Three Centuries of a City Library | Page 3

the use of the preachers, and for a lodging chamber for
such preachers as shall come to this cittie, to preach on the
sabboth-dayes, and at other tymes, in the common place, and elsewhere,
within this cittie; where the said Jerrom Goodwyn shall fynd beddyng,
lynnynge, and other necessaries for lodging, for the preachers that so
shall come, during their abode in the cittie for the intent aforesaid:
which said romes for the lybrary shal be made fytt at the charge of this
cittie; and the said Goodwyn to allowe one of his servants to attende
the preachers. In consideration whereof, the said Goodwyne shal be
allowed yearly the rent which he now payeth, and his lease,
notwithstanding, to stand good for the terme therein expressed." {4}
The Library, however, was not intended solely for ministers. The
wording of the title-page of the first donation book, commenced in
1659, states that it was founded for students: "Bibliotheca publica
Norvicensis communi studiosorum bono instituta incoepta et inchoata
fuit Ano Domini MDCVIII." (See reproduction, facing page 46).
Moreover, the list of the early members of the Library includes the
names of people who were not ministers. Facing pages 4 and 6 are
facsimiles of the two pages in the Minute Book bearing signatures of
early members who subscribed to the rules of the Library. Perhaps the

most notable autographs are those of Charles Trimnell, Bishop of
Norwich, William Whiston, translator of Josephus, and chaplain to
John Moore, Bishop of Norwich, Thomas Tanner, Bishop of St. Asaph,
and Benjamin Mackerell, a Norfolk antiquary and Librarian of the
Norwich Public Library.
[Picture: Autographs of early members of the City Library 1]
To Judge by the existing records, the City had then received no books
for placing in the rooms. Mr. J. C. Tingey, {5a} however, considers it
"rather strange that when, in 1608, three rooms were fitted up for the
reception of the library at the New Hall there should be no existing
books to be placed in the presses, though promises of donations may
have been given. As a matter of fact the compilers of the old catalogues
mention several works without being able to say by whom they were
presented, and as many of these were printed in the 16th century it is
not impossible that some of them constituted a primary stock. On the
other hand many books whose donors are unknown were issued after
the library was inaugurated, so of these it is certain that they were
presented later." The number of works whose donors are not stated in
the first printed catalogue of 1706 is 51, but in the second printed
catalogue of 1732 the donors of 36 of these are stated, so there remain
only 15 works in the first printed catalogue of which the donors are
unknown. Of these fifteen one was printed after the establishment of
the Library, and so the primary stock suggested by Mr. Tingey could
not have consisted of more than 14 works.
There is a hiatus in the records of the Library proceedings from its
establishment to 1656. Possibly the books presented to the Library
from 1608 to 1656 were simply allowed to accumulate in the Library
rooms, without any regulations in regard to their use and safe-keeping.
That the books were sadly neglected is very evident from a codicil to
the will dated September 18th, 1655, of John Carter, Rector of St.
Laurence's Church, Norwich, giving to the Library "divers books, etc."
He revoked his bequest by the following codicil, and "instead thereof
gave 5 pounds to each of the three united parishes of St. Laurence, St.
Swithin, and St. Margaret, for a stock of coals for ever": "nowe seeinge

(to my no small grief) that that library is locked up, ministers shut out
of it, and that it is never like to be of publique use againe, but that the
books are devoted to the wormes, dust, and rotteness, to the dishonour
of God, the damage of the ministry, and the wrong of the benefactors,
the dead, and the living, &c." {5b}
[Picture: Autographs of early members of the City Library 2]
By 1656, the year of Carter's death, the Assembly had evidently
realised the necessity for making regulations for the use of the Library,
and had drawn them up before the 16th January in that year, when it
was "ordered that the Articles moved touching the ordering of the
Library be continued."
On the ninth day of the following month eight ministers met at the
Library, when they received the "Orders" of the Council for the
regulation of the Library, and having subscribed to them, they were
admitted to the use of the Library. At this meeting they ordered two
frames for the "Orders"; that Mr. John Collinges should be Library