Correspondence from the early years of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) has recently been published in Early Modern Letters Online, a catalogue of 16th, 17th and 18th Century letters run by the Bodleian Library and the University of Oxford.
USPG’s Research and Learning Advisor, Dr Jo Sadgrove, says “This is a really important moment for thinking about histories of colonialism, power and enslavement. At USPG’s consultation in Barbados in 2019, “In God’s Name? The Gospel and the authority of the State”, we made a commitment to developing our understanding of USPG’s history in the Caribbean in dialogue with the Church of the Province of the West Indies. The contents of this archive have become increasingly relevant with the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and the discussions that we are currently having in the UK around the meaning of history for us as a nation. Importantly, this archive is available to all, meaning that this part of USPG’s history is there for everyone to access”.
The archive is available free here.
Image credit: Photograph of a stained-glass window from St Luke's Church, Smithfield, Virginia, taken by David Friswell.