Community of St Andrew archive

Papers of the religious community and its predecessor bodies.

Founded 1861. The first deaconess institution, set up by Elizabeth Catherine Ferard. Formerly the St Andrew's Deaconess Community, the London Diocesan Deaconess Institution, the North London Deaconess Institution.

See published works:

Peter Frederick Anson, 'The call of the cloister : religious communities and kindred bodies in the Anglican communion' (S.P.C.K., 1964), pp. 393-4 [Lambeth Palace Library H5193.A6]

article by Sister Joanna "The Deaconess Community of St Andrew", in 'Journal of Ecclesiastical History', vol. xii no. 2 (1961), pp. 215-230 [Lambeth Palace Library D140.(E2) [R] ]; Sister Joanna also wrote '1861-1961 Deaconess Community of St Andrew (1961)

Teresa Joan White, 'The (Deaconess) Community of St Andrew 1861-2011' [London: Deaconess Community of St. Andrew, 2012] [Lambeth Palace Library H5193.1A6]

Brief account of setting up the community in 'The Guardian' 24 July 1861. Elizabeth Ferard was sanctioned by the Bishop of London 18 July 1862; this is not mentioned in 'The Guardian', although in July 1862 it does include an account and discussion of the addresses at the Church Congress on deaconesses. Report of the first annual meeting in 'The Guardian' 10 December 1862.

Arranged in 12 series, numbered CSA 1-13; CSA/8 not allocated.

Open

Community of St. Andrew's records are generally subject to a thirty-year closure period after the last date in a file. Other files are closed for longer periods under the Data Protection Act.

Given to the Library by CSA in 2014.

Original work on the archive undertaken by Dr Henrietta Blackmore and Revd Dr Sr Teresa White. Cataloguing at LPL was funded by a grant from CSA. Cataloguing work at LPL, undertaken by Adam Harwood in 2015, was based on the original listing and date estimates and notes in brackets [ ] in the descriptions are largely made by Sr. Teresa.

ABBREVIATIONS

ABC = Archbishop of Canterbury

Bsp = Bishop

Dss = deaconess

DssCSA = deaconess, Community of St Andrew

f = following, e.g. 1856f means 1856 and after

LDDI = London Diocese Deaconess Institution

nd/n.d. = no date

NLDI = North London Deaconess Institution

Sr = Sister

Transferred from St Andrew's House, 2 Tavistock Road, Westbourne Park.

See Lambeth Palace Library printed book collection. CSA publications included 'Ancilla Domini' [accession ref L-2014-6]. CSA published material has been transferred to the printed book collection where appropriate.

Lambeth Palace Library and the Church of England Record Centre hold various other material on deaconesses, including LPL MSS 3463-3466 (Gilmore House papers for the dioceses of Rochester and Southwark) and CERC CWMC (Council for Women's Ministry in the Church).

However, the Tait papers do not appear to include correspondence in 1861 or 1862 about the institution. But the Davidson papers include much material on the santioning of deaconesses, and a list of all deaconesses, 1861-1926.

Deaconesses do not appear in Crockford's and biographical information might have to be pursued a local level (e.g. diocesan). But see also more general printed sources e.g. 'List of Anglican deaconesses ordained since 1862', Imprint N.p., 1922 [Lambeth Palace Library G4424.A6(C4)].