Tucker Manuscripts

This collection comprises the papers of Reverend John Tucker as CMS Secretary of the Madras Corresponding Committee between 1833 and 1847 and appear to be his own copies of official papers and correspondence, his notes and working papers and copies of printed material. A small quantity of material post dates his return from India

Reverend John Tucker (d 1873) was educated at Christ Church College Oxford where he was awarded a BA in 1813 and became a Fellow in 1817. He was ordained a deacon in 1818 and priest in 1819 and became minister of Southborough, Kent. In 1833 he went to South India as Secretary of the Madras Corresponding Committee 1833-1847. In 1847, on his return to England, he was appointed Secretary at the Church Missionary Society (CMS) Headquarters, a post he held until 1852. Between 1852 and 1873 he was vicar of West Hendred, Berkshire. He died in 1873. His sister, Sarah Tucker, wrote a number of early missionary books and the Sarah Tucker Institution in Palamcotta was founded in her memory.

Reference: Register of missionaries (clerical, lay & female) and native clergy from 1804 to 1904 ( Church Missionary Society, 1905 ). ; ; and manuscript additions to register.

This collection forms part of the Church Missionary Society Unofficial Papers. It is arranged into one series: Official Papers (which is in turn arranged into 16 sub-series: Cottayam College and mission; Syrian Church; Government; Authority of the Bishop; Correspondence with bishops; Mission matters; Accounts; Papers of Reverend W. T. Humphrey; Letters; Correspondence; Miscellaneous; Miscellaneous printed papers mainly relating to education in India; Correspondence and papers relating to the proposed Protestant College in Madras; Correspondence and papers relating to educational policy in India; Miscellaneous printed papers ).

Open. Access to all registered researchers.

The original provenance of this collection is unknown; it was 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 Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult.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 also holds the Church Missionary Society Archive, the official archive of the society (GB 150 CMS), and these papers are closely related to the records of the CMS South India Mission (GB 0150 CMS/C I2).

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