British Consular Passport Issued in Hankou for a Missionary

Hankou (Hankow): A British Treaty Port on the Yangtze

Hankou — now part of the modern city of Wuhan — is located at the confluence of the Yangtze and Han Rivers in central China.² It was included among the treaty ports opened to foreign trade under Article X of the Treaty of Tientsin of 1858 between China and Great Britain.³

Between February and April 1861, Harry Parkes accompanied Vice-Admiral Sir James Hope on an expedition along the Yangtze River to set up consulates, including one at Hankou.⁴ On March 11, 1861, the expedition reached the city and Parkes determined the site for the future British concession.⁵ In 1861, negotiations with the Viceroy of Wuchang secured the British concession.³

The British concession covered 115 acres (47 ha).² Within it, a British Municipal Council ran a police force, hospital, school, and oversaw a militia known as the Hankow British Volunteer Corps.⁶

Over time, Hankou came to host five foreign concessions: British (1861), French (1886), Russian (1886), German (1895), and Japanese (1898).² Until 1895, the British concession was the only foreign concession in the city.³

British Missionaries in Hankou: Why They Needed Special Passports

The London Missionary Society (LMS) established its Hankou mission in 1861. Griffith John and Robert Wilson of the LMS arrived in Hankou on June 21, 1861, making John the first Protestant missionary to settle in central China.⁷

John went on to open the first chapel in Hankou on July 19, 1863, the first school on February 26, 1864, and a mission hospital in 1866 — the predecessor of what is now Union Hospital, Wuhan.⁷ Hankou thus became one of the most significant bases of Protestant missionary activity in central China.⁸

Unlike merchants who operated largely within the treaty port concessions, missionaries regularly traveled into the Chinese interior beyond consular protection. The unequal treaties provided missionaries with extraterritorial status, but required them in principle to be brought back to the treaty ports if apprehended in the interior.⁹ A passport printed in Chinese script, bearing the official seals of both the British Consulate in Hankou and the British Embassy in Peking, was far more practically useful to a missionary in the field than a standard English-language document.

Notably, 1905 was also the year Griffith John — then aged 73 — celebrated his missionary jubilee at Hankou.¹⁰ The active missionary community in the city at this time would have been a natural constituency for the 65 Chinese-language passports the consulate issued that year.¹

The 1905 Hankou Passport: Physical Description and Authentication

The passport measures approximately 21 by 17.5 inches (54 x 44 cm) and is printed on very thin, flimsy paper. Despite its age, it survives in good condition with only a couple of small tears.¹

Its authenticating features include:

• Two consular postage stamps (2 shillings and 5 shillings), authenticated with the Hankou Consular rubber-stamp and signed for the consulate by W. Hitchens.¹
• Large red Chinese ‘Chock Stamps’ — the official seals of the British Embassy in Chinese script, authorizing the passport.¹

Extreme Rarity: Only 65 Issued Between January and Mid-November 1905

The British Consulate in Hankou issued just 65 of these Chinese-script passports in the period from January to mid-November 1905.¹ The Carwardine passport is the only one of those 65 issued to Rev. C. Carwardine, making it individually unique.¹

The year 1905 was a significant one in Chinese history. Hankou was at this time still under the late Qing Dynasty, which had signed the Boxer Protocol in 1901 following the Boxer Uprising of 1900. The city itself served as a destination on escape routes for missionaries fleeing the Boxers in northern provinces around 1900.¹¹ The Consulate’s production of Chinese-language passports in 1905 reflects the practical realities of protecting British subjects traveling inland in this volatile period.

The End of the British Concession in Hankou

The British concession at Hankou came to an end through political turbulence. Early in 1927, during the Northern Expedition, Chinese Kuomintang forces occupied the concession. The Chen–O’Malley Agreement of February 1927 provided for a combined British-Chinese administration of the concession.¹² In 1929, the concession formally ended and was administered by Chinese authorities as the Third Special Area.²

Britain’s broader extraterritorial rights in China were formally relinquished by the Sino-British Treaty for the Relinquishment of Extra-Territorial Rights in China, signed in Chongqing on January 11, 1943, with ratifications exchanged on May 20, 1943.¹³

Collector Value: What Makes This Passport So Desirable?

The 2010 auction result of $1,044 USD for this passport reflects a convergence of factors that serious collectors prize:

• Documented extreme rarity — one of only 65 issued in that year, and the only one bearing this individual’s name.¹
• Unique format — printed entirely in Chinese script, unlike any standard British passport.¹
• Multiple authenticating features — stamps and seals from both the consulate and the British Embassy in Peking.¹
• Missionary provenance — connecting the document to the well-documented history of LMS Protestant missions in Hankou.⁸
• Condition — good for 120+ years of age, on fragile paper.¹

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a British consular passport issued in China?

A British consular passport issued in China was a travel document produced locally by a British Consulate on behalf of British subjects. Unlike passports issued by the Foreign Office in London, these were adapted to local needs. In Hankou’s case, this meant printing the document in Chinese script so local officials could read its safe-conduct request.

When was the British concession in Hankou established?

The British concession in Hankou was established in 1861, following the opening of the port under the Treaty of Tientsin (1858). Harry Parkes reached the city in March 1861 to delimit the concession site.

Who were the first Protestant missionaries in Hankou?

Griffith John and Robert Wilson of the London Missionary Society arrived in Hankou on June 21, 1861. Griffith John is regarded as the first Protestant missionary to settle in central China.⁷

How many of these Chinese-script British passports were issued in 1905?

Only 65 such passports were issued by the British Consulate in Hankou between January 1905 and mid-November 1905. The Carwardine passport is the only one of those 65 issued to Rev. C. Carwardine.¹

When did the British concession in Hankou end?

The British concession in Hankou was occupied by Chinese Nationalist forces in early 1927. The Chen–O’Malley Agreement of February 1927 established joint administration, and in 1929 the concession formally ended under Chinese administration.¹²

When did Britain formally give up extraterritorial rights in China?

The Sino-British Treaty for the Relinquishment of Extra-Territorial Rights in China was signed on January 11, 1943, in Chongqing, with ratifications exchanged on May 20, 1943.¹³

Conclusion: A Document at the Intersection of Empire, Mission, and Travel History

The 1905 Hankou missionary passport stands at a remarkable convergence of histories: the story of the British treaty port concessions in China, the Protestant missionary movement in central China, and the evolution of consular travel documents. Every authenticating mark on its large, fragile surface — the consular stamps, the W. Hitchens signature, the red Embassy ‘Chock Stamps’ — speaks to a real bureaucratic and diplomatic world that operated in Hankou for over six decades, from 1861 until 1929.

For the collector, it represents what is almost certainly an irreplaceable artifact: one of 65 documents of its precise type, individually issued to a named missionary, surviving in good condition over 120 years. The $1,044 paid in 2010 acquired something genuinely unique.

References

 

Tom Topol | Passport History Expert & Author.
Featured in media incl. CNN, BBC, Newsweek. Awarded by the U.S. Department of State.
"Want to go deeper? My book Let Pass or Die covers the full 500-year history"

👉 Ask Me Anything |  🏛️ View the Recognition List | 📚 Rare offers from my personal collection