| Background: |
The Church of England became active in Nova Scotia in the mid-1700s; however, the Diocese of Nova Scotia was not created until 1787, after an influx of Anglicans following the American Revolution. That same year Charles Inglis was appointed Bishop of the Diocese, which included at the time Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Newfoundland. In 1825 the Diocese of Nova Scotia was split into four archdeaconeries due to growth: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Bermuda. Newfoundland separated in 1839; Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1845. |
| Contents: |
The Nova Scotia Church of England Papers contains records and correspondence (1779-1852) relating to the Church; the bulk being sent from various members of the Church to government officials; such as, Governors, Lieutenant-Governors and the Provincial Secretaries. The records provide insight into the administration, priorities and challenges the Church and its members faced during the early years of the organisation in Nova Scotia. Some of the main topics include: land/property, education and schools, finances, church (state of), church relations, and local history. Arrangement: The collection is organised into two sections, both filmed in chronological order: the first containing 129 numbered documents; the second renumbered into 16 documents. The subject matters most prevalent are as follows:Land - Boundaries and descriptions of parishes; plans/maps of parishes, surveys of parishes and town plots
- Requests to sell/lease/repurpose glebe for other parish needs; requests for parish to be divided or altered
- Recommendation to create a Corporation for the management of school and church lands
- Second section of collection contains, among other things: Abstract of the Reservations made in Nova Scotia for glebes (organised by place with the no. of acres and remarks, late 18th century?); and documents from the Surveyor General, regarding surveys for Weymouth, Annapolis, and Londonderry
Schools - Statistics on glebes and schools
- Funding for Kings College and Dalhousie College
- Union of Kings College and Dalhousie College
- Reports on the expenditures of Collegiate School at Windsor
- Accounts of Kings College
Finances - Salaries
- Contingent Fund and it’s use for the relief of distressed and poor
- Arms Fund – statements of appropriations/payments
- Parliamentary and SPG total annual sums directed for the Bishop, Archdeacon, Missionaries, Kings College and schoolmasters
- Church/parish – subscriptions lists with names of people and the amounts they are contributing for specific purposes, such as a new church
- Ecclesiastical Establishment of Nova Scotia, information for Blue Book – annual bills drawn and expenses
- Financial returns – include all denominations
Parish data/information - Parishes: background and present situation of, ex. Blacks at Hammond Plains
- Establishment of – Nova Scotia; Cape Breton
- Subscribers lists
- Missionaries – description of their distressed situations, ex. Document #97 (1833)
- Pew holders of St. Paul’s Church, Halifax 1798-1813
- German congregation in Halifax
- Ecclesiastical Returns/ State of the Province: includes acreage, population, rectors and pay, church situation, chapel, etc., plus general remarks for each area; includes more than the Church of England; see document nos. 80 and 90, for years 1828 and 1832
- Requests for assistance, usually money, for things such as building or repairing a church; requests for a minister; requests for townships to be erected as a parish
- Appointments/inductions, and instructions of ministers to different parishes
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