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Archiver > GENBRIT > 2001-04 > 0986203241


From: "Lesley Robertson" <>
Subject: Re: Church of Scotland/Archives
Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2001 11:20:41 +0200
References: <9Cxx6.6838$45.40929@newsfeeds.bigpond.com>



"PRM CONSTRUCTIONS PTY LTD" <> wrote in message
news:9Cxx6.6838$...
> A letter written by my ggg-grandfather, Dr John Macwhirter, in 1848 is
held
> in
> the National Library in Edinburgh. In this he states that he was the first
> elder
> of the Established Church of Scotland in Calcutta in 1814. Some recent
> research in Calcutta has confirmed this & that he was very involved in
> setting
> up St Andrew's Church in that city ( the Church of Scotland was already
> operating
> in Bombay & Madras at this time).
>
> Am wondering whether the Church of Scotland has any centralised archives &
> if so,
> where they are held.
>

I was just about to return Fast to the library when I saw this. There's no
direct mention of your ancestor (it only lists ordained Ministers), but
about the Kirk in India it says
"Previous to 1813, the scottish population was dependant on the Anglican
establishment maintained by the East India Company (EAC). In 1813 when the
Company sought a renewal of their Charter from the British Government,
opportunity was taken to secure new concessions....... Of more immediate
interest to the Church (of Scotland) at that time was the establishment by
the EAC, for the benefit of their Scottish employees, of three Chaplaincies
of the Church of Scotland, one at each of the Presidency towns of Calcutta,
Madras and Bombay."
It then says (in many more words) that James Bryce started in Calcutta in
1814, John Allan in Madras in 1815 and James Clow in Bombay.in 1815. These
are the men your ancestor would have been working with.
Since it all seems to have been closely tied in with the EAC, it might be
worth tracking down their archives.
Lesley Robertson



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