Annals of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, A.D. 1598-A.D. 1867: With a Preliminary Notice of the earlier Library founded in the Fourteenth CenturyMacray, William Dunn
History
Annals of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, A.D. 1598-A.D. 1867: With a Preliminary Notice of the earlier Library founded in the Fourteenth Century
Macray, William Dunn
Bodleian Library
His life-long friend, Dr. Bandinel, entered the Library also in this
year. To him, for a list of a further portion of the Rawlinson MSS., £26
5_s._ were paid in 1812.
A.D. 1811.
Only eighteen books were purchased in this year! The list, scantly
filling one page, is consequently the _minimum_ in the series of annual
catalogues.
A.D. 1813.
The Rev. John Price, B.D., the Librarian, died on Aug. 11, aged
seventy-nine, after forty-five years of office. A short biographical
notice is given in the _Gentleman's Magazine_ for Oct., 1813, p. 400,
and a fuller account, together with many letters, and an engraved
portrait, with facsimile signature, (from a sketch taken in 1798, by
Rev. H. H. Baber), in vols. v. and vi. of Nichols' _Illustrations of the
Lit. Hist. of the 18th Century_. The following character of him with
regard to his discharge of his official duties is there given (vi. 471),
which in some respects forms a strong contrast to the representation of
Prof. Beddoes in the year 1787 (_see_ p. 197). 'In the faithful
discharge of his public duties in the University, he acquitted himself
with the highest credit, and deservedly conciliated the esteem of others
by his readiness to communicate information from the rich literary
stores over which he presided, and of which he was a most jealous and
watchful guardian. He was, from long habit, so completely attached to
the Library, that he considered every acquisition made to its contents
as a personal favour conferred upon himself.' It was chiefly owing to
his assiduous attention to Mr. Gough and his frequent correspondence
with him, that the Library was enriched with the bequest of the latter's
splendid topographical collections. But there is not much existing to
tell of personal work in the Library during his long tenure of office,
and the fact that nothing was done till near the close of that period
towards arranging and cataloguing the Rawlinson MSS., seems to prove
that there was no great activity in the Library under his management.
This is corroborated also by the wonderful difference which is
immediately seen in the annual catalogue of purchases; the Catalogue for
1813 grows at once from the two folio pages of the preceding year to
seventeen, while the sum expended becomes £725 in the place of
£261[284]. And the list of books forwarded from Stationers' Hall, and
hitherto received only twice yearly, at Lady-day and Michaelmas, becomes
in 1815 largely increased, while in the year 1822 the number of yearly
parcels is increased to eight. At the present time, as for a long time
past, books are received monthly.
The Rev. Bulkeley Bandinel, M.A. (D.D. in 1823), of New College, was
elected Librarian by Convocation on Aug. 25. He had been appointed
Sub-librarian in 1810, by Mr. Price, who was his godfather; and for a
short time previously had been a Chaplain in the Royal Navy, having
served with Adm. Sir James Saumarez on board the 'Victory,' in the
Baltic, in 1808.
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