Three Centuries of a City Library: an Historical and Descriptive Account of the Norwich Public Library Established in 1608 and the present Public Library opened in 1857Stephen, Geo. A. (George Arthur)
History
Three Centuries of a City Library: an Historical and Descriptive Account of the Norwich Public Library Established in 1608 and the present Public Library opened in 1857
Stephen, Geo. A. (George Arthur)
Norwich (England). Public Libraries
During the years 1707 to 1709 several Fellows of Trinity and other
Cambridge Colleges gave donations of books (See List of Donors at the end
of Part I., pp. 52-56). The Minute Book records that on August 5th, 1707
"was brought into the Library by Mr. Reddington, Fellow of Trinity
College, in Cambridge, these following books being the gift of several
persons of the said college, as here follows." These donations,
numbering 28 volumes, were the gift of twelve Fellows, and may have been
the result of an organised effort by Reddington to increase the Library.
John Reddington was Rector of St. Edmund, Norwich, 1712, Rector of
Rackheath, 1711-39, and of Hethel, 1737-39, and master of Norwich Grammar
School from 1732 to 1737. He died in 1739, aged 57. In 1708 the Minute
Book states that on Sept. 6th Mr. Reddington brought in five books the
gift of five Fellows of Trinity College; and on Oct. 4, Mr. Brett brought
in 8 volumes the gift of John Lightwin, the President of Caius College,
and four other Cambridge men.
Benjamin Mackerell, described as "of the City of Norwich, Gent.", gave
two volumes in 1716, and 13 volumes in 1731, when he held the office of
Library Keeper.
John Jermy was stated in 1729 to "have sent & Given to this Library
several Law Books and others; which are particularly inserted in the
Catalogue, with his Name before Each Book." In 1733 he gave forty books,
and in 1737 fourteen books. In the 1732 Catalogue he is credited with 67
volumes.
Edmund Prideaux, the son of Dean Prideaux, in 1730 "gave to this Library
more than Threescore Books which are all of them inserted in the
Catalogue with his Name before each Book." In the 1732 Catalogue only 49
volumes are shown to have been given by him.
The last entry in the Vellum Book records a gift from Robert Nash,
Chancellor of the Diocese of Norwich, of a copy of "A Defence of Natural
and Revealed Religion: being an abridgment of the Sermons preached at the
Lecture founded by the Hon. R. Boyle," 4 vols. (London, 1737), by Gilbert
Burnet, vicar of Coggeshall, which was published in that year.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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