Documents and papers, c1876-1926, relating to African languages and folklore, collected by Alice Werner. Includes several postcards to Archibald Tucker, discussing African language folklore.

Photocopies of the manuscript field notes of Peter Hackett, 1949, for linguistic survey on eastern Bantu languages.

Papers, 1918-1978, of and relating to Malcolm Guthrie, including personal material; field data, grammar and vocabulary notes on over 180 Bantu languages (major section on Bemba); notes on his comparative work on the Bantu languages; early drafts of the four volumes of Comparative Bantu; and general notes on the features of Bantu grammar.

Papers, 1877-1949, of Edwin Smith, comprising Smith's typescript and manuscript translations from religious texts into the Ila language, 1905-c1915, manuscript account of Ila, 1902, and manuscript account of Primitive Methodist missions in Africa, c1929; Smith's general official correspondence files, 1901-1913, the subjects including mission activities and finance; press cuttings, notes, and manuscript by Smith on the Baila-Batonga mission, 1890s-1900s; press cuttings on African, missionary, and Methodist affairs, 1897-1907, Smith's journal, 1898-1901, notes, typescripts and printed material, 1877-1924 and undated, by Smith and others on Ila and missionary work, and two manuscripts in Afrikaans, 1877 and undated (copy letters of the Rev John Smith, 1885-1886); undated photographs of Aliwal North, Basutoland, Nanzela and Kasenga missions (Ref: Box 611B); a letter from Smith in Aliwal North to his mother, 1900 (Ref: Box 611C/1); diary and pamphlet concerning Smith's journey to Nanzela, 1909 (Ref: Box 611C/2); Smith's diaries of trips to Egypt, Palestine, the Sudan, USA, Canada, and South Africa, 1929-1949 (Ref: Box 611C/3).

Manuscripts of the collected vocabularies, c1919, of Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston. The manuscripts were used in the compilation of A Comparative Study of the Bantu and Semi-Bantu Languages, and were contained in the first of the two-volume set, the second volume being an analysis and comparison of the phonologies, syntax and word roots detailed in volume one.

Collected papers, c1810-c1899 (some undated), of the Rev William Ernest Taylor, including Swahili verses, proverbs, chronicles, stories, songs, hymns, religious texts, and vocabularies, and some of Taylor's own correspondence.

Papers, 1902-1921, collected by William Arthur Crabtree, including a card index of English/Bantu and Bantu/English vocabularies, incorporating 13 different Bantu languages and symbols relating to their hypothetical common roots, with some tentative conclusions about Bantu origins, together with material on Luganda and Kavirondo (Masaba dialect).

Working papers of John Willoughby Tarleton Allen, 1898-1978 and undated, the bulk dating from 1957-1978, including correspondence, 1963-1977; papers on Swahili culture, poetry and customs, 1903-1978 and undated; papers relating to the Danish Volunteer Training Society, including language instruction, 1969-1973, and Britain Tanzania Society, 1974-1977; published articles by Allen and others, 1898, 1970 and undated; undated photocopies of various Arabic manuscripts; tape recordings of literary performances; microfilms of Swahili material.

Papers, 1935-1972, of Wilfred Howell Whiteley, comprising his personal correspondence (1956-1972); language material on over 30 Bantu languages collected by Whiteley during his lifetime; and socio-linguistic material. Also included is a major section on Swahili (including papers on the socio-political issues raised over the adoption of Swahili as a national language).

Papers, 1898-1970s, of Archibald Tucker, chiefly relating to his language work on both East African and Bantu languages. Miscellaneous material includes press cuttings (1898-1902) chronicling the Boer War and papers on the Ozuitem Ibo people of Owerri Province.

Joint archive, largely dating from 1910-1945, of the International Missionary Council and Conference of British Missionary Societies, relating to co-operative missionary endeavours in Africa (chiefly British Africa, but also including areas under Belgian, Portuguese and French control).

