Catalogue

Register of baptisms, 4 June 1935 - 14 December 1949

Register of baptisms, 18 December 1949 - 22 March 1959

Register of baptisms, 11 July 1901 - 23 December 1908

Register of baptisms, 23 December 1908 - 29 August 1917

Register of baptisms, 29 August 1917 - 25 August 1926

Register of baptisms, 25 August 1926 - 29 May 1935

Register of baptisms, 22 March 1959 - 22 October 1972

Register of marriages, 24 July 1905 - 14 June 1909

Register of marriages, 6 July 1909 - 28 July 1917

Register of marriages, 6 August 1917 - 2 April 1923

Register of marriages, 25 April 1923 - 30 June 1934

Register of marriages, 11 July 1934 - 21 February 1942

Register of marriages, 11 March 1942 - 22 July 1950

Register of marriages, 29 July 1950 - 17 September 1960

Register of marriages, 17 September 1960 - 4 August 1965

Register of marriages, 7 August 1965 - 5 April 1969

Register of marriages, 5 April 1969 - 25 May 1970

Register of marriages, 30 May 1970 - 14 September 1974

Register of marriages, 14 September 1974 - 19 February 1977

Register of marriages, 26 February 1977 - 23 October 1982

Register of marriages, 23 October 1982 - 25 November 1989

Register of marriages, 17 March 1990 - 20 September 2008

Register of banns of marriage, 2 May 1982 - 18 February 1990

Register of banns of marriage, 9 July 1905 - 19 May 1918

Register of banns of marriage, 19 May 1918 - 5 June 1927

Register of banns of marriage, 5 June 1927 - 17 February 1935

Register of banns of marriage, 15 September 1940- 20 July 1947

Register of banns of marriage, 13 July 1947 - 31 May 1953

Register of banns of marriage, 7 June 1953 - 25 September 1960

Register of banns of marriage, 18 September 1960 - 18 June 1967

Register of banns of marriage, 4 June 1967 - 20 May 1973

Register of banns of marriage, 6 May 1973 - 18 July 1976

Register of banns of marriage, 4 July 1976 - 20 May 1979

Register of banns of marriage, 6 May 1979 - 16 May 1982

Register of banns of marriage, 4 February 1990 - 20 March 2011

Register of baptisms, 3 January 1941 - 12 September 1954

Register of baptisms, 16 September 1954 - 26 July 1963

Letter from the General Register Office, Somerset House, London, to Rev. R.J.R. Stokoe, St. Gabriel's Vicarage, concerning an application by Mrs. I Strong for an amendment to a marriage register entry (June Quarter, 1928), 28 May 1959 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw SG 1/6

Letter from the Registrar General commenting on the use of rubber stamps in the certified copies of marriage entries received from St. Gabriel's and expressing the hope that such stamps are not being used in the registers, 22 December 1958 Enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 1/26

Letter from B. Lasbrey, R.M.S., Aba, to [Amos] Tate, thanking the latter for his help during the writer's time at St. Gabriel's, referring to his appointment to preach at the pro-cathedral in Lagos, attended by Nigerians, and the European church, attended by the English, and to his journey of 4 or 5 days to Onitsha, 140 miles up the river Niger from Lagos, 16 March 1922

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, referring to his 6 weeks' trek in a district penetrated only by missionaries and the district officer, a freemasons' lodge in Warri, attended by a Sunderland man, Mr. Tate's holiday in Dorset and Devon, a magazine from St. Gabriel's and an enclosed letter for the Sunday School, 10 August 1922

Letter from B. Lasbrey, as from C.M.S., Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, remarking on the success of St. Gabriel's, referring to his bachelorhood, describing his stay at Port Harcourt, the large numbers attending a confirmation service there and children carrying bricks for the construction of a new, larger church, his intention of visits to Okrika, Aba, Umuahia and Owerri and his determination to send a letter to the Sunday School each quarter, 25 October 1922

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, thanking the latter for books on tailoring and cycling for the writer's cook, and asking the latter to send the writer's Sunday School letters to his sister-in-law, 26 November 1922

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C. M. S., Ebu Owerri, to [Amos] Tate, enclosing a letter for the Sunday School and asking that a copy be sent to Mrs. Lasbrey in Bedford and Mrs. Rosin in Westcliff-on-Sea, and that the letter be passed on to Mr. Forster, Miss Porritt and Miss Milburn, 8 February 1923 (1 paper) [For Sunday School letter dated 20 February 1923, see transcript EP/Biw.SG 2/145]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, as from C.M.S., Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, looking forward to his furlough at Easter 1924 and spending it at St. Gabriel's, referring to the death of Rev. M.C. Latham from black-water fever and enclosing letter to the Sunday School, 28 April 1923

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C. M. S., Onitsha, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing a voyage on the river Niger between Port Harcourt and Brass, including conditions aboard, and mangrove swamps; preaching at Abonema; the religious condition of the people in the Niger delta; history of Garrick Braid, formerly with the C.M.S., latterly a self-styled prophet; events at Brass; a journey by canoe to Nembe built on a mangrove swamp; reference to a previous dispute between native chiefs and an English trading company leading to cannibalism; attempts to settle current disputes between the chiefs; the natives' worship of snakes, and a war canoe, 28 April 1923

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C. M. S., Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate enclosing a letter to the Sunday School, asking the latter to send copies to two more individuals and looking forward to his leave in England in April 1924, 25 July 1923

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing a journey by canoe and bicycle of 380 miles, including an audience with the local king in Onitsha-Olorna and with a queen in Idumijay Ibwoko who, with her princesses, performed native dances and received presents of a shilling for the queen and sixpences for the princesses; a mishap with petrol leading to a promise to provide a Christian teacher to the chief of Abavo; a juju house in Usonibwe; harvesting of mahogany trees; persecution of native Christians; desire of many natives for Christian teachers; native chiefs at Utajba in a car made in Birmingham; 'the Unknown'; description of flora and fauna, 25 July 1923

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Aviara, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, expressing his hope that the Christmas celebrations at St. Gabriel's are enjoyable; referring to the death from black-water fever of Mr. Latham; describing a journey with Mr. Garrard from Onitsha to Patani by river, thence to Ekrebasi, a Christian centre, thence to Uzere and elsewhere, all by river, typifying the conditions of a journey by river in flood in the rainy season in October; the opening service in a new church at Oleh, a heathen stronghold; communion services; medical aid; preparations for a missionary's house; motives of natives for attending school, 26 October 1923

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, referring to the popularity of his letters from Nigeria, the latter's imminent house move, the start of schools and colleges and the arrival of new teachers and evangelists, the difficulties of moving house, and the reluctance of missionaries to go to places where the natives remain wild and cannibalism survives, the imminent arrival of Miss Mann and Mr. Gelsthorpe, 13 January 1925

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School on the theme of bells: describing a stay with Bishop Howells at Aba, where bells signal the fetching of water to wash in before Sunday Service, and the service itself; the story of the bell belonging to the juju of Calabar subsequently presented to Holy Trinity Church, Calabar; the bell belonging to the idol of Bonny, formerly the centre of veneration of lizards; the bell at Ogbolu, almost lost when the Christian cause faltered; a bell stolen from, and restored to, its original church; other ways of summoning worshippers in use in Africa such as the beating of a piece of wood or the sounding of a ram's horn; the use of drums to convey messages; the story of the biggest drum in Nigeria; reflections on bells in the Bible, 10 January 1925

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, referring to the arrival of M. Gelsthorpe; suggesting other recipients of copy letters; commenting favourably on M. Hales [vicar of St. Gabriel's] and enclosing letter for Sunday School [not found], 10 April 1925 (1 paper) [For Sunday School letter dated 7 April 1925, see transcript EP/Biw.SG 2/147]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Ebu Owerri, to [Amos] Tate commiserating on the death of his mother-in-law and the ill-health of the vicar [of St. Gabriel's]; commenting on the latter's prospective holiday in Torquay; the curates at St. Gabriel's [B.M. Goodwyns, curate, 1923 - 1925, subsequently incumbent in diocese of Norfolk, and Denis Hall, curate, 1924 - 1928; subsequently Assistant Bishop on the Niger, 1947 - 1957]; the visit of the Prince of Wales to Lagos and Kano, and commenting on the affairs of members of the congregation of St. Gabriel's, 22 June 1925

Letter from B. Lasbrey, Ologodo Agba, S. Nigeria, to [Amos] Tate enclosing letter to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, written in the bush, 30 July 1925

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Ata, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing his writing in a mud hut in palm forest country; a journey the previous month to the Enugwu district, made on motorcycle, calling on Mr. Gelsthorpe at Awka, being overtaken by a rainstorm and staying at a government resthouse where he met a surveyor mapping the country, continuing his journey the next day to Afikpo Road, where a confirmation service was held, then proceeding to Enugwu Ngwo, the house and compound of Mr. Ejindu, an Ibo Clergyman, which included a church, a school and training college for young girls; recounting Mr. Ejindu's first years at Ngwo including living in a leaking house, continual warfare between different factions, the custom of killing children as peace-offerings, use of ground supposedly haunted by evil spirits as a carpenter's shop; the use of a baboon as a body-guard; fear of twins among the natives; journey to Makurdi, where live Christians working on the line; constructing a floating bridge cross the Benue; an idol in a village; Christian life in Nguro; a football match; the poor state of roads; a visit to Maku where the church has not been visited by a missionary for four years; a snake-bite at Umuali leading to reflections on the 119th psalm, verse 105; final return to Onitsha after a journey of nearly a month to 38 places, 17 June 1925

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, mentioning the delights of the Christmas celebrations at St. Gabriel's; recounting the story of David, a convert, teaching Christianity to young men in Ewelu, 12 miles from Ibuzo, despite extreme physical weakness; the story of John, a road-mender, a convert, who started the church in Agbiligba; the story of Theo, a convert, who became a leper and who spread Christianity in a leper colony near Onitsha; the story of Abraham, a man from Ndisuorgu, who was converted when cataracts were removed from his eyes in a C.M.S. hospital at Izi Enu and started a church in Ndisuorgu which led to 80 churches in its province; the story of two native missionary teachers who narrowly escaped being sacrificed by a pagan chief to drive away sickness, received 22 December 1925

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., to [Amos] Tate enclosing a letter to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, 11 January 1926

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing a river journey from Onitsha in a motor-launch known as 'Mervyn' with Mr. Garrod, the missionary in charge of the district to which the journey was to be made; the cooks of both and four boys; a mud church along the way and another Christian settlement known as Canaan, (because the Christians had been driven from their original village) where swamp and mango trees had been planted; a stay at Iverogbo; a journey thence by bicycle along narrow tracks interrupted by stream and marshes to Uzoro, a Christian centre; remarks on the marked differences between districts of Nigeria and the facility for learning languages possessed by the Nigerians; accusations of witchcraft brought against the Christians often upheld by local native courts and the difficulty of access to the local British magistrate; their reception at Uzoro; other places visited in the Isoko country, including Airare and Uzere; description of a journey across a lake to get to Emedi and difficulties of a journey to Ekrobasi through mud and water; travel in the Isoko country normally by canoe in October and where the houses are usually built on poles; journey into the Ijaw country, the inhabitants of which live on the banks of the rivers, whereas the Isoko live in swamps, a clever people, but fiercely superstitious; the river Niger; a journey along river Forcado and Sagbani creek, including the extreme heat of the sun and swamps of large flies; a visit to Ukumbiri; attempts to shoot a crocodile, a fisher-eagle and a crane, the two latter for food; problems with the boat on their return, 11 January 1926

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S.., Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, asking the latter to send a copy of the Church's Sunday School letters to his brother in South Africa, and remarking on the number of copies made, 27 March 1926

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, recounting the conversion of a native chief, head of the Okonko, a heathen clan wielding great power; his stay at Chief Wogu's compound and the way of life of the inhabitants of the compound; the depredations of white ants; a photograph of the boys in the compound; a visit to Okahinga, including the difficulties of the journey there successively by lorry, bicycle and on foot, through thick forest, interspersed with clearings, houses and farms; the laying of the foundation stone of the church there; a gift of food; the problem of the heathens holding a market near the church on Sundays; request for a cure for a case of insanity ascribed to heathen revenge on Christians; journey in another part of Nigeria, across the Niger, where many requests for teachers of the gospel were received, 19 July 1926

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, referring to the difficulty of finding new items of news for the Sunday Schools, enclosing three pictures and a booklet, referring to his tiredness after two years' tour without a break and 'Gelsthorpe's' good health and efforts to learn 'the language' , 28 August 1926

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Onitsha, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing the town of Onitsha, including its sandbanks, its trades, its different tribes with different dress, the Hansas and Nupas, Mohammedans from the north of Nigeria 'great traders throughout Africa'; the 'factories' or warehouses lining the river; the C.M.S. church, Christ Church, attended by over 1000 people; the C.M.S. grammar school and primary school, the industrial mission, the missionaries' houses and the houses of the government officials, constituting the European quarter of about 50 white individuals; the old native town where there are two churches and many native jujus and idols, before which sacrifices of fowls and goats are made; an ordination service at which the congegation was over 2000 people and at which the preacher was Archdeacon Dandeson Crowther, a native of Sierra Leone, son of Bishop Samuel Adjai Crowther, the slave boy who became a bishop; description of Archdeacon Crowther's sermon, mentioning conditions in Onitsha in 1862 and a human sacrifice performed at that time, the changes brought about by the introduction of Christianity and, since 1900, by the British government, particularly with regard to the custom of human sacrifice, medicine, hygiene and the care of infants, received 1926 [dated by reference to ordination]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, 66, Heybridge Avenue, Streatham Common, London, SW16, to [Amos] Tate announcing his imminent departure from Liverpool to return to Nigeria and naming further recipients of copies of his Sunday School letters, 28 October 1927

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Old Mission House, Marina, Lagos, to [Amos] Tate, enclosing a letter [not found] to the Sunday Schools written on board ship, 11 November 1927 (1 paper) [For Sunday School letter dated 11 November 1927, see transcript EP/Biw.SG 2/151]

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Paul's Sunday School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, thanking the Sunday School for its gift of toys, books and pencils for the New Year; describing a journey in the Owerri district; a digression on the custom of sending the intended brides of C.M.S. teachers to a C.M.S. training home; the discomforts of the journey by side-car from Ebu to Ata; the delights of Ata market attended by over 1000 individuals selling articles of diets, including yams, cassava, goats, snails, snakes, caterpillars and dogs, and other goods; a field protected against evil spirits by the skull and bones of victims of the influenza epidemic of 1918; the stay at Ata, including visits to a number of churches, a confirmation and harvest thanksgiving service combined; the custom of some heathens of giving to the church and helping to build the churches, although not renouncing heathen practices; sports day and an entertainment with the gramophone; a visit to Miss Chollett, a missionary who rescued and was bringing up one of a set of twins, who had been abandoned by their parents, because twins were considered unlucky, dated on transcript as 1928

