History

Our History

The New England Company was founded in 1649 to propagate the gospel to the native peoples in His Majesty’s Dominions in North America, sending missionaries and teachers to New England, New York and Virginia.

After the American revolution, we stopped working in New England and transferred our focus to Canada. In the 1790s grants started also to be given to the West Indies.

In the 19th century, the Court’s appointment of missionaries and teachers progressively reduced and eventually ceased and the Company is now exclusively a grant giving charity and the oldest extant Anglican missionary society.

Today, we work closely with dioceses and colleges in Canada and the West Indies, supporting the Church in both jurisdictions and encouraging applications for grants to benefit local communities.

Read more about our history in Neil Hitchen’s online book, ‘Come over and help us – The New England Company and its Mission 1649-2001’.