General files on Africa include records on missionary work and related issues including land rights, colonial administration, diet, co-operative organizations, customs including polygamy, initiation, and witchcraft, medical work, and alcohol traffic; the IMC and its relation to African mission councils; International Institute of African Languages and Cultures; population and health in Africa; Africa Education Group, relating to educational policy, provision and finance, including women's education, training of educational missionaries, African marriage customs and their relation to Christian practice, adult education, and missionary work in rural areas; High Leigh (Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire) Conference (1924) on educational missionary work in Africa; Le Zoute Conference (1926) on missionary work in Africa; educational policy; Advisory Committee on Education in the Colonies, relating to Colonial Office policy (including British colonies outside Africa), the topics including women's education, use of the vernacular and bilingualism, teacher training, language teaching, social and economic development, finance, indigenous art, biology, superannuation, English examinations, and higher education teaching materials, with sections relating to particular African colonies.

Files on East Africa include general records on British colonial policy and administration, agriculture, and Swahili; and education in East Africa. Files on Kenya include records on the Kenya Missionary Council and Christian Council of Kenya; the political situation and land question; indigenous labour and slavery; Indian population; and educational policy, practice, finance, the conscience clause in religious education, women's education, and educational advisor; and correspondence on missionary work and related issues. Files on Tanganyika include records on the Tanganyika Missionary Council, relations between different missionary societies, indigenous life, colonial administration, German and other missions; Tanganyika Mission Property Trust; and education in Tanganyika. Files on Uganda include records on land tenure, education, including women's education, and Swahili; and missionary societies in Ruanda-Urundi. Files on Abyssinia comprise records on missionary work and religious freedom, including the Italian occupation.

Files on West Africa include general records on education, including the Phelps Stokes Commission. Files on the Gold Coast include records on education, colonial administration, the Basel Mission, the Bremen Mission and other missionary societies, the Christian Council of the Gold Coast, medical and educational missionary work. Files on Sierra Leone include records on education. Files on Nigeria include records on the Christian Council of Nigeria and other Christian and missionary organisations and on education. Files on the Cameroons include records on various missionary societies. Files on French Africa include records on education.

Files on French West & Equatorial Africa include records on missionary activity and education. Files on the Congo include records on the Congo Protestant Council, missionary activity and conferences, religious freedom and interdenominational relations including Roman Catholicism; Belgian government policy regarding missions and the Brussels Bureau representing Belgian missions; education; and missionary work of various nations.

Files on Portuguese Africa include records on missionary work, including medical work, and interdenominational relations; religious liberty, Portuguese government policy, and the Lisbon Centre for liaison. Files on Portuguese West Africa include records on the Angola Evangelical Alliance, Portuguese colonial administration, and various missionary societies. Files on Portuguese East Africa include records on the Portuguese East Africa Evangelical Missionary Association, work of various missionary societies, religious liberty and Portuguese government policy.

Files on Central Africa and Nyasaland include records on colonial administration, work of missionary societies, land tenure, indigenous labour and slavery, and on colonial educational policy in Nyasaland. Files on Northern Rhodesia include records on the General Missionary Conference of Northern Rhodesia, colonial administration, mining, and education; and on the United Missions in the Copperbelt, including its foundation, policy, annual reports, finance, miners' unrest, property, education policy, women's work, social welfare, literature and literacy, British Committee, correspondence with other societies, reorganisation, Team/Field Committee, and personnel. Files on Southern Rhodesia include records on the South Rhodesia Missionary Conference, indigenous affairs including land tenure, education, indigenous preachers, and colonial administration. Files on South Africa include records on the General Missionary Conference of South Africa and the Christian Council of South Africa, missionary work, indigenous affairs including land tenure, interethnic relations, and education. Files on South and South West Africa includes records on German missions and indigenous affairs. Files on the protectorates of Swaziland, Basutoland and Bechuanaland include records on education and the transfer of the protectorates to South Africa.

There are also files on the Egypt Mission Property Trust.

Papers, largely undated, some dated 1943-1974, by various authors, some unidentified, concerning the study of Bantu and other, mainly East African, languages, comprising typescript and manuscript papers on Bantu and its various forms, 1973 and undated, including word lists; typescript and manuscript papers on non-Bantu languages, c1957-1974 and undated, including phonetics, grammar and word lists; papers on other subjects, 1943 and undated, including English vocabulary with reference to African education; general files, 1954-1973 and undated, on linguistics, including glottochronometry and lexico-statistics, and related subjects.

Collected papers, 1792-1943 (some undated), manuscript and typescript, of William Hichens, largely dating from the 1930s, comprising Swahili stories, verses, histories, and vocabularies, including transcriptions and translations of sources, and some correspondence of Hichens relating to Swahili literature.