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Onitsha, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing a stay at Ife, including the mud house in which he is staying, the flowers and butterflies round the house, the importance of palm trees for their oil, timber and sap, known as palm wine; the predilection of Nigerians for taking an English Christian name at baptism; the equipment needed for a journey into the hinterland; the church at Ife, including its excellent carved wooden fittings made by Nathaniel Ifeka, trained by the C.M.S. industrial mission; the highly populated nature of the district round Ife; the excitements of the service for the dedication of the church at Ife and the sports and feast following it; the scarcity of cows and horses in southern Nigeria because of the tsetse fly and consequent sleeping sickness; the immunity of West African people to sleeping sickness, an immunity now shared by East Africans, a fact which led to work to discover a cure by medical missionaries in Uganda; the consequences of being a people without horses and cows, such as isolation, poor roads, and unfamiliarity with the wheel; the resolution of a dispute over the type of teacher to be sent to Amunara, a town near Ife; trouble caused in Ata by Christians cutting down trees worshipped by heathens and an observation that heathen beliefs should be respected; the story of Jeremiah, the son of heathens who had cast him out as useless because of his paralysis, but who was helped by Christians; reference to intended visit of Bishop Howells to England, 21 January 1928

Letter from B. Lasbrey, Bishop on the Niger, as from C. M. S., Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, enclosing a Sunday School letter; remarks on St. Gabriel's clergy; advising of the forthcoming visit of Bishop Howells, a scholar and man of distinction, and expressing the hope that the latter will be well received in Sunderland, 23 April 1928

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C. M. S., Onitsha, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing the dramatic changes in the roads in Nigeria over the previous twenty five years; trouble in the country round Owerri from natives forced to labour on the roads; the murder in 1905 of a doctor there by discontended natives and a punitive expedition to avenge his death; the civilising influence of the gospel where civil engineering and military power has failed; stretches of road between Ozubulu and Uli and between Awka and Enujwu where native travellers are still attacked, killed and sometimes eaten; the difficulties of a motor bicycle ride between Ebu and Ife; a journey along some of the creeks of the Niger delta; remarks that ant-heaps make a fine surfacing material for roads and tennis courts and that roads at Brass Nembu are made of shells; the worship by the people at Brass of pythons and of an idol at Awka, called Agbala, which was used to settle disputes, gave Delphic answers and where the priest often killed the unsuccessful petitioner or sold him into slavery; discussion of the power of other jujus which always fails when a church is established nearby; signposts to Christian churches and the duty of Christians to maintain the roads leading to the churches; duty of Christians to lead others on the way to Christianity, arrived 21 May 1928

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Enugwu Inyi, South Nigeria, to [Amos] Tate, enclosing a letter to the Sunday School and asking for a copy to be sent to Mrs. Davidson, Lambeth Palace, with accompanying covering letter [not found], 10 September 1928

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C. M. S., Onitsha, South Nigeria, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing a journey through heavy rain to Enugwu; the town mission compound; the 'twinnery' where rescued twins are brought up (with a digression describing how a former witch doctor rescued a discarded child and brought him up); the girls' home for the training of young women engaged to Christian young men; the industrial mission compound built on 'bad bush', the school compound and tailoring department; a journey by rail to Makurdi, where a group of Christians from South Nigeria are working on the building of a railway bridge across the river Benue; a subsequent journey to Eha where Christians are persecuted, particularly by the devotees of the juju, Odoe; the activities of the 'maw', a man dressed and masked to represent a spirit; the conversion of a madwoman by Mr. Ejindu, the native parson, and the killing of a snake while in the act of swallowing a lizard, 28 August 1928

Letter from B. Lasbrey , C.M.S., Onitsha, South Nigeria, West Africa, to [Amos] Tate enquiring whether the latter knows of a Christian young man skilled in building and carpentry who would be willing to join the Niger mission, 31 January 1929

Letter from B. Lasbrey, 'on the River Niger', to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, referring to the fact that he is on a steamer returning from a journey to the country of the Osoko, which took him first to Bethel, a village inhabited by Christians driven from their native villages by persecution, then to Assaje for a conference of Isoko Christian churches; describing how clothes left out over night are too wet to wear and the incident of a woman stabbed many times as the result of quarrel with a young man and how her life was saved by the missionaries; reflecting on the need for versatility in missionaries and the lack of communications in Osoko where no motors could run and where there are no trails or houses and where water is the only means of travel; the disadvantages and attractions of river travel and local methods of fishing; his journey to Kaima in Ijaw country, where the Church is weakened by superstition and belief in witchcraft; how anyone suspected of witchcraft is sent to consult the juju or oracle at Umunahu near Owerri, and, if judged guilty, is escorted back to the village to hang him or herself; the writer, aware of over 100 such hangings in the last 4 years, hopes that the establishment of a Christian mission at Umunahu will gradually destroy the power of the juju; a confirmation and meeting of the Ijaw Church Council at Kaima, followed by a long journey to Patani to spend Christmas in company with 5 missionaries; at Ozoro great numbers of Christians, as many as 900 at daily morning prayers; the confirmation of a leper woman; the prevalence of leprosy in Nigeria, and the first leper settlements; the opening of Uweru church attended by 3000 people; New Year at Uzere and the singing of hymns throughout the town all night, January 1929 Includes: covering letter inside front cover

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Onitsha, South Nigeria, West Africa, to [Amos] Tate, enclosing a letter for the Sunday School and three exercise books belonging to the house-boys and chosen at random, 21 May 1929 For enclosures, see EP/Biw.SG 2/191-193

Letter from B. Lasbrey, Onitsha, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School enclosing a copy of the Lord's Prayer in Ibo, and describing his efforts to learn the Ibo language from a C. M. S. schoolmaster; referring to the many languages in Nigeria: at least 14 different languages spoken by the 800 boys at Onitsha school, and the different dialects of Ibo; giving examples of the complexities of pronunciation; describing a journey with Gelsthorpe to Okrika, an island in the swampy delta of the River Niger, for the opening of a new church, at present the finest completed church in Nigeria, built of cement blocks and holding 2000 people, the dedication ceremony of which was attended by Mr. Wilcock (who was at the 1927 Camp at Alnmouth), Bishop Howells (who preached last year at St. Gabriel's ), Archdeacon Crowther, and Anthony Ockiya, the king of the Brass people, formerly the first clergyman to live properly in Okrika; the ordination of 1 Englishman and 13 Africans (on the day following the dedication), the writer officiating and the sermon preached in English by Gelsthorpe; a journey to the Nnewi district, not far from Onitsha and the Christian chiefs of Nnobi and Nnawka towns; the difficulties of the Ozubulu people in building a church to withstand the tornadoes of the area; the renewed heathen custom of burning all twins; and enclosing 3 exercise books belonging to his house-boys Josiah and Jimmy, 3 April 1929 For enclosures, see EP/Biw.SG 2/191-193

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S. Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate enclosing a letter for the Sunday School, and a list of further addresses for Sunday School letter copies, 23 July 1929

Letter from B. Lasbrey, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, on the theme of 'the bush', describing leopard attacks at the end of the village, and the abundance of snakes, some of the largest varieties, such as pythons, being worshipped by the people; how Mr. Cheetham, the missionary, had a pet snake which came into the room whenever the gramophone was played; explaining the difficulties of clearing the bush before building, as at Iselegwu where the writer recently opened a new church; referring to the juju priest at Iselegwu and the famous juju at Awka, near Gelsthorpe's home, called the Agbala, and consulted by people from all over the country; describing the deceptions practised by juju priests, and the custom of hammering a nail into a sacred tree for each person murdered by the juju; describing the writer's own visit to the Agbala shrine and his thanks that the practice has almost stopped; his visit to the town of Ozala Ogogolo where Christianity has made little progress on account of the town's having a language entirely its own, and the marvellous juju, a wonderful piece of cloth, which he was not allowed to see; his attempts to convert the juju priest; a description of the land called 'bad bush', supposedly haunted by evil spirits, and the place where the bodies of lepers and smallpox victims are thrown without burial, and formerly where twins were thrown, having first been put in pots; the practice of giving missionaries 'bad bush' to live on, and how their ability to survive there has aided the conversion of the people to Christianity; examples of the communities thriving on 'bad bush' now and the contrast with 20 years ago when no man dared cross the place for fear of the spirits of the departed; observations on the clearing of the 'spiritual' bush - deeply rooted evil customs inspired by idolatry and spirit worship, and the need for continued missionary support of the converted; his anticipation of the impending arrival of Rev. Jimmy Welch, an old St. Gabriel's Sunday School boy and teacher, to join Gelsthorpe and himself, received 19 August 1929

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C. M. S. Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, enclosing a letter for the Sunday School and hoping to write one or two more before his return in March; expecting Jimmy Welch this month; remarks on the awfulness of the rainy season, everything reeking with damp, and advising that Gelsthorpe is well and hoping to come home by the same boat as the writer, 1 October 1929

Letter from B. Lasbrey, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, on the theme of names, describing long personal and place names in West Africa; the persecution of the Christians at Iri, driven out of their town to establish a new community at Ikpidiama, which they called Canaan in memory of the children of Israel; how other towns, Bethel and Eden, started in a similar way, and how many of the persecutors are now converted too; examples of place names which describe their location or the sort of people who live there; how many children are named after the day of the week on which they were born, there being only 4 days in the Ibo week; the adoption of Biblical Christian names in place of native names not supported by the missionaries; examples of names with beautiful meanings; how boys of the Ijaw tribe, who hire themselves out for white man's work, are often named after their father's work; examples of girls' names; how many of the people who have moved to Nigeria from Sierra Leone bear the names of men who helped to put down the slave trade, or of founders of the Church Missionary Society; the achievements of the 3 black bishops in Nigeria, Bishop Crowther, Adolphus Williamson Howells and Isaac Oluwole; examples of nicknames, n.d. [transcript marked 30 October 1929]

Postcard from B. Lasbrey, Ogwashi, Ullu, to A. Tate, Clifton Villa, Barnes View, Sunderland, conveying Christmas and New Year greetings, there being no Christmas cards available, and expressing thanks for Tate's letter and enclosures; Gelsthorpe to arrive home by February because of over-work; Jimmy Welch now in Isoko, 5 December 1929

Letter from B. Lasbrey, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, on the theme of books in Nigeria, describing their absence before the arrival of missionaries; how everything made of paper is known as 'Akwookwaw' or 'book' in the Ibo language; how house-boys work as servants to pay their school fees, and the importance attached to testimonials; how the majority of people, even in South Nigeria, where there are numerous churches and schools, are heathen, or 'people who don't know book'; the great demands on C.M.S. funds; the need for a teacher at Ezike, a town of 40,000 inhabitants, all heathen, and appealing for £20 or £25 from the letter's recipients to pay a teacher's salary; how the chief of Ezike gave the writer a live turkey as a present on his departure, just before Christmas; the thousands of exercise books sold to boys by the Mission bookshop at the beginning of term and the variety of stationery and other items sold at the C.M.S. bookshop in Lagos; the many forms of missionary work besides being a clergyman; the writer's wishes for the New Year and anticipation of what may happen in the 1930's; exhortations to improve, or 'get a good book' as one would say in Nigeria, n.d. [New Year, 1930; transcript marked 1 February 1930]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, referring to his stay in England for most of the previous year and his 2 visits to Sunderland; in reply to a request for news of what Christmas is like in Nigeria, reference to the extreme heat and the lack of words for 'ice' and 'snow' in the Ibo language; describing a Christian house decorated for Christmas; how some Christians polish the walls of their mud houses until they shine, and how the missionaries encourage converts to grow fruit trees in their compounds, although the natives rarely eat fruit and the practice of planting fruit trees in every new church yard is now declining, but continued by Christian converts; the use of ornamental arches of palm branches as a decoration at festivals, often woven into patterns and intertwined with red flowers, especially at Christmas; how the native children like to get presents, which they call 'dashes'; Christmas spent at Enugwu, including a party hosted by the Lieutenant Governor of South Nigeria; the opening of a new church at Ndisooawgu and the story of a local man converted after his blindness was cured at the C.M.S. Hospital at Iyienu, 20 February 1931 [dated on penultimate page]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, inviting his addressees to imagine themselves taking a walk with the writer in the West African bush: describing the C.M.S. compound at Ndisooawgu, with its minister's house, church and school buildings, all surrounded by forest, the people of the village living in 7 or 8 separate compounds in clearings nearby, with 50 to 60 people in each compound; how nine tenths of the Ibo tribe live like this, the trading towns of part of Onitsha, Enugwu and Port Harcourt being more like English towns; the great open air markets held every 4 days; the varieties of forest trees and the many uses of oil palm trees; ants and birds; a typical meal; a chief's clothing, n.d. [received 31 March 1931]

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, on the theme of Nigerian proverbs, including observations on the values of cooperation; canoe journeys on the River Niger; the wearing of anklets; the 'bad bush' home to leopards at Newee, where the writer stayed recently; describing the Government boarding school at Umudike, consisting of 8 teachers and 100 boys, the uniform and football teams, the school day and meals (how rice is considered a luxury); and expressing thanks for the telegram from the campers at Alnmouth, n.d. [received 7 November 1931]

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing a long journey down the River Niger in company with Mr. Roberts, a missionary in charge of the bookshop, together with a cook, 2 houseboys and supplies for 15 or 16 days, starting on a river steamer, then tranferring to a mission motor launch; their journey past Eden village, a wet place where houses are raised from the ground; arrival at their first destination, Umudi village, just one row of houses 50 yds. from the river; a confirmation there; the discomfort caused by sandflies and mosquitoes; a visit to the King of Abaw in his great mud palace and his request for a Christian teacher to be sent there; continuation of journey, along the Assaye Creek, to Ibredi, and the Igbe religious sect, the members of which dress all in white, eat chalk at some ceremonies and carry large fans made from the dried skins of white goats or sheep, which they beat against their hands during frenzied dancing, to the accompaniment of drums, their main purpose being to seek out witches; a short motor boat journey to Iverogbo, a trading station on the Assaye Creek, then 5 miles by bicycle to Bethel, a well laid-out Christian village with the church in the middle of a square, surrounded by houses, each with a little garden, and including a C.M.S. dispensary which has treated people mauled by leopards, bitten by crocodiles and gored by bush-cows, the last more feared than other wild animals in Nigeria; a journey crossing a mile-long bridge over a swamp outside Bethel to Oleh, headquarters of the C.M.S. in the district, and where Jimmy Welch lived last year, then on, via swamps crossed by canoe, to a destination [not named] where a large deputation arrived from the neighbouring Sobos tribe, who wanted to join churches with the Isokos; on return to Iverogbo the discovery of a new motor launch sent by friends in England; sending Christmas greetings and enclosing 2 photographs, one of the Dennis Memorial School [Onitsha] football team, with the headmaster and Mr. Charlie Forster, and the other of the School Scouts, n.d. [received 1 December 1931] For enclosures, see EP/Biw.SG 2/187-188

