary Society Archive, the official archive of the society (GB 150 CMS), which includes papers relating to Lewin's service as a CMS missionary.

The Special Collections Department and the Orchard Learning Resources Centre also hold a rich collection of archives relating to missions, charities and other religious and ecclesiastical organisations and individuals.