2022/005

This collection consists of two photograph albums compiled by Reverend Dr. Neville Jones OBE, and his wife Ruth (nee Collard). They show life at the Hope Fountain Mission, Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in the first half of the 20th Century. The photograph albums highlight the Jones' family, their religious and scientific life in Zimbabwe in the early 20th Century, and the lives of those they met there, including scenes showing the activities of Ndbele people (referred to as Matabele people). Alongside the captions, these photographs give insight into the complex relationships between European missionaries and the Zimbabwean people. This series was catalogued with support from the Bristol Museums Development Trust.

2 volumes

Open

None

Collection

Born in 1880, Neville Jones began his career as a missionary aged 22. In 1912 he joined the Hope Fountain mission in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) where he lived with his wife Ruth and their children. Hope Fountain is the second-oldest Mission in Zimbabwe, and was established with the permission of Ndbele King Lobengula. A Girls School was founded there in 1915 and a Teacher Training School in 1927. These 2 insitutions are both reflected in the Jones' photographs. In addition to his clerical work, Jones was a keen archaeologist and entomologist. He had a long and successful career in these fields, serving as Keeper of Prehistory of the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia, and president of the South African Archaeological society. He was ultimately awarded an OBE and honorary Doctorate of Science upon his retirement. Material gathered by Jones forms the basis of the archaeological collection at what is now the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe. Some objects are in the British Museum and can be viewed online. Jones' book, 'Prehistory of Southern Rhodesia' is still in print (reference ISBN: 978-1107644229).