Letter from [B. Lasbrey] to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, on the theme of 'the road', describing how the country roads in Nigeria are full of life, the surface swarming with ants and other insects, the sides of the road home to snakes and scorpions; akpaka trees planted along the roadside to provide shade; how the coming of motor vehicles has driven monkeys further into the bush so that they are more rarely seen than even 7 or 8 years ago; the danger of the giant cotton trees which can fall without warning; a roadside market and the wide variety of produce and goods for sale; how school-children will walk 7 miles to school, and work all through the holidays to earn money for school fees, and an example of the hard work of 3 boys from the C.M.S. school at Achi, 52 miles from Onitsha; how the ambition of every schoolboy is to pass Standard VI, with observations on the problem of a lack of suitable employment for the large numbers now coming out of school; a chief and his servants on their way to court, there being a court for every 8 or 10 towns and villages; how the people are too fond of going to court and that the nature of many disputes is petty, that bribery and injustice are common, reinforcing the need for good Christian schools for the sons of chiefs; attempts to force Christians to swear on a juju instead of the Bible when they bear witness in court; the many duties of a village pastor, and the training provided at Awka College (principal Mr. Gelsthorpe); enclosing pictures [not found] of the school where Mr. Forster teaches and of Awka College chapel interior and an Awka College group (1931), n.d. [received March 1932]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, Ihiagwa, Owerri district, South Nigeria, to [Amos] Tate, enclosing another letter for the Sunday School, and referring to the adressee's intention to retire from the Girls' Sunday School; requesting the conveyance of the writer's sympathy to Mrs. Dixon; informing that Gelsthorpe has just arrived, and that Charlie Forster sailed for his first leave; expressing the writer's satisfaction with the work of all the St. Gabriel's boys [in Nigeria], 8 April 1933

Letter from B. Lasbrey, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing his 'country residence' at Umuhi, the varieties of trees growing in the forest, and the numerous compounds which make up a village; how the native children wash, and recalling the writer's original intention to write on the subject of clothes; how most schools have a simple uniform; the people's preference for bright colours; describing the Sunday dress of boys at the Dennis Memorial Grammar School at Onitsha; the practice of body-painting, using red ochre and patterns in black dye, and the tribal tattoo marks of the Nri people, and of the Isokos; the wearing of cloths instead of trousers, the long cloaks of the chiefs and elders, the gowns or tobes worn by the students at Awka College; the police uniform; how the chiefs of a large district, who are known as kings, wear crowns, and recalling how the late King of Onitsha ordered a new crown from Mr. Cheetham, the C.M.S. bookshop manager, and was supplied with one from a theatrical outfitters in England; the bright clothes worn to church on Sunday; and reflections on the unchanging nature of Christ in comparison with changing fashions in clothes, n.d. [received 2 May 1933]

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing a long journey of 2 weeks' duration through the mangrove swamps of the Niger delta, travelling from Onitsha via Sapele to Warri, then to the great trading station of Burutu, belonging to the United Africa Company, where ocean- going ships come up from the sea carrying merchandise from all over the world; the rest house provided by the United African Company for the writer's use, and equipped with many of the comforts of home; the wetness of the climate at Burutu; a meeting with some Sunderland people, including Mr. and Mrs. Oakley Smith; a confirmation at Forcados then a return to Warri; the diverse tribal origins of the people living at Warri, and inter-tribal quarrelling; a visit to the small church at Jeddu, and a fine lunch prepared by a man who had been cook to an Englishman; after a week at Warri on to the riverside village of Egbo, the writer in attendance whilst some new converts burnt their jujus or idols; the idols described and the converts received into the Church; at Okpare a chance encounter with the Lieutenant Governor of Nigeria, then to Ughelle where Mr. Jimmy Welch and his wife live; negotiating a swamp, missionaries and bicycles carried shoulder high by the native men; the collapse of the vestry at Iri after heavy rains, 10 - 26 June 1933

Letter from B. Lasbrey, Bishopscourt, Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, referring to the change of incumbent at St. Gabriel's, enclosing another quarterly letter for the Sunday School [not found] and expressing approbation for the work of Jimmy Welch and his wife, 5 July 1933

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C. M. S., Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, asking for another name to be added to the list of those receiving copies of the writer's Sunday School letters; remarking that shortage of money makes development work very difficult; anticipating the return of Charlie Forster and Jack Carr, and reporting that Gelsthorpe is fit and doing a great deal of travelling, although the health of Welch's wife causes anxiety, 1 November 1933

Letter from B. Lasbrey, Bishopscourt, Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, enclosing a Sunday School letter, and supplying another name to be added to the list of recipients, 7 April 1934

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing the areas of 'bad bush' near most Nigerian villages, supposedly haunted by evil spirits and the place where bodies of the diseased and accursed are thrown; how no-one will cultivate the ground or walk over it by night for fear of death or calamity, and referring to the change which has been effected in less than 30 years by the settlement of missionaries on 'bad bush'; the mission compound at Ebu Owerri, where the writer is staying, now the busiest part of the town; the Ebu Owerri mission station compound with its old church, school, teachers' houses and boys' dormitories; the African clergyman Rev. Alphonso Onyeabo responsible for some 80 churches; an account of how the Bible was translated into Ibo. c.1907, by the missionary Dennis, based mainly on the dialect spoken at Owerri, and how the cost of building Dennis' house was borne jointly by the Bible Society and the Church Missionary Society; the Government programme of road building a few years ago, and the resentment aroused by the use of forced native labour, with the consequent dangers for Europeans travelling alone; the tale of a doctor warned by Bishop Tugwell [the writer's predecessor] and Mr. Onyeabo not to travel alone, who disregarded their advice and was murdered in the Owerri district, his bicycle being tied tightly to a tree to prevent its escape; how the settlement of Mr. Dennis at Ebu Owerri to translate the Bible, and his teaching, had gradually removed the danger to travellers, the place where the doctor was killed now occupied by a church opened by the writer in 1922; an unexpected result of Mr. Dennis' work whereby the form of Ibo into which the Bible was translated has become the common language of the whole country; how the manuscript of Dennis' English - Ibo dictionary was washed up at Milford Haven after the author's ship went down on a voyage home in 1916, the manuscript almost intact, and printed posthumously; explaining that the house built for Dennis, Ebu Owerri, is now occupied by Dr. Roseveare, a missionary lady doctor who attends the women and children; the girls' home where those engaged to be married are instructed in domestic economy, and its former superintendent, Miss Hornby, a missionary in Nigeria for 33 years; the varieties of fruit and the cheerful disposition of the African people, n.d. [received 1 May 1934]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, Bishopscourt, Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, enclosing a Sunday School letter with the regret that it is more or less a repetition of previous letters, and expressing the fear that Jimmy Welch, with whom the writer is staying, will not return to Nigeria after his present tour of duty on account of his wife's poor health; requesting that a copy of his Sunday School letter is sent to the C.M.S. Hon. Secretary, 5 June 1934

Letter from B. Lasbrey, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing his long journey through the swamps and creeks of part of the Niger delta, his departure delayed because the river steamer 'Delimi' was stuck on a sandbank, a result of the very dry 'dry season' this year; the larger sandbanks being quite thickly populated for 4 months of the year until the onset of the rainy season; how the water level of the R. Niger rises over 40 ft. between June and October; his journey continued by steamer to Assaye then by motor launch and bicycle to Bethel; Bethel, and the missionaries there, Miss Jewitt and Miss Inge; a meeting with the lay readers of the area; the half mile long wooden bridge over a swamp outside Bethel; plans for a new school at Aviara, and a difficult road to Ervanie for discussion with the Church Council regarding the provision of a school and teacher, 27 May 1934

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, conveying Christmas greetings and looking forward to his return in June of the coming year after 2.5 years in Nigeria; reporting that Gelsthorpe makes his influence felt everywhere, and that Forster's school is one of the best in Nigeria; that Jack Carr is to succeed Jimmy Welch next year; enclosing a letter for the Sunday Schools, and a copy [not found] of 4 addresses given to the native clergy when they met for an annual week's retreat, 29 November 1934

Letter from B. Lasbrey, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, on the theme of noises, describing the ineffectiveness of motor car horns, ignored by the natives, and the general dislike of the new wide roads and government vehicles; an incident 50 miles from Onitsha where a native boy was injured by the writer's motor cycle, his recovery at Iyi Enu hospital, and his further adventures after throwing mud at government officers driving past; the amount of noise despite the scarcity of traffic, including insect noise at night, the noise of markets and of native singing; the infrequency of trains compensated by the incredible noise which they make; a recent train journey from Enugu to Jos for the dedication of a new church, and an eventful return journey including an encounter with a swarm of locusts, a halt at Kaffanchan junction, and a crossing of the Benue bridge; the noise of storms, and taking shelter at Ikem church; at Mbu Ammon the recent persecution of Christians, taken to court for allegedly insulting the juju; the noise of Nigerian courts and the hospitality extended by the juju priest to the writer during his stay at Mbu Ammon, n.d. [received 24 December 1934]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, Bishopscourt, Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, enclosing a Sunday School letter and referring to the succesful work of Charlie Forster, Jack Carr and Gelsthorpe, 25 January 1935

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing the Church of Scotland leper colony at Itu, founded in 1928, with a population of approximately 1700, and famous throughout Nigeria; the tribal origins of the lepers, the progress of the disease, attempts to hide signs of disease, treatment by injection of hydro-carpnus oil; Itu village, including the inscription on the stone archway at the entrance gate, the isolation house for the babies of lepers, the hospital and school, the trades carried on, the leper police and the chief of the lepers, the church, cinema shows; production of lemon grass oil and starch for export; the colony partly funded by an annual grant from the Nigerian government; a visit to the heathen village of Urueze, in the group of villages called Nenwe, to arrange the establishment of a church and school at the invitation of the village chief, whose belief in the god or idol at the chief shrine of Arochuku in eastern Nigeria was matched by his anxiety to have a Christian church and school; a display of boxing [at Urueze], peculiar to only one or two towns in Nigeria, and informing that the writer expects to return home in June, 25 January 1935

Letter from B. Lasbrey, R.M.S. 'Kenilworth Castle', to [Amos] Tate, enclosing another letter for the Sunday School and recording his pleasure at having been in Sunderland again; reporting that he is on board ship 2 or 3 days from Cape Town and expects to spend 3 weeks there before going on to West Africa, 29 November 1935

Letter from B. Lasbrey, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, and other friends, describing the life of an Ibo boy, Josiah Okonkwaw Egbosimba, who lived in Ogbuniki village, a few miles from Onitsha, his desire to go to school, his attendance at the 'vernacular' C M.S. school in his village, and his progression to the fee-paying school in the neighbouring village of Ogiddy; how he sought employment from the writer as a houseboy to pay his school fees; his duties and daily routine; travels into the bush with the writer during the holidays; after 4 years at Onitsha Central School, his success in the Government Standard VI examination (all in English), and his placement as a pupil-teacher in the C.M.S. school at Ebu Owerri; after 2 years, his transfer to the coal-mining centre of Enugu, then to a bush school at Umuabi; his persistence after unsuccessful attempts to gain a place at Awka training college rewarded and his fees paid collectively by the chief of his village, the writer and the writer's friends in England; expressing the writer's thanks to those who have helped boys like Josiah, n.d. [received 1 January 1936]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, Bishopscourt, Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, enclosing another letter for the Sunday School and the various friends who receive copies of the same through the kindness of the addressee and his typist; giving news of all the St. Gabriel's people [in Nigeria] including Dicky Bubb and Kate Anderson, although Caslaw, now at Lagos, is too distant to visit; advising that the writer is travelling and currently staying at Jack Carr's house; requesting that a copy of his letters be sent to Rev. Mr. Wilkinson of Cambridgeshire and enclosing a copy [not found] of 4 addresses given by the writer at a retreat for native clergy, 30 May 1936

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School and other friends, commenced at the mission house at Oleh, describing the difficulties of driving over the sand, covered by sheets of wire netting, on the bank of the river Niger, and a detour, occasioned by a broken bridge, whilst the writer was en route from Onitsha to Bethel, and remarking that a photograph of the Rev. O. N. Garrard's children at Oleh has prompted him to write about 'the kind faces of friends'; recalling his visit to Sunderland last October and remarking that his pleasure at seeing St. Gabriel's and the local scenery was nothing compared to the kind faces of his old friends and the welcome which he received, referring to the 'parish tea' and his visits to the Barnes School, and to Hartlepool, to meet 'Sammy'; describing the stages of the long voyage home from Nigeria, including 16 days of monotonous journey from Lagos, which was made worthwhile by the welcome from family and friends; recalling the kind friends he met when invited to speak at Birmingham Parish Church, which had adopted the writer as its own missionary; reflections on making friends in new places, and referring to his return from leave via South Africa, where he met his brother, last seen 23 years ago; describing the voyage from Cape Town to Port Harcourt, Nigeria, on board a Swedish ship and a friendship begun with the only other passengers, a Swedish professor from the University of Lund and his wife and how the welcome on the writer's return to Nigeria began 20 miles from Onitsha; referring to his travels since the start of this letter, to Iri, and Ozoro, where Empire Day sports were held at the big C.M.S. school, then to Olomoro, Emevaw, and from there a bumpy ride, in a form of bath chair attached to a bicycle, to Ughelle; reflecting on the friendliness and generosity of the wild people in Nigeria and expressing the belief that if the French, Germans, Italians and Abyssinnians would get to know one another in a good spirit, it would make an end to wars and rumours of war; giving his thoughts on the meaning of the city of God and the welcome to be found there, n.d. [received 27 July 1936]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, Bishopscourt, Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, acknowledging receipt of Tate's letter, and expressing his satisfaction that things are better at Sunderland; hoping that the statesmen can preserve peace in the world; reporting a considerable improvement in trade in Nigeria this year, in consequence of which the schools are fuller than ever and there is a shortage of teachers; remarks on the writer's improved fitness as a result of more exercise, the need to make up for the walking and cycling missed now that there are roads almost everywhere, and informing of two journeys to be undertaken in the next few weeks; enclosing another letter for the Sunday Schools, 4 September 1936

