Archives of the Conference of British Missionary Societies, largely dating from 1912-1970, including some material dating from 1872-1973, relating to administration, the work of other missionary bodies, and issues affecting missionary work.

Records, 1901-1970, of the Standing Committee and other committees comprise minutes, annual reports, and administrative papers and correspondence, including some relating to the CBMS constitution, finance, staffing, World War Two, and broadcasting, and papers relating to various other missionary bodies, including the Foreign Missions Conference of North America and National Council of Churches in Christ in the USA, 1893-1960 (Ref: S).

Records, 1907-1968, of the Home Council comprise minutes and administrative papers (Ref: H); records, 1926-1960, relating to audio-visual aids, including minutes, administrative papers, and reviews of films (Ref: H/AVA); records, 1920-1944, of the Far and Near Press Bureau, with detailed information on numerous individual missionaries and missionary issues, including BBC talks, publications, manuscripts and matching press cuttings, and obituaries (arranged chronologically), biographical files and photographs of people and regions (arranged alphabetically), and background information on various areas (Ref: H/PB); records, 1921-1960, relating to recruitment and training of missionaries (Ref: H/RT); records, 1946-1965, of the Schools Committee, relating to speakers, exhibitions and publicity material (Ref: H/Sc); records, 1939-1961, of the Youth Committee (Ref: H/Y); records, 1907-1968, of the United Council for Missionary Education and Edinburgh House Press, including minutes, finance papers, records of publications and papers relating to production, stock and publicity, book reviews, correspondence, and publications on missionaries and missionary subjects (Ref: H/UP).

Area files, including correspondence with national Christian councils, overseas governments and overseas churches and churchmen, comprise minutes of the Africa Committee and papers on missionary work in countries in Central, East, Southern and West Africa, 1915-1960, touching on educational work, political events and decolonization, African customs, Islam, social problems, and interethnic relations, including papers of the Advisory Committee on Education in the Colonies (including areas outside Africa), 1927-1961 (Ref: A); records of the Committee on Work among Jews and Near and Middle East Committee and papers relating to missionary work in Middle Eastern countries and Egypt, 1921-1967, touching on work among Moslems, political events and refugee issues (Ref: N); records of the West Indies Committee and papers relating to missionary work in the Caribbean, 1938-1968, touching on social and economic development (Ref: W); records of the Asia Committee and papers on missionary work, including educational and medical work, in China, India, and other parts of East, South, and South East Asia, 1872-1964, including political events, the Sino-Japanese War and World War Two, the development of Communism in China, and political events and self-government in India (Ref: E).

Records on literature and medical work comprise records of the Christian Literature Committee and Christian Literature Council, including finance and policy papers, and papers relating to literacy and literature in Central, East, Southern and West Africa, East, South, and South East Asia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean and Latin America, 1920-1968 (Ref: L); records of the Medical Advisory Board and papers on medical missionary work in Africa, India and China, 1928-1963 (Ref: M).

Records on co-operative action with other missionary bodies relate to the World Missionary Conference and its Continuation Committee, 1907-1929, the International Missionary Council, 1917-1973, World Council of Churches, 1945-1960, and British Council of Churches, 1938-1960 (Ref: C).

Papers, c1917-1990, of Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf relating to his work on tribes and anthropology in India, Ceylon, Nepal, Tibet and the Philippines.

Papers relating to anthropological fieldwork, 1936-1989, comprise diaries, 1936-1985, some by Betty Fürer-Haimendorf, including detailed accounts of fieldwork; field-notes, 1936-1989; research proposals and reports relating to fieldwork, c1953-1985; fieldwork questionnaires, 1949-1957, on marriage, economic status and kinship; house-lists and genealogies, undated; diagrams and charts on distribution of tribes, families, households, and herds, undated; maps, undated; official correspondence and permits to travel, c1974-1988; miscellaneous papers, c1960-1981, including some relating to travel arrangements.

Papers relating to tribal welfare and development, Andhra Pradesh, c1918-1985, comprise tour notes, c1918, 1945-1946; correspondence between Fürer-Haimendorf and the Revenue Department of the Nizam's Government, 1939-1949; reports on Hyderabad Tribal Affairs, c1935-1949; Gondi reading charts for adults produced as part of an education scheme, 1943-1948; correspondence with tribesmen concerning the alienation of tribal land, 1976-1978; notes on the position of Indian tribal populations, c1960-1985; press cuttings on tribal affairs in India, c1977-1984; Government reports and publications, c1949-1979; miscellaneous papers on tribal welfare, undated.

Working papers for teaching and research, c1949-1979, comprise conference and symposia papers, 1960-1978; lectures and seminar papers, c1949-1977; working papers (subject files) on miscellaneous research topics, c1960-1979 but largely undated; working papers created by René de Nebesky-Wojkowitz on Tibetan dance, religion and ritual, and on medicine and medicinal plants, undated.

Publications and accompanying material, c1917-1990, comprise published texts and articles, 1932-1990; rough drafts and working copies (books) [1939]-[1990]; rough drafts and working copies (articles), largely undated; publications containing photographs by Fürer-Haimendorf, 1937-1960; illustrations used in texts by Fürer-Haimendorf, undated; reviews of Fürer-Haimendorf's publications, 1943-1982; reviews by Fürer-Haimendorf, 1958-1983; extracts and notes from anthropological works by other authors, undated; bibliographies compiled by Fürer-Haimendorf, undated; a large collection of published and unpublished works by other authors, c1917-1989, largely on social and cultural anthropology, and particularly on India, Nepal and Tibet.

Miscellaneous papers, c1935-1989, include further correspondence with colleagues, other scholars, students, publishers, academic institutions and other organisations.

Papers, 1935-1995, of Charles Granston Richards, comprising articles, reports, books, pamphlets and correspondence reflecting his work and interests. The papers cover his work with the Church Missionary Society in Kenya, East African Literary Bureau, Oxford University Press, Christian Literature Fund and Agency for Christian Literature Development in addition to his retirement years.