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School and other friends, describing his stay at the beginning of August at the Ibo village of Nnewi, population 5000 spread over an area 5 miles by 3 miles, made up of family compounds, each containing 6 or 7 houses and surrounded by a mud wall; informing that the writer was on holiday there for 12 days of intensive language study under the tutelage of an African schoolmaster; describing the school, for 400 boys and 50 girls, and the teachers' houses in the school compound, the main school a large 'T' shaped building where classes are divided by movable grass screens, and 3 other buildings for infants, Standard IV (a very big class), and Domestic Science; the flowers in the school garden, the football and netball grounds and the school farm; the popularity of the school football league; the schoolboys' dress, a white shirt and khaki shorts, often adopted by the writer, with the addition of a sun helmet and white tennis shoes; the enormous market, and negotiations with a pedlar over the price of leather cushions; the juju house, a long, low building of mud, carved and painted, open at the front and containing idols of mud or wood, and sometimes the remains of sacrifices; the slaves of the idol who live around the shrine, inhabiting one whole quarter of the town, only a few responsible for the care of the idol house, the rest being descendants of the original slaves of the idol, who were prisoners captured in war, or people kidnapped; how all other people despise the slaves of the idol, called 'osu', and will not associate with them, however well-educated they may be, and how Christians find it difficult to break down this prejudice; a visit to the house of a sub-chief, the writer seated on a curiously carved stool, and the form of his reception; 'bad bush'; referring to the black clergyman of the village, Rev. Matthias Chukudebelu Awgaw, responsible for 32 churches, and the father of distinguished athletes; one of the churches of Nnewi and its choir; the regularity of church attendance in Nigeria, and the attempt of one African clergyman to overcome the habit of late arrival at church by issuing the churchwardens with canes, n.d. [received 3 October 1936] (1 booklet) [For Sunday School letter received 20 March 1937 see transcript EP/Biw.SG 2/173]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, Bishopscourt, Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, enclosing another Sunday School letter, which he considers rather uninteresting for lack of fresh material and referring to the 25th anniversary of the consecration [of St Gabriel's]; to his expecting to be home at the end of March next year and to Gelsthorpe's intention of sailing this July, 20 April 1937

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's boys and girls, describing his recent stay in the church compound of Oguta; the compound, including a tennis court made of cement for the teachers; the location of Oguta beside a lake formed from a tributary of the R. Niger, and the factories for trading in oil on the banks, the Oguta people being great traders; the natives of the Arochuku tribe who live in the nearby villages, far from their own territory, and their reputation as the great slave trading people of the area as the Arochukus are traditionally fierce warriors who sold their captives into slavery and became rich; how some slave trading is still practised in secret , despite prohibition by the British Government; an Oguta trader named Ruth who purchased the writer's motor car several years ago for £100, paid entirely in shillings, characteristic of the Africans' dislike of paper money and banks; the programme of morning classes held throughout the week before school begins; the writer's departure from Oguta preceded by a tornado; an encounter with hundreds of bicycles laden with sacks of palm kernels and tins of palm oil en route to Oguta for sale at the factories, the procession stretching for 15 or 20 miles; how palm oil is the chief product of Nigeria, and the great demand for it because of its use in the making of explosives; at Eziama a request from the chief for a better school, and the writer's agreement to provide a teacher once the promised new buildings had been erected; the famous juju at nearby Umunoha and the money made from it by the local people, the verdict of the juju usually dependent on the amount of money paid to the oracle; the influence of Christianity on the fear and cruelty of the country; the long process of conversion of the Umunoha people; conveying good wishes for the anniversary of St. Gabriel's church, n.d. [received 10 May 1937] (1 booklet) [For Sunday School letter received 9 July, see transcript EP/Biw.SG 2/175]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, on board M.S. 'Abosso', near Sierra Leone, to St. Gabriel's boys and girls and other friends, written on his way home [to England], remarking that this must be his 50th letter to St. Gabriel's since leaving Sunderland in 1922, and announcing his intention to write about a few interesting incidents which have happened recently, that is the spectacle of a cheetah playing football in the drawing room of the Governor of Nigeria's house in Lagos; at Ashaka a man carrying a boat with 4 paddles on his head on his way to and from church; an African boy sitting outside the writer's house doing trigonometry and Latin homework as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world; a special function at Awka College - a presentation, in recognition of 30 years' service, to one of the College labourers whose son is a successful student at Awka, and remarks on the sacrifices made by parents and elder brothers to pay for a good education for the children of the family; the missionary Archdeacon Smith, with whom the writer lived for a while when he first came to Nigeria, and an account of the Archdeacon's first visit, in 1900, to Abagana, then famous for its savage, cannibal inhabitants, and his escape by night from a plot to kill him, although Abagana is now a Christian place, where the writer and Bishop Onyeado recently conducted a service of dedication for the new brick church there, paid for by regular contributions from the teachers and other Christians of Abagana; the leper clinic at Achi Akwu, run from the leper centre at Ojji River, providing weekly treatment and fortnightly examinations by a doctor; the sight of 2 dead bodies exposed on rough platforms within 50 yards of the main road and left to rot because they were considered to be under a curse, or had died of a bad disease, and no-one would bury them, this within 20 miles of the large, bustling town of Enugu with its fine buildings, electric light and a cricket ground as good as an English county ground; the nearby mission home for abandoned twins and children cast away on account of some small deformity; remarking that he expects to come to St. Gabriel's in May for its silver jubilee, which makes the writer feel very old, as he was vicar when the church was finished, n.d. [received 22 March 1938]

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, telling the life story of Samuel Adjai Crowther (d. 1891), prompted by the recent death of Crowther's son [Archdeacon Crowther, d. 1938], who was the writer's friend, and for want of recent news from Nigeria, the writer having been in England since his last letter, describing Adjai's origins in Oshogun, a small town in central Nigeria; his capture, whilst a boy, in an attack by the Fulah tribe; as a slave, his exchange for a horse, separation from his family, his sale to a Mohammedan woman and the long journey to the coast, where he was sold to a Portuguese slave trader and put on ship; the Portuguese ship captured by the British war ships 'Myrmidon' and 'Iphigenia', and Adjai taken on board the 'Myrmidon', 2.5 months cruising round the [West African] coast, trying to rescue slaves, then Adjai put on shore at Sierra Leone, where the British had a colony for freed slaves, and where the slaves all learned English; Adjai's education at Bathurst, near Freetown [Sierra Leone] under the direction of Mr. Davey; after 3 years Adjai baptised and named after Rev. Samuel Crowther, the London clergyman and member of the Church Missionary Society who had helped to start schools and churches in Sierra Leone; a visit to England and education at a school in Islington, North London; a return to Freetown as the first student of the new C.M.S. college, Fourah Bay College, soon affiliated to Durham University; as a school teacher recruited in 1841 to join a British expedition to the Niger, where Crowther was of great assistance in negotiations with the chiefs; another journey to England, where Crowther was ordained by the Bishop of London as the first black clergyman; a chance meeting with Admiral Lecke, the captain of the 'Myrmidon' when Crowther was rescued from slavery; Crowther's determination to return to his own country to spread the Gospel, and his departure in 1845 for Abeokuta under the guidance of missionaries, Rev. Henry Townsend and Rev. C.A. Gollmer; Crowther reunited with his mother and sisters, ransomed from slavery some 20 years previously; 4 small churches opened at Abeokuta; in 1850 an attack on the town by the ruler of Dahomey repulsed; the decision to send Crowther further afield and his consecration as Bishop of the Niger Territories in Canterbury Cathedral in 1864; a mission established at Onitsha amidst many dreadful heathen customs and superstitions; during Crowther's first week there the human sacrifice of a young girl dragged round the town, then thrown from the juju rock of sacrifice into the River Niger; the custom of murdering twins and the belief in witchcraft, ordeals of boiling oil and poisoned drinks; the first and last visits paid to Onitsha by Bishop Crowther's son, the first when his father took up residence, at the time of the sacrifice described above, and the last in 1936, by which time there were 7 churches in Onitsha, several large C.M.S. schools, a 150-bed hospital, and several Africans ordained and ministering to their own people, including Rev. A.C. Onyeabo (consecrated Bishop in 1937 at St. Paul's cathedral) and Rev. V. N. Umunna, as an example of the wonderful change which had taken place in one man's lifetime; Samuel Adjai Crowther's death in 1891; a memorial to him in Lagos Cathedral , which stands on the site of the old slave-market; in the Bishop's Chapel at Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland, Crowther represented in stained glass at the consecration of Bishop Lightfoot; no Bishop of the Niger appointed in Crowther's place for 30 years, until September 1921 when the Archbishop of Canterbury asked the writer to fill the place; the writer's consecration in Westminster Abbey on St. Paul's day [25 January] 1922; listing the other people from St. Gabriel's who have followed the writer to Nigeria: Bishop Gelsthorpe, Revs. J.W. Welch, C.A. Forster and J.M. Carr, the Misses Mann and Anderson, R. Bubb, and next month Bishop Vining, and A. Caslow and Mr. and Mrs. Soulsby working for the C.M.S., all of whom have an interest in the work of Crowther, who from slave boy became the first black man in the world to become a bishop, n.d. [received 7 November 1938]

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, sending new year's greetings and giving news of all the St. Gabriel's people in Nigeria, including the arrival of Bishop Vining; informing that the writer has a great deal of travelling to do, which is interesting but rather tiring; describing a recent visit to Awka Training College for an ordination conducted by the writer and Bishop Vining, and in the village the sight of some 'Maws', young men dressed in fantastic clothes and hideous masks to represent the spirits of the dead, their power as a symbol of the heathen faith now in decline; at Nsukka a special service for voluntary teachers and preachers noting the importance of their work in assisting a clergyman who may be responsible for about 60 churches; another journey, to Lagos via Port Harcourt; the dense population of southern Nigeria and the various modes of transport; the 'hotels' which provide basic food for people travelling long distances by lorry; informing that the writer is now writing on the ship 'Ajasa' named after a well-known African lawyer, the late Sir Kitoyi Ajasa, and referring to the many professional black people in Nigeria who owe their success to the education provided by C.M.S. and other mission schools; at Lagos 5 days of meetings of the Board of Education; the desire of all Nigerian boys to go to school and their willingness to work through the holidays to earn their school fees; the finest school in Onitsha the Dennis Memorial Grammar School, where the top form take the Cambridge School Leaving Certificate or London Matriculation exams, all in English; an orphan boy's request to become the writer's son and have his school fees paid declined, the writer already supporting 4 or 5 boys at the Dennis Memorial School; how the writer's former house-boys, having completed their teacher training, themselves support boys from their village at school; Christmas at the Ojji River leper colony, including a memorable nativity play, and Boxing Day sports, concluding that the writer's first Christmas spent in a leper colony was a very happy occasion; commenting on the remarkable fountain of pure water at the colony; reminiscing about events and colleagues at home at St. Gabriel's, n.d [received 6 March 1939] (10 papers) [For Sunday School letter received 24 May 1939 see transcript EP/Biw.SG 2/179]

Letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, remarking that many who usually read his letters are away on war service, and that there are still 10 St. Gabrielites living and working for the church in Nigeria; describing a recent long journey of 1000 miles by motor, first crossing the River Niger; the difficulties of the crossing by ferry or motor launch and the problems experienced by a distinguished bishop from England whilst crossing the Niger a few years ago; that the writer is accompanied on his journey by Bishop Vining who is soon to be bishop of the area visited; at Oyo a meeting with Austin and Mrs. Soulsby; stories of some recent events: in December a visit to a village at the mouth of the River Niger, where the people, troubled by damage caused to their crops by buffaloes and monkeys, were deceived by a 'prophet' who promised to pray for the protection of the crops in return for a sum of money, and the Christians, who refused to contribute to the deception, for some time persecuted; how the 'prophet' had given up his attempts at deception in neighbouring territory; the story of an 18-year-old boy of the Ijaw tribe, river dwellers, who sometimes work as sailors or stokers on the steamers going from the mouth of the Niger to England, the boy Samuel's passage to Liverpool in 1914 or 1915, his enlistment in the [British] Army, at Salisbury Plain his acquaintance with a clerk from C.M.S. headquarters, London, on return to Nigeria Samuel's training as a schoolmaster at Awka and work for the C.M.S. before joining the police force, the latter an Inspector of Police when encountered by the writer recently in Lagos; the story of an African minister's daughter, cured of leprosy after 2.5 years at the C.M.S. leper settlement, Oji[i] River; the story of a man who died last December and his body dug up after 2 days and feasted on, an example of the barbarities practised before the arrival of Christianity; the continuation of slavery in secret, and people born into slavery, especially slaves of the idol, regarded with contempt by the free-born; how children are still kidnapped occasionally and sold into slavery; the story of a tutor at Awka College who was kidnapped as a boy near Owerri and reunited with his family in adulthood after paying to redeem his freedom; the story of Kenneth Dike, a pupil at the Dennis Memorial School [Onitsha], who became a catechist to the vicar of Aba, where he was noticed by the Hon. S.B. Rhodes, African barrister and member of the Nigerian parliament, and offered a scholarship to Achimota College on the Gold Coast, his progress to Fourah Bay College at Freetown, Sierra Leone, affiliated to Durham University; how the writer's hopes for Dike's future ordination and return to Nigeria to work amongst his own Ibo tribe, n.d. [received 16 April 1940] (7 papers) [For Sunday School letter received 15 August 1940 see transcript EP/Biw.SG 2/181] [For Sunday School letter, 10 June 1941, see transcript EP/Biw.SG 2/182]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, The Rectory, Main Road, Wynberg, [Cape Province], South Africa, to [Amos] Tate, enclosing a Sunday School letter [not found] for circulation as usual, and remarking on the two wars as a transition period in world history, and on the intention of the African peoples to have a bigger say and to take their place among the nations of the world; expressing regret that the writer was unable to get home on leave after 4 years in Nigeria; reporting that he is spending the time in S. Africa with his brother, the rector of Wynberg; that, after 20 years without a day's illness, he has been troubled by a leg bite received when travelling in the bush; announcing the writer's intention to retire from Nigeria at the end of his next tour, and return home, having recently reached his 61st birthday; considering that after 20 years as bishop his place should be taken by someone with new ideas; reporting that Charlie Forster is also at the Cape, and that the writer is hoping to spend a month with him before their return [to Nigeria], 10 September 1942 (1 paper) [For Sunday School letter, 7 September 1942, see transcript EP/Biw.SG 2/183] [For Sunday School letter, 19 May 1943, see transcript EP/Biw.SG 2/184] [For Sunday School letter, 27 July 1943, see transcript EP/Biw.SG 2/185]

Letter from B. Lasbrey to [Amos] Tate, expressing Christmas wishes and returning the Sunday School letters, with the exception of 3 or 4 which Mr. Watson will return later; remarking how he enjoyed his stay in the north, and that he is packing for departure immediately after Christmas; reporting a visit to mutual friends, the Manfields, n.d. [? December 1925]

Letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S., Onitsha, to [Amos] Tate, requesting that a copy of the last Sunday School letter be sent to Miss Pronger, London, n.d. [1922 - 1945]

Transcript of letter from B. Lasbrey, Ebu Owerri, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, thanking them for the box of toys, which the writer distributed to the local children at Christmas, and gave the remainder to Mr. Willcock, the missionary, for the schoolchildren at Ogwashi, who rarely see English toys; describing the school at Onitsha, blown down by a tornado last year and the bricks for its repair carried by the schoolchildren for 2 miles; reporting that he is on another journey, begun a week ago from Onitsha, and referring to Ihala and Uli, both inhabited by savage people who attack native passers-by, the latter home to 2 brave lady missionaries, Miss Chollet and Miss Ross; describing, after a journey of 70 miles, his arrival at Ebu Owerri, where Mr. Taylor is superintendent of the Owerri district, and where Miss Hornby runs a training home for girls; a visit to Avu with Mr. Taylor, from where he travelled to many of the surrounding towns and villages [named] and on the road to Umuguma passing a Mbati house where heathen young men are consecrated to the juju and live for 1 - 2 years, their time spent making images from clay; his receiving on return to Avu a deputation from the local people requesting help to find a convenient source of water, and the promise of assistance from Onitsha Industrial Mission; his anticipation of 2 more weeks of visiting in the area before his return to Onitsha; a twin girl rescued by Miss Chollet and now living with Mrs. Taylor at Ebu; enclosing some of the girl's hair, and 2 small photographs of Scripture Union meetings at Nkwerri and Ata; the many uses of the palm tree and a description of the people in the Nkwerri photograph, 20 February 1923 For Nkwerri photograph see EP/BiwSG 2/189; Ata photograph not found

Transcript of letter received 25 July 1923 (EP/Biw.SG 2/79)

Transcript of letter from B. Lasbrey, C.M.S. Onitsha to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing a recent visit to Obussi parish and explaining that a Nigerian parish is much larger than one at home, there being about 30 churches in the charge of one clergyman, and under him a teacher in charge of each separate church; a digression about palm trees; describing the big native town of Orba, and the several churches there; an interesting journey from Orba to Ichi and Oraifite, the latter subject to a tornado the previous night; the declining power of the Church at Oraifite as a result of a local dispute, and a breakaway church established; a service at Nkpaw Unaw attended by all the chiefs of the town, followed by a meeting in the teacher's house, where he was asked to write to the district Governor to prevent the theft of stone intended for a new church; at Obussi a school sports afternoon, and how the Obussi people are famous athletes, specially good at turning somersaults in the air; on the road home from Obussi an encounter with a large crowd, including a dozen men dressed in the strange costume of the Maws, representatives of the spirits of the dead, on their way to escort the spirit of a woman brutally murdered that morning; observations on heathen beliefs, 7 April 1925

Transcript of letter received 22 December 1925 (EP/Biw.SG 2/87)

Transcript of letter received 19 July 1926 (EP/Biw.SG 2/91)

Transcript of letter received September 1926 (EP/Biw.SG 2/93)

Transcript of letter from [B. Lasbrey] to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, remarking that he has not written for a whole year, on account of his return to England for most of the year and referring to his three visits to St. Gabriel's; commenting that the writer is now at sea, a few miles off the coast of Africa; describing the changes in climate at the various stages of his voyage and drawing a parallel with the spiritual rewards to be had in the face of adversity; commenting that Jimmy Welch, an old St. Gabriel's Sunday School boy, hopes to come to Nigeria as a missionary next Easter; describing his 'goodbyes' in England and departure from Liverpool on the ship 'Adda'; his voyage made in the company of several missionaries; at Sierra Leone a visit on board from church friends; the many forms of greeting which the writer will encounter on his arrival in Nigeria; the Mohammedan Hausa people from northern Nigeria who have the habit of prostrating themselves on the ground as a form of greeting; various other Ibo salutations; conveying Christmas greetings and exhorting his addressees to keep hold of the St. Gabriel's spirit in all that they do, 11 November 1927

Transcript of letter [January 1928] (EP/Biw.SG 2/96)

Transcript of letter 21 January 1928 (EP/Biw.SG 2/97)

Transcript of letter received 21 May 1928 (EP/Biw.SG 2/99)

Transcript of letter 28 August 1928 (EP/Biw.SG 2/101)

Transcript of letter 2 [sic; original letter dated 3] April 1929 (EP/Biw.SG 2/105)

Transcript of letter received 19 August 1929 (EP/Biw.SG 2/107)

Transcript of letter received 30 October 1929 (EP/Biw.SG 2/109)

Transcript of letter received 6 February 1930 (EP/Biw.SG 2/111)

Transcript of letter received 31 March 1931 (EP/Biw.SG 2/113)

Transcript of letter received 7 November 1931 (EP/Biw.SG 2/114)

Transcript of letter received 1 December 1931 (EP/Biw.SG 2/115)

Transcript of letter received March 1932 (EP/Biw.SG 2/116)

Transcript of letter received 2 May 1933 (EP/Biw.SG 2/118)

Transcript of letter 10 June 1933 (EP/Biw.SG 2/119)

Transcript of letter received 1 May 1934 (EP/Biw.SG 2/123)

Transcript of letter 27 May 1934 (EP/Biw.SG 2/125)

Transcript of letter received 24 December 1934 (EP/Biw.SG 2/127)

Transcript of letter received 21 February 1935 (EP/Biw.SG 2/129)

Transcript of letter received 1 January 1936 (EP/Biw.SG 2/131)

Transcript of letter received 27 June 1936 (EP/Biw.SG 2/133)

Transcript of letter received 3 October 1936 (EP/Biw.SG 2/135)

Transcript of letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's and other friends, referring to the parts of Nigeria in which he works, and likening conditions there 40 years ago to those of England 1000 years ago; describing the changes effected by the spread of missionary work, including the provision of hospitals and dispensaries, care of the poor and maimed and the opening of church schools; how in the province of Onitsha, which forms a quarter of the Diocese on the Niger, and has a population of one and a quarter million people, there is a school in almost every village, and all but 2 of these mission or church schools; how the hospitals and schools cannot provide for even a tenth of the needs of the population; how a recent candidate for confirmation, who was lame, had crawled the 8 or 9 miles to the confirmation and been robbed of his Bible and money on the way; the plight of lepers, of whom the writer estimates there are 10,000 in Onitsha province; the Church's recent initiative to provide leper colonies, and a plan to prevent the spread of the disease through the isolation of the infectious, and the cure and training of young men of intelligence who are in the earliest stage of the disease, so that they are able to treat other lepers, under the supervision of doctors; the sadness and fear caused by leprosy; the writer's friend Godfrey Udo, a teacher, recently afflicted; a visit 2 weeks ago to Arochuku, the home of the great oracle of the Ibos, known as the Long Juju; the taking of prisoners, slave-dealing and kidnapping of children by the Arochukus, although those who are converted often become strong, good Christians; the last 70 miles to Arochuku a hair-raising drive over rough, very steep roads; the opening of a Normal College for girls [at Arochuku], where girls prepare to be school teachers, jointly supported by the Church of Scotland, the Church Missionary Society and the Methodist Mission; how the Arochuku women's skill at body painting is being put to a different use by the Christian women, in the design of patterned cloth; reporting on the success of all 12 boys from the Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha who entered the Public Schools Leaving Certificate examination, a record for Nigeria, received 20 March 1937

Transcript of letter received 10 May 1937 (EP/Biw.SG 2/137)

Transcript of letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School and other friends, writing from Brass, near one of the mouths of the River Niger; describing the journey there, 150 miles by road from Onitsha to Port Harcourt, then 2 days by motor launch to Brass, stopping en route at Abonnema, where the writer was met by the school band, the Boy Scouts and the schoolgirls in red, white and blue Coronation dresses; the 2 towns of Brass: Brass Nembe, 6 hours from the sea, and Brass Tuwon, near the sea; excitement at the sight of an aeroplane over the Niger Delta, far from the part of Nigeria where the weekly air mails arrive; the irritation caused by mangrove flies; arrival at Brass Nembe, a town in the middle of creeks and swamps, formerly an important trading place, but now of disreputable appearance, and a meeting there with Bishop Gelsthorpe; the built up paths made of periwinkle shells, the Church compound, and the gravestone of missionary Annie Walsh, who came to Brass in 1899 and died within 3 months of malarial fever; the purpose of the writer's visit to Brass to establish a mission to restore the strength of the Church, in the face of strong idol worship; the boa constrictor snake worshipped as 'juju', and belief in a spirit in the waters, called 'mammy water', connected with the old belief in mermaids; many meetings with the chiefs and elders of Brass Nembe resulting in a greatly increased Church congregation; the one white man, an agent of the United Africa Company, who lives and trades in Brass Nembe, his isolation relieved by the wireless; after several days a journey to Brass Tuwon, where the writer was plagued by sand flies, and a number of people converted from boa constrictor worship; a Church Council meeting at Oluibiri in the Ogbeyan district, and an enthusiastic welcome at Yenagoa and Bumodii, in a remote part of the country, before return to Onitsha; the St. Gabriel's camps which the writer attended, received 9 July 1937

Transcript of letter received 22 March 1938 (EP/Biw.SG 2/138

Transcript of letter received 7 November 1938 (EP/Biw.SG 2/139)

Transcript of letter received 6 March 1939 (EP/Biw.SG 2/140)

Transcript of letter from B. Lasbrey to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, describing a journey to Indeeziawgoo, via Awba; the school, churches and market at Awba; farming activity and the crops being cultivated; a congregation of over 900 at Indeeziawgoo church; various aspects of daily village life [mainly a repetition of previous letters]; explaining that there are no Protestant churches other than Church of England in the area, the country being divided out between the Church of England, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist churches and the C.M.S. in a cooperative effort to teach Christianity, and regretting that the Roman Catholics will not agree to the arrangement, often establishing themselves close to a Protestant church, and trying to persuade members of the church to convert, when their efforts might be better spent converting the heathen; the precarious nature of bridges in Nigeria, 24 May 1939

Transcript of letter received 16 April 1940 (EP/Biw.SG 2/141)

Transcript of letter from B. Lasbrey to [St. Gabriel's Sunday School], entitled 'Ibo Society in the Year 1940', divided into sections: 'Life of the Family': describing an Ibo family compound; the dread of most Ibos for the cold; the lack of family life in the English sense demonstrated by the absence of communal family meals except in more advanced Christian homes, and the early independence of children; mealtimes; the self-contained and self-supporting nature of an old fashioned Ibo family, where the only money required is for tax, church dues and dowry payments; the demand for luxuries created by the advancing civilisation, and the relative prosperity of the Ibo tribe; 'The Farmer': noting the key role of the farmer because the country's wealth is founded on its produce; farm implements and crops; 'Marketing': the open air markets, the days on which they are held and varieties of goods sold; the European shops (called 'factories' in Nigeria) in the large townships of Onitsha, Aba, Enugu, Port Harcourt and Warri, the enormous native markets and the many repair services which are available; 'Court': the Ibo fondness for litigation, the use of every means to secure a favourable judgement, and the willingness to appeal; how Christians are often warned against the habit of litigation; disputes between Christians settled out of court by the minister of the district; Government efforts to reduce corruption and the Church's campaign against bribery only partially successful; 'The Church': observing that the chief Protestant missions in Nigeria work in different parts of the country to avoid overlap, an agreement not entered into by the Roman Catholics; how the African Church is outwardly Christian but lax in its observance of the laws of the Church; the democratic government of Anglican (C.M.S.) churches, based on church committees, district councils and the synod; the Church's work in respect of schools, medical centres, a leper settlement, bookshops (the Church's considerable control over the literature which enters the country noted), translation work and the teaching of agriculture; 'The Schoolboy': how education is almost a sacred word among the Ibos, and seen as the key to all success; the lack of free education in Nigeria; the eagerness of Ibo boys to attend school; how all lessons are conducted in English after infant school because of the many languages in Nigeria; 'The Problem of the Schoolboy': the growing shortage of employment for boys with a full primary school education, employers now demanding higher standards of secondary education; the number of these boys increasing at a tremendous rate and few able to afford secondary schools; their reluctance to return to work on the land, and parental dissatisfaction at the waste of school fees; how the zeal for school remains undiminished; the Church's plan to meet the needs of these boys by starting farm schools, the first to open next year, encouraging boys to remain in their villages instead of falling prey to the temptations of the townships; 'The Educated African of Ibo birth': reporting the rapid increase and influence of educated young men amongst the Ibo people, becoming the leaders of the nation, with considerable influence in their home villages, and becoming very vocal through a local African press; the existence of this class of young men giving impetus to the education of girls, a feature of the last 10 years; the Church's responsibility towards these men, and its great opportunity to help and influence the leaders of African thought and life, in a nation of 20 millions, a population exceeding that of Canada and Australia combined, received 15 August 1940

Transcript of letter from B. Lasbrey, Bishop on the Niger, Bishopscourt, Onitsha, to St. Gabriel's Sunday School, referring to the war, and recalling the minor excitements of the last war when he was in Sunderland; reporting that Nigeria seems very peaceful by comparison, affected only by rationing; referring to a month's holiday taken recently in Jos, northern Nigeria, high in the hills, 4,000 ft. above sea level, and drier and healthier than southern Nigeria; describing surprise at the many Christian Ibos in Jos; the European church of St. Piran's on the Plateau, so named on account of the large tin mines all around Jos; on return from Jos a journey to Owerri for an Easter service and confirmation at Ebu; the various parts of Ebu, including a maternity centre and training college for women teachers; many gifts of food presented to the writer by the people of Oguta; a journey to Awka College to attend a meeting of over 100 schoolmasters, a week spent discussing school improvements; the progress of the writer's houseboy, Godson, from his arrival at age 7 to his late teens; a rascally houseboy; the widespread interest in the war, 10 June 1941

Transcript of letter from Betram Lasbrey, A.T. Wynberg Rectory, Cape Town, South Africa, to St. Gabriel's boys and girls, describing the longest journey he has ever made, 51 days from Onitsha to South Africa, and each stage of the journey, by lorry to Benin and Oshogbo, by train to Lagos, where there was a practice air-raid alarm, a three-week wait for an aeroplane to the Congo, from Leopoldville [Belgian Congo] a 9 day river journey to Port Franqui, then by train through Rhodesia to his destination in Cape Town; describing many sights on the way, including a large camp of German and Italian prisoners at Elizabethville [Belgian Congo], and Victoria Falls, crowded for the anniversary of the foundation of Rhodesia by Cecil Rhodes; how the writer is staying with his brother [Rev. Ernest W. Lasbrey] rector of Wynberg who was ordained in Durham Cathedral and worked at Bishop Auckland and Bishopwearmouth before going to South Africa; a lengthy discussion of names and their meanings [similar to previous letters] and a reminder to his addressees to be worthy of their names, 7 September 1942

Transcript of letter from B. Lasbrey, Bishop Court, Onitsha to St. Gabriel's boys and girls, telling the story of 4 boys known by the writer; a digression on the independence of Nigerian school boys and their efforts to educate themselves; the story of a boy kidnapped in 1934 by Arochuku slave-dealers and restored to his parents 6 months later; stories of the progress of the writer's houseboys, Godson, Gaius Ekweme and Daniel Erilinne; the story of Bishop Gelsthorpe's house boy, Lawrence, who was taken on by Bishop Vining when Gelsthorpe left for the Sudan, now being cured of leprosy, 19 May 1943

Transcript of letter from B. Lasbrey, Bishops Court, Onitsha, to St. Gabriel's boys and girls and friends, written on the anniversary of the Church Missionary Society in Nigeria, started over 80 years before, and describing the scholars' celebration service, attended by 3000 children and teachers; the preacher's address regarding the early work of the C.M.S., based on the story of King Pepple, the cruel ruler of Bonny, who was driven out by his people, converted to Christianity in England and allowed to return to his people; Pepple's request to the Bishop of London to send a missionary; Bishop Crowther sent by the C.M.S. and faced by many difficulties; the savage persecution of Christians at Bonny for 3 years; how idol worship continues everywhere in Nigeria, although losing its power thanks to the influence of Christian education; how the writer has just returned from the Nsukka district, one of the last districts to be evangelised, and therefore very backward, full of superstitions and the villages filthy, although the countryside very beautiful; expressing the hope that Nsukka will become Christian through perseverance and help from Christian friends at home, 27 July 1943

Group photograph of St. Silas School, Umuahia, Nigeria, showing approximately 200 adults and children, pictured with a European, possibly B. Lasbrey, seated centre left, and a native clergyman, n.d. [1920s]

Photograph of the Dennis Memorial Grammar School scout troop, Onitsha, Nigeria, pictured with the headmaster and an unidentified European scoutmaster, at the entrance to possibly Onitsha church, 1931 Originally enclosed with EP/Biw.SG 2/115

Photograph of the Dennis Memorial Grammar School football team, Onitsha, Nigeria, pictured with the headmaster and Charlie Forster, 1931 Originally enclosed with EP/Biw.SG 2/115

Photograph of the members of the Scripture Union at Nkwerri, assembled in front of the school building, and including Mrs. Taylor in white sun helmet at the rear left of the group, n.d. [1923] For a more detailed description of this photograph see the final part of EP/Biw.SG 2/145

Postcards from the series 'L'Afrique qui Disparait' by C. Zagourski, Leopoldville: (no. 108) - A village boy from Ruanda, Mutudzi (no. 193) - Kenyan giraffes (no. 216) - Pictorial view of the River Congo, n.d. [1930's]

Photograph of unidentified boy scout possibly from Bishopwearmouth St. Gabriel's troop, n.d. [c.1920s]

Photograph of 3 boys in scout uniform possibly from Bishopwearmouth St. Gabriel's troop, n.d. [c.1930s] Endorsed: hearty Xmas greetings from Willie, Alex and John Turner

Arithmetic exercise book of J. Koripamo, Central School, Onitsha, 7 January 1928 Originally enclosed with EP/Biw.SG 2/104

Grammar and composition exercise book of J. Koripamo, Central School, Onitsha, 7 January 1928 Originally enclosed with EP/Biw.SG 2/104

Arithmetic exercise book belonging to Josiah O. Okoukwo, C. M. School, Onitsha, 9 January 1929 Originally enclosed with EP/Biw.SG 2/104

Letter from R. Archer Dalton, King Edward VI Grammar School, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, to Bishop Lasbrey, explaining that the writer is Scoutmaster of the school troop and , at the suggestion of Mr. Martin of the C.M.S., requesting a link with a troop in Nigeria; family news; recalling a visit to the Lake District 11 years ago in the company of the addressee, Gerald Jackson and Eric Dobbing; sending regards to Gelsthorpe and extending an invitation to Lasbrey to speak at the school if he is able, 28 February 1927

Letter from [Alfred Morris] Gelsthorpe, Church Missionary College, Awka, S. Nigeria to Mr. Tate, thanking him and his wife for their Christmas wishes and reporting that the writer spent Christmas day in bed with fever; looking forward to his return on the boat 'Appam', arriving home about February 1st, and expecting that a few months of his mother's care will restore him to health; reporting that the Bishop [Lasbrey] expects to be home by March, 4 January 1930

Letter from John Gelsthorpe, 6 Willowby Park, Yelverton, Devon, to the vicar [of St. Gabriel's] returning 19 exercise books, comprising the original manuscripts of Bishop Lasbrey's letters and 3 Nigerian school books; supplying summaries of 2 letters which do not appear in typescript, and expressing interest in plans to preserve the letters, 13 June 1978 For enclosure see EP/Biw.SG 2/199

Typed abstract of letters from Bishop Lasbrey, 1923 - 1928

Letter from John Gelsthorpe, 6 Willowby Park, Yelverton, Devon, to the vicar [of St. Gabriel's], advising that 2nd September is the centenary of his uncle, Bishop Lasbrey's, birth and hoping that the latter may be remembered in a prayer for the main areas of his ministry (described) besides that of St. Gabriel's; asking whether further progress has been made with the Niger Missionary Memorial, 6 August 1981

Letter from John Gelsthorpe, 6 Willowby Park, Yelverton, Devon, to the vicar [of St. Gabriel's] thanking him for making arrangements to commemorate his uncle [Bishop Lasbrey's] life; remarking on the continuation of the [St. Gabriel's] camps, also the ordination enquirers' camps run by [Lasbrey] and uncle Morris [Gelsthorpe] at Bingham in the 1950s and 1960s; and informing that the writer is looking for a suitable recipient for his late uncle's stoles, ideally an ordinand from a parish where his uncle worked, 14 August 1981

Register of services, 13 December 1898 - 28 May 1902

Register of services, 1 June 1902 - 19 May 1912

Register of services, 22 May 1912 - 14 February 1932

Register of services, 15 February 1932 - 16 March 1947

Register of services, 17 March 1947 - 27 May 1959

Register of services, 31 May 1959 - 11 March 1964

Register of services, 15 March 1964 - 13 May 1970

Register of services, 17 May 1970 - 12 November 1976

Register of services, 14 November 1976 - 29 December 1982

Register of services, 2 January 1983 - 15 April 1990

Register of services, 18 April 1990 - 28 December 1997

Order of service for the laying of the foundation stone of St. Gabriel's Mission Church by the Bishop of Durham, 24 July 1900

Order of service to be used in churches of the Church of England throughout the Empire on the occasion of the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, 26 June 1902

Order of service for the cutting of the first sod for the new church by Mrs. Moule, 7 July 1909

Order of service for the laying of the foundation stone of the new church, 7 July 1910

Order of service for the consecration by the Bishop of Durham of St. Gabriel's Church, 22 May 1912

Order of service for the dedication of the war memorial by the Bishop of Durham, 29 December 1919

Order of ceremonial at the consecration in Westminster Abbey of Rev. Samuel Heaslett as Bishop in South Tokyo, Japan; Rev. Bertram Lasbrey as Bishop on the Niger; and Rev. Percy Mark Herbert as Bishop of Kingston on Thames, 25 January 1922

Orders of service for morning and evening prayer on the occasion of the dedication of the new organ by the Bishop of Durham, 7 February 1926

Order of service for the dedication by the Bishop of Durham of the reredos, 16 December 1928

Order of service for the admission by the Bishop of Durham of Rev. H.M.C. Price to the perpetual curacy of St. Gabriel, 12 December 1946

Order of service for the 50th anniversary of the first service in the iron church, 13 December 1948

Order of service broadcast from St. Gabriel's on the North of England Home Service of the B.B.C., 9 July 1950

Order of memorial service for Rev. M.J.G. King at St. Wifrid's Church, Arley, 11 February 1951

Orders of service to be used at the time of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 2/5

Order of service for the admission of Rev. R.J.R. Stokoe, B.A., B.Sc., to the perpetual curacy of St. Gabriel, Bishopwearmouth, 18 September 1957 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 2/5

Order of service for the presentation and licensing of Rev. Thomas William Denham as priest in charge of St. Gabriel's, 6 December 1973

Order of service for the renewal of marriage vows, forming part of the 75th anniversary celebrations, 22 May 1987

Order of service for the induction of Rev. Adrian Thorp as vicar of St. Gabriel's and the licensing of Rev. Helen Thorp as non-stipendiary deacon, 9 September 1991

Order of service for the dedication of the war memorial, of the book of service and of the holy communion rails in the south transept morning chapel, by Rev. G.E. Holderness, vicar of St. Cuthbert, Darlington, 3 December 1950

Invitation card to the cutting of the first sod for the new church by Mrs. Moule, 7 July 1909 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SW 2/15

Order of service at Westminster Abbey for the laying of a foundation stone of the New House for the Mothers' Union, 18 July 1923

Printed appeal by the wardens of St. Gabriel's for a testimonial for Rev. M.C. Elphinstone and Rev. H.F.E. Wigram on their offering themselves "... for Missionary Service in the Colonial Church of Australia ...", 14 December 1900

Signed memorial presented to Rev. A. M. Gelsthorpe, M.A., D.S.O., by members of the St. Gabriel's Men's Bible Class on the occasion of his leaving Sunderland to take up missionary work on the Niger, September 1922

Letter from Rev. Denis Hall, Cowlin House, 26 Pembroke Road, Clifton, Bristol, to Mr. Correy, offering to preach at St. Gabriel's, 9 May 1973

Copy of licence to the curacy of Rev. John Needham, 25 September 1932

Copy of licence to the curacy of Rev. Lawrence Storey Streeting, 29 September 1940

Copy of licence to the curacy of Rev. Sydney Arthur Chetwynd, 20 June 1943

Copy of licence to the curacy of Rev. David Anderson, 12 June 1949

Copy of licence to the curacy of Rev. John Hammond Armstrong, 25 September 1949

Copy of licence to the curacy of Rev. Raymond John Knell, 8 June 1952

Copy of licence to curacy of Rev. Frederick William Emmott, 21 December 1958

Copy of licence to the curacy of Rev. John Mervyn Hancock, 20 September 1964

Copy of plan of alterations to the parishes of Christ Church, Bishopwearmouth, and St. Gabriel, Bishopwearmouth, 1929 Scale: 6 inches to 1 mile [1:10560]

Notification, schedule and plan, for the proposed ecclesiastical reorganisation of the parishes of St. Luke, Pallion; St. Andrew, Deptford; St. Stephen, Ayres Quay; St. Mary Magdalene, Millfield; St. Mark, Millfield; St. Hilda, Millfield; and St. Gabriel, Bishopwearmouth, 2 August 1945

Plan of the parish of St. Luke, Pallion, 1947 Scale: not given

Plan of the parish of St. Mark, Millfield, 1947 Scale: not given

Plan of Sunderland County Borough reproduced from the Ordnance Survey plan, with the area of St. Gabriel's parish coloured, 1947 Scale: 6 inches to 1 mile [1:10560]

Plan of alterations to the boundaries of seven parishes, including that of St. Gabriel, Bishopwearmouth, 1949 Scale: 6 inches to 1 mile [1:10560]

Plan of alteration to the boundaries of the parish of St. Luke, Pallion, 1949 Scale: 1:2500

Plan of the parish of St. Mark, Millfield, 1949 Scale: 1:2500

Plan of alteration to the boundaries of the parish of St. Mary Magdalene, Millfield, 1949 Scale: 1:2500

Plan of alterations to the boundaries of the parishes of St. Gabriel, Bishopwearmouth, and South Hylton, 3 April 1951 Scale: 1:2500

Plan of alterations to the areas of the parishes of St. Gabriel, Bishopwearmouth; Herrington; and Penshaw, 23 July 1979 Scale: 6 inches to 1 mile [1:10560]

Plan of the parishes of Sunderland, Pennywell, St. Thomas and Sunderland Springwell, St. Mary, with Thorney Close, St. Peter, 6 March 1985 Scale: 9 inches to 1 mile [1:7040]

Copy of Order in Council confirming the creation of a new parish of Sunderland, Pennywell, St. Thomas, 31 July 1985

Register of confirmations, 8 March 1934 - 21 April 1961

Programme of the Dedication Festival and for Cutting the First Sod for the New Church, 4 - 14 July [1909]

Programme of events to mark the 50th anniversary of the first service in the iron church, 12 - 16 December 1948

Programme for the dedication by the Bishop of Durham of Stier House as a residence for assistant clergy and verger-caretakers at St. Gabriel's, 16 March 1959

Programme of services and other celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee of St. Gabriel's, 7 May - 25 September 1972

Fifty Years of Memories: programme of a Golden Jubilee Bazaar to mark the 50th anniversary of the formation of the parish of St. Gabriel, 17 November 1954

Programme of a concert for the New Church Fund and alterations to the parish hall, 19 November 1913

Programme of a lecture by Rev. L.G. Vining, and concert at St. Gabriel's Church Hall, 2 February 1914

The London Gazette, containing notices [p.5773] relating to the enhancement of the stipend of St. Gabriel's and the provision of a grant for a parsonage house, 24 July 1914

The London Gazette, containing [p.8194] notice of alteration to St. Gabriel's parish boundaries, 17 December 1929

Printed extract from the London Gazette, scheduling alterations to the boundaries of the parishes of St. Nicholas, Bishopwearmouth; Christ Church, Bishopwearmouth; St. Gabriel, Bishopwearmouth; and Herrington, 4 April 1950

Printed extract from the London Gazette, scheduling areas to be annexed to the parish of St. Gabriel, Bishopwearmouth, 10 August 1951

Letter from the Secretary to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, London, to Rev. F.O. Scott, 6 Mount Road East, Sunderland, forwarding statutory notice of a scheme to alter the boundaries of Church Church, Bishopwearmouth, and St. Gabriel's, Bishopwearmouth, 10 October 1929

Copy of order of the Church Commissioners confirming a scheme for the formation of the new benefice of St. Mark, Millfield; and alterations to the boundaries of the parishes of St. Luke, Pallion, and St. Mary Magdalene, Millfield, 6 April 1950 Attached: plans of all three parishes, 6 April 1950

Copy of pastoral order for alteration of parish boundaries with plan, 20 December 1979

Invitation card to the laying of the foundation stone of the new church by Lord Barnard, 7 July 1910 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 2/11

Names of members of St. Gabriel's Church who fell in the Great War and dedicatary hymn, n.d. [December 1919]

Roll of honour [incomplete], n.d. [? 1920]

Roll of men and women of the parish and congregation of St. Gabriel's who served in the armed forces and mercantile marine during the 1939-45 war, n.d. [c.1950]

Minutes of the Bishopwearmouth Church Extension Committee, 2 August 1898 - 28 August 1901

Minutes of the New Church Building Committee, 12 September 1905 - 19 June 1911

Correspondence relating to the building of St. Gabriel's church, 24 January 1906 - 17 July 1909

Copy of drawing of St. Gabriel's Church, as proposed, by its architect, C.A. Clayton Greene, n.d. [c.1910]

Photographs of the choir and clergy at the laying of the foundation stone of the new church, n.d. [c.1910]

Photographic views of the nave, altar, font, war memorial, etc., 1930s - 1980s

Copy of the instrument of approval by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners of the church of St. Gabriel, Bishopwearmouth, 11 July 1912

Letter from the Hon. Secretary, Chapter Office, The College, Durham, to Rev. B. Lasbrey, Bishopwearmouth, forwarding a copy of the conveyance of 19 January 1911, by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners of the site of St. Gabriel's church, 4 September 1915

Accounts of the funds for the Fabric and Maintenance; Clergy Stipends; Church Lighting Installation; the War Memorial; the Morning Chapel; the Watson Memorial Window; the Penywell Fund; the Tower Fund; and Sale of Work, 1 January 1948 - 31 December 1954

Correspondence of Rev. R.J.R. Stokoe, St. Gabriel's Vicarage, Sunderland, and others, with Henry Willis & Sons, Ltd., London and Edinburgh, organ builders, for overhauling and renovating the organ at St. Gabriel's.12 December 1957 - 8 August 1958

Notification of the listing of St. Gabriel's church as a building of special architectural or historic interest, 6 January 1979 Attached: list of scheduled churches in the diocese of Durham, and a guide to the legislation on the listing of historic buildings, 1979

Letter from the Charlewood Curry Partnership, 32-34 Mosley Street, Newcastle, architects, to Rev. J.S. Downey, St. Gabriel's Vicarage, Sunderland, enclosing a copy of the entry for St. Gabriel's in the schedule of buildings of special architectural or historic interest, 12 - 17 January 1989

Correspondence between various parties concerning the appropriation of part of the church site for parochial purposes, including living accommodation for the curate and verger-caretaker, 13 December 1957 - 19 January 1960

17 December 1913 (1) Corporation of Sunderland (2) Churchwardens of St. Gabriel's Copy of agreement for supplying electricity to the church

11 January 1926 (1) Corporation of Sunderland (2) St. Gabriel's Parochial Church Council Copy of agreement for supplying electricity for general lighting and for the organ, blower, etc.

Correspondence concerning claims for compensation in respect of church premises used for civil defence purposes, 16 March 1940 - 11 February 1948

28 October 1914 (1) Vicar and churchwardens of St. Gabriel's (2) Corporation of Sunderland Conveyance by (1) to (2) of 25 sq. yds. of land for street improvements at the corner of Chester Road and Kayll Road Includes plan Scale: 8 feet to 1 inch [1:96]

16 March 1959 (1) Vicar and churchwardens of St. Gabriel's (2) County Borough of Sunderland Copy of surrender by (1) to (2) of 28 sq. yds. of land in Chester Road and Kayll Road for road improvements Consideration: £35

16 March 1959 (1) Vicar and churchwardens of St. Gabriel's (2) County Borough of Sunderland Copy of grant (1) to (2) of the right to erect a bus shelter on land in Kayll Road Consideration: £1 per annum

26 July 1983 (1) Vicar and P.C.C. of St. Gabriel's (2) Borough of Sunderland Counterpart lease for 20 years by (1) to (2) of land for a bus shelter in Kayll Road Consideration: £40

Correspondence with Sunderland Borough Council concerning a new lease of land for a bus shelter in Kayll Road, 11 October 1982 - 26 July 1983

The Illustrated Chronicle [pages 3-6] containing a report on the building of St. Gabriel's Church, with an illustration of the building as proposed, 18 April 1910

Illustrated leaflet describing the proposed war memorial at St. Gabriel's n.d. [c.1920]

Specification and contract with H.J. Nelson and Co., organ builders, Holly Street, Durham, for the installation of an organ at St. Gabriel's 18 - 20 May 1925

Specification and agreement for work to the interior and exterior of St. Gabriel's Church, n.d. Originally enclosed in EP/Biw SG 4/93

Interior and exterior views of the old iron church, n.d. [pre-1912]

Photograph of the inside of the iron building when used as a church, n.d. [pre-1912]

Photograph of the exterior of the iron church endorsed 'When Shifted', 1909

Letter from H.E. Hinkley, Honorary Secretary to the Building Committee, 68 Cleveland Road, Sunderland, to Nicholas H. Smith, Jesse Rockley and Thomas Wilson, congratulating them on their skill in moving the iron church from one site to another without its having to be dismantled, 18 February 1909

Churchwardens' accounts, 6 April 1902 - 17 April 1906

Statement of accounts of St. Gabriel's Mission Church, 13 December 1898 - 28 February 1899

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, 13 December 1898 - 15 April 1900

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1900 - Easter 1901

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1901 - Easter 1902

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1902 - Easter 1903

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1903 - Easter 1904

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1904 - Easter 1905

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1905 - Easter 1906

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1906 - Easter 1907

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1907 - Easter 1908

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1908 - Easter 1909

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1909 - Easter 1910

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1910 - Easter 1911

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1911 - Easter 1912

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1912 - Easter 1913

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1913 - Easter 1914

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1914 - Easter 1915

Churchwardens' accounts and balance sheet, Easter 1915 - Easter 1916

Churchwardens' balance sheet and list of items of interest in the work of the church during the year, Easter 1916 - Easter 1917

Churchwardens' balance sheet and list of items of interest in the work of the church during the year, Easter 1917 - Easter 1918

Churchwardens' balance sheet and list of items of interest in the work of the church during the year, Easter 1918 - Easter 1919

Churchwardens' balance sheet and list of items of interest in the work of the church during the year, Easter 1919 - Easter 1920

Churchwardens' balance sheet and list of items of interest in the work of the church during the year, Easter 1920 - Easter 1921

Churchwardens' balance sheet and list of items of interest in the work of the church, Easter - December 1921

Copy of the agreement by the vicar of St. Gabriel's concerning the management and control of the Sunday School premises, 15 June 1912

Letters from the Church Commissioners, London, to Rev. H.M. Connop Price, St. Gabriel's Vicarage, Sunderland, concerning the vesting of the land occupied by the church hall and institutes in the Diocesan Board of Finance, 29 October 1947 - 1 November 1948

Copy of the deed of appropriation, and conveyance of land adjoining St. Gabriel, Bishopwearmouth, for a parish hall site, 5 October 1949

Plan, section and elevations of St. Gabriel's Church Hall by W. & T.R. Milburn of Sunderland, chartered architects, May 1964 Scale: ¹/8" to 1 foot [1:96]

Sections and details of proposed coffee bar of St. Gabriel's Church Hall by W. & T.R. Milburn of Sunderland, chartered architects, August 1965 Scales: 1/4", 1/2" and 1" to 1 foot [1:48, 1:24, 1:12]

Correspondence of the incumbents of St. Gabriel's with various parties, concerning a proposed parsonage house for St. Gabriel's, 7 July 1914 - 22 July 1931

Copy of the conveyance by Ecclesiastical Commissioners of land for a parsonage house, 29 November 1934

Letters from W. & T.R. Milburn, 17 Fawcett Street, Sunderland, chartered architects, to Rev. J.C. Hawthorn, 6 Mount Road East, Sunderland, concerning the building of St. Gabriel's vicarage, 4 April 1934 - 3 May 1938

Letters from the Ecclesiastical Commission, London, to Rev. J.C. Hawthorn, 6 Mount Road East, Sunderland, concerning the building of a parsonage house for St. Gabriel's, 11 May 1934 - 27 April 1938

Photograph of St. Gabriel's Church Council, 1907 - 1908

Photograph of St. Gabriel's Church Council against a background of the partly-built church, n.d. [c.1911]

Photographs of St. Gabriel's Church Council, n.d. [c.1912]

Photograph of St. Gabriel's Church Council, n.d. [c.1914]

Minutes of the Church Committee and Church Council, 19 January 1899 - 25 June 1907 Includes extracts relating to the new mission church from Bishopwearmouth P.C.C. minutes, 1898 - 1901

Minutes of the Church Council, 30 July 1907 - 26 March 1918 [indexed]

Minutes of the Church Council and Parochial Church Council, 15 April 1918 - 1 February 1938

Minutes of the Parochial Church Council, 22 February 1938 - 14 October 1958

Minutes of the Parochial Church Council, 11 November 1958 - 8 June 1976

Minutes of the Parochial Church Council, 13 July 1976 - 8 November 1983

Printed copy of 'items of interest in the work of St. Gabriel's Church during the past year' and 'Churchwardens accounts', 1919 - 1920 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 6/3

Notes from the minute books, 19 January 1899 - 28 April 1918 concerning the constitution of the Church Council, n.d. [c.1918] Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 6/5

Parochial accounts and balance sheet for the year 1953 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 6/5

Handbook of the Golden Jubilee Bazaar, 17 November 1954 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 6/5

Minutes of the General Purposes Committee, 16 February 1971 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 6/13

Parochial accounts, 7 April 1907 - 24 January 1927

Parochial accounts, 2 January 1927 - 31 January 1949

Parochial accounts, 1 January 1949 - 31 December 1967

Parochial accounts, 1 January 1959 - 31 December 1963

Parochial accounts, 1 January 1968 - 19 July 1969

Parochial accounts, 20 July 1969 - 15 May 1973

Parochial accounts, 20 May 1973 - 10 July 1977 (1 volume, cloth bound) [For earlier balance sheets see EP/Biw.SG 4/92-116]

Circular letter from the Bishop of Durham, 24 March 1931, and list of the 'quota' for each parish in Wearmouth Deanery, 1931 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 6/41-42

Regulations approved by the Parochial Church Council for organisations using church premises, 6 December 1960

Copy of the report of a sub-committee to the Parochial Church Council on the provision of improved sanitary arrangements for the church, church hall, tin tabernacle and institute, n.d.

Photograph of the members of St. Gabriel's Church Council, n.d. [c.1970]

Cash book, 20 December 1981 - 30 April 1986

Cash book, 4 May 1986 - 31 December 1989

Cash book, 6 January 1990 - 14 December 1992

Report and balance sheet for 1924 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 6/16

Parochial balance sheet and items of interest in the work of the church during the year, 1922

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and list of items of interest in the work of the church during the year, 1923

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and list of items of interest in the work of the church during the year, 1924

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and list of items of interest in the work of the church during the year, 1925

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and list of items of interest in the work of the church during the year, 1926

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and list of items of interest in the work of the churchduring the year, 1927

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and report on the work of the church, 1928

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and report on the work of the church, 1929

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and report on the work of the church, 1930

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and report on the work of the church, 1931

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and report on the work of the church, 1932

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and report on the work of the church, 1933

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and report on the work of the church, 1934

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and report on the work of the church, 1935

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and report on the work of the church, 1936

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and report on the work of the church, 1937

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and report on the work of the church, 1938

Parochial accounts, balance sheet and report on the work of the church, 1939

Church Council accounts and balance sheet for 1940

Church Council accounts for 1941

Church Council accounts for 1944

Church Council accounts for 1945

Balance sheet for 1947

Balance sheet for 1948

Accounts and balance sheet for 1949

Accounts and balance sheet for 1950

Accounts and balance sheet for 1951

Accounts and balance sheet for 1952

Accounts and balance sheet for 1960

Accounts and balance sheet for 1963

Accounts and balance sheet for 1964

Accounts and balance sheet for 1965

Accounts and balance sheet for 1966

Accounts and balance sheet for 1967

Accounts and balance sheet for 1968

Accounts and balance sheet for 1969

Accounts and balance sheet for 1970

Accounts and balance sheet for 1971

Accounts and balance sheet for 1972

Accounts and balance sheet for 1973

Accounts and balance sheet for 1974

Accounts and balance sheet for 1975

Accounts and balance sheet for 1976

Accounts and balance sheet for 1977

Accounts and balance sheet for 1978

Accounts and balance sheet for 1979

Accounts and balance sheet for 1980

Accounts and balance sheet for 1981

Accounts and balance sheet for 1982

Accounts and balance sheet for 1983

Accounts and balance sheet for 1984

Accounts and balance sheet for 1985

Accounts and balance sheet for 1986

Accounts and balance sheet for 1987

Accounts and balance sheet for 1988

Minute book of the Sale of Work Committee, 9 December 1913 - 9 June 1914

Minutes of the Sunday School Committee, 11 June 1907 - 5 February 1939

Report and balance sheet for 1927 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 13/1

Lists of a street canvas of the parish for recruitment to the Sunday Schools, March 1929 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 13/1

Sunday Schools register, November 1917 - October 1920 Includes: subscription and teachers' lists to 1928

Sunday School class lists, 1930-40s Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 13/7

Street survey of the parish with brief comments on whether individuals are communicants, Sunday School or Bible Class attenders, etc., April 1917f.

Mothers' Union, St. Gabriel's Branch, committee minutes, 16 September 1918 - 3 June 1940

Names and addresses of committee members, 1956 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 13/13

Note on the history of the Mother's Union and of St. Gabriel's Branch by H.M. Anderson, 16 September 1976 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 13/13

Leaflet concerning the objects of the Mothers' Union, n.d. Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 13/13

Mothers' Union, St. Gabriel's Branch, committee minutes, 28 September 1940 - 13 June 1961

Printed invitation from St. Mary's Guild, St. Andrew's, Roker, to a meeting at the Priestman Hall, Roker, addressed by Miss J. Graham of the United Mission Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, 21 February 1955 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 13/17

Mothers' Union, St. Gabriel's Branch, register of members, October 1920 - June 1929

Mohers' Union, St. Gabriel's Branch, register of members and committee members, January 1930 - December 1935 Includes: list of speakers, n.d.

Mothers' Union, St. Gabriel's Branch, register of members and committee members, January 1936 - December 1940 Includes: list of speakers, n.d.

Mothers' Union, St. Gabriel's Branch, register of committee members, January 1941 - December 1947 Includes: list of speakers, n.d.

Mothers' Union, St. Gabriel's Branch, register of members, 1 April 1974 - 31 December 1975

Mothers' Union, St. Gabriel's Branch, register of members, January 1976 - March 1982

Mothers' Union, St. Gabriel's Branch, members' subscriptions and accounts, 1930 - 1966

Mothers' Union, St. Gabriel's Branch, accounts, 3 November 1934 - 6 July 1981

Mothers' Union membership card of Mrs. F.M. Watts Moses, 4 April 1921

Programme of St. Gabriel's branch of the Mothers' Union, 6 October 1952 - 3 June 1953

Photographs of St. Gabriel's Mothers' Union first musical party, n.d. [c.1930]

Press cutting of photograph of principals in St. Gabriel's Mothers' Union musical concert in St. Mark's Church Hall, Millfield, n.d. [c.1930]

Registration certificate of St. Gabriel's branch of the Church of England Men's Society, 20 May 1955

Minutes, accounts, membership record, etc., of the St. Gabriel's, Bishopwearmouth, branch of the Church of England Men's Society, 19 January 1961 - 21 February 1963

Papers relating to the 9th annual diocesan festival of the Durham diocesan union of the Church of England Men's Society held at St. Gabriel's 13 October 1962

Speakers' list for St. Gabriel's branch of the Church of England Men's Society, 10 September 1964 - 8 April 1965

Summary notes of meetings of St. Gabriel's branch of the Church of England Men's Society, 17 October 1978 - 19 May 1981

Letter from Barry Dawson, C.E.M.S. Headquarters, 24 Tufton Street, London, to S.A. Morrison, 10 Medway Gardens, High Barnes, Sunderland, responding to a proposal to establish a branch at St. Gabriel's and forwarding material about the Society, 2 November 1978

Registration certificate of St. Gabriel's branch of the Church of England Men's Society, 15 January 1979

Minutes of St. Gabriel's Band of Hope, 1 September 1908 - 5 January 1920

Cash book of St. Gabriel's Junior Institute, 10 October 1919 - 29 February 1936

Petty cash book of St. Gabriel's Day Club, 23 August 1967 - 8 March 1974

Petty cash book of St. Gabriel's Day Club, 8 March 1974 - 11 December 1981

Parish magazines, January - December 1898

Parish magazines, January - December 1899

Parish magazines, January - December 1900

Parish magazines, January - December 1901 (12 booklets, printed) [For Magazines, 1899-1909 see EP/Biw.SG 14/78-79]

Parish magazines, January - December 1909

Parish magazines, January - December 1910

Parish magazines, January - December 1911

Parish magazines, January - December 1912

Parish magazines, January - December 1913

Parish magazines, January - December 1914

Parish magazines, January - December 1915

Parish magazines, January - December 1916

Parish magazines, January - December 1917

Parish magazines, January - December 1918

Parish magazines, January - December 1919

Parish magazines, January - December 1920

Parish magazines, January - December 1921

Parish magazines, January - December 1922

Parish magazines, January - December 1924

Parish magazines, January - December 1927

Parish magazines, January - December 1928

Parish magazines, January - October, December 1931

Parish magazines, January - December 1932

Parish magazines, January - August, December 1933

Parish magazines, January - December 1935

Parish magazines, February - December 1936

Parish magazines, January - July, October - December 1937

Parish magazines, January - May, July - December 1938

Parish magazines, April - December 1940

Parish magazines, January - December 1941

Parish magazines, January - December 1942

Parish magazines, January - December 1943

Parish magazines, January - December 1944

Parish magazines, January - December 1945

Parish magazines, January - December 1946

Parish magazines, January - May, July - December 1947 [For October - December, a new printed St. Gabriel's parish magazine was introduced called The Corner Stone]

The Corner Stone, January - December 1948

The Corner Stone, January - December 1949

The Corner Stone, January - December 1950

The Corner Stone, January - December 1951

The Corner Stone, January - December 1952

The Corner Stone, January - October, December 1953

The Corner Stone, January - December 1954

The Corner Stone, January - December 1955

The Corner Stone, January - December 1956

The Corner Stone, January - December 1957

The Corner Stone, January - December 1958

The Corner Stone, January - December 1959

The Corner Stone, January - September, November - December 1960

The Corner Stone, January - May, August - September, December 1961

The Corner Stone, January - March, May - June, November 1962

The Corner Stone, January, May - September, November 1963

The Corner Stone, January - December 1964

The Corner Stone, January, March - September, November, December 1965

The Corner Stone, January - May, August - December 1966

The Corner Stone, January - June, August - November 1967

The Corner Stone, January - December 1968

The Corner Stone, January - July, September - December 1969

The Corner Stone, January - December 1970

The Corner Stone, January - December 1971

The Corner Stone, January - February, April - December 1972

The Corner Stone, January - December 1973

The Corner Stone, January - December 1974

The Corner Stone, January - December 1975

The Corner Stone, January - December 1976

The Corner Stone, January - December 1977

The Corner Stone, January - December 1978

The Corner Stone, January - December 1979

The Corner Stone, January - December 1980

The Corner Stone, January - March, May - December 1981

The Corner Stone, January - December 1982

The Corner Stone, January - December 1983

The Corner Stone, January - March, May - December 1984

The Corner Stone, January - May, July - December 1985

The Corner Stone, January - December 1986

The Corner Stone, January - December 1987

The Corner Stone, January - November 1988

Bishopwearmouth, St. Michael, parish magazines, January 1899 - December 1904

Bishopwearmouth, St. Michael, parish magazine, January 1902 - December 1904; St. Gabriel's parish magazine, January 1905 - December 1909

Numbers not used Papers re bazaars, sales of work, etc.

Memorandum of money raised at sales of work and bazaars, 1899 - 1911

Photograph of the Norwegian Stall at a bazaar in the Drill Hall, 1906

Notice of a four-day bazaar for the church building fund, May 1911

Souvenir postcard of the Great Reunion Sale of Work with photographs of Rev. F.O. Scott, Rev. A.M. Gelsthorpe, Rev. R.C. Unwin and Rev. D.B. Hall, October 1928

Souvenir handbook of the Golden Jubilee Bazaar to mark the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the church of St. Gabriel, 28 November 1962

Photograph [? of church members at a bazaar], n.d. [c.1911]

Photograph of Rev. B. Lasbrey, n.d. [c.1912]

Photograph of the church choir, n.d. [c.1914]

Photograph of Rev. F.O. Scott, 1928

Photograph of Rev. R.C. Unwin, n.d. [1928]

Photograph of Rev. A.T. Allwork, n.d. [1928]

Photograph of Rev. D.B. Hall, n.d. [c.1928]

Press photograph, and report from the Sunderland Echo, of the marriage at St. Gabriel's of Bob Pearson, the Sunderland variety artist, 8 June 1932 Includes: photographs from the Sunderland Echo of Bob and Alf Pearson, stage and recording artists, 30 May 1930

Photograph of clergy who had served St. Gabriel's during the preceding 25 years, n.d. [17 May 1938]

Mounted press cuttings and photographs of clergy, 17 May 1938 - 17 May 1983

Press report of the death of Rev. Canon M.J.G. King, formerly vicar of St. Gabriel's, 5 February 1951

Photograph of Rt. Rev. M.H. Harland, Bishop of Durham; Ven. J.O. Cobham, Archdeacon of Durham; Rev. C.L.P. Bishop, Rural Dean of Wearmouth; and Rev. R.J. Stokoe on his institution as vicar of St. Gabriel's, 18 September 1957

Photographs of clergy associated with St. Gabriels, c.1900 - 1970

Photographs of church members and events, c.1900 - 1970

Photograph of an unidentified Bishop of Durham, n.d.

Press cutting of cartoon of Rev. William Usher, curate, n.d.

Press cuttings and notes concerning St. Gabriel's and its incumbents, 1922 - 1976

Photograph of St. Gabriel's soccer team, 1906 - 1907

Photograph of St. Gabriel's football team, 1926 - 1927

Photograph of St. Gabriel's [cup-winning] football team, 1933 - 1934

Photograph of R.G. Cockerell and 'Mr. Dale' with the football trophy, n.d. [1934]

Programme for St. Gabriel's 1st annual athletic sports, 9 May 1925

Photograph of hockey team, n.d. [c.1930]

Photograph of staff and patients of the V.A.D. Hospital housed in the Church Hall during the Great War, n.d. [c.1917]

Photograph of an outing to Durham by patients and staff of St. Gabriel's V.A.D. Hospital, n.d. [c.1917]

Photographs of the "Blue Boys" concert party, St. Gabriel's V.A.D. Hospital, 1917

Photograph of St. Gabriel's Concert Party, "Mrs. Jarley's Waxworks", n.d.

Photograph of the Band of Hope cantata, "The White Cat", n.d.

Photograph of the Band of Hope entertainment, "Monks in Pageant", n.d.

Photograph of the boys' scout camp, n.d.

Photographs of church groups and members, n.d.

Photograph of the opening of St. Jude's bazaar [? Nottingham] by the Duchess of Rutland, n.d.

Photograph of a group at a Sunday School treat, n.d. [c.1910]

Churches and their Building, by C.A. Clayton Greene, 1912 [includes photographs of the interior and exterior of St. Gabriel's Bishopwearmouth]

Bishopwearmouth Parish Church, by Rev. T.J. McKitterick, 1923

Reports and recommendations of the Bishop's Commission on the Church in Sunderland, October 1971

Minute book, 6 March 1886 - 9 March 1904

Press reports of annual meetings of the Lay Helpers' Association, 1887 - 1888 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/166

Press report of meeting of lay helpers at Auckland Castle, 30 July 1898 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/166

Notes of a sermon preached by "The Rector", n.d. Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/166

Report of the secretaries of the Lay Helpers' Association, Wearmouth Deanery, n.d. [1920] Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/166

Minute book, 30 March 1904 - 28 September 1926

Letter from William H. Cairns, 23 Durham Road, East Herrington, to H. Mills Anderson, 40 Riversdale Terrace, Sunderland, concerning preaching arrangements at St. Chad's, 12 March 1945 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/175

Minute book, 14 December 1926 - 3 June 1958

Report for the year 1929 - 1930 and list of officers elected, 13 June 1930 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/178

Letter from Rev. Edgar Jackson, St. John's Vicarage, Sunderland, to Mr. Anderson, concerning the new constitution for lay workers, 24 August 1936 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/178

Report for the year 1937 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/178

Income and expenditure account for the year ending 31 March 1938 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/178

Details of Wearmouth Deanery Quota issued by the Durham Diocesan Board of Finance, April 1945 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/178

Agenda for Wearmouth Deanery ruridecanal business conference, 25 June 1945 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/178

Wearmouth Rural Deanery: lists of members for the year ending 31 March 1947 and 31 March 1948 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/178

Report of the Ruridecanal Readers' Sub-Committee, 2 July 1957 Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/178

The Lay Ministry of the Church: How to Become a Reader, n.d. Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/178

Appeal for contributions for a presentation to A.E. Bullman by the Wearmouth Deanery Lay Helpers' Association, n.d. Originally enclosed in EP/Biw.SG 14/178

Committee report for the year 1930 - 1931

Analysis of engagements by the Diocesan Lay Helpers' Association arranged by Deanery, 1 July 1931 - 30 June 1932

Wearmouth Deanery Lay Helpers' Association: balance sheet (for 1932 - 1933), 19 April 1933

Circular concerning the remuneration of lay readers, n.d.

Work plan of lay evangelists in Wearmouth Rural Deanery to 31 December 1905

Work plan of lay evangelists in Wearmouth Rural Deanery to 30 June 1906

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 1 January 1928 - 25 March 1928

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 1 July 1928 - 30 December 1928

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 31 March 1929 - 30 June 1929

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, and extended plan, 7 July 1929 - 29 September 1929

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 6 October 1929 - 29 December 1929; and extended plan, 15 September 1929 - 29 December 1929

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 5 January 1930 - 30 March 1930; and extended plan, 5 January 1930 - 30 March 1930

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery; and extended plan, 6 April 1930 - 29 June 1930

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery; and extended plan, 6 July 1930 - 28 September 1930

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery; and extended plan, 5 October 1930 - 28 December 1930

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery; and extended plan, 4 January 1931 - 29 March 1931

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery; and extended plan, 5 April 1931 - 28 June 1931

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 5 July 1931 - 27 September 1931

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 4 October 1931 - 27 December 1931

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 3 January 1932 - 27 March 1932

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 3 April 1932 - 26 June 1932

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 3 July 1932 - 25 September 1932

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 2 October 1932 - 25 December 1932

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 1 January 1933 - 26 March 1933

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 2 April 1933 - 25 June 1933

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 2 July 1933 - 24 September 1933

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 1 October 1933 - 31 December 1933

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 7 January 1934 - 25 March 1934

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 1 July 1934 - 30 September 1934

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 7 October 1934 - 30 December 1934

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 6 January 1935 - 31 March 1935

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 7 April 1935 - 30 June 1935

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 7 July 1935 - 29 September 1935

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 6 October 1935 - 29 December 1935

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 5 January 1936 - 29 March 1936

List of engagements of lay helpers in Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 5 April 1936 - 28 June 1936

List of engagements of the Durham Diocesan Readers' Board, Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 5 July 1936 - 27 September 1936

List of engagements of the Durham Diocesan Readers' Board, Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 4 October 1936 - 27 December 1936

List of engagements of the Durham Diocesan Readers' Board, Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 3 January 1937 - 28 March 1937

List of engagements of the Durham Diocesan Readers' Board, Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 4 April 1937 - 27 June 1937

List of engagements of the Durham Diocesan Readers' Board, Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 4 July 1937 - 26 September 1937

List of engagements of the Durham Diocesan Readers' Board, Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 3 October 1937 - 26 December 1937

List of engagements of the Durham Diocesan Readers' Board, Wearmouth Rural Deanery, 2 January 1938 - 27 March 1938