Three Centuries of a City Library | Page 9

p. 739) printed the above memorial which he said carried "its
refutation on its face." "On so puerile a production," he continued, "it
were idle to waste words. One remark, however, may be appropriate in
anticipation of the history and objects of the Act of Parliament in
pursuance of which the Free City Library of Norwich has been created.
No Institution established under that Act can with justice address itself
to any "class" of the population in particular. Rate-supported Libraries
are ipso facto "Town Libraries." Their cost is defrayed by ratepayers of
all degrees. It is the imperative duty of every Town-Council so to
manage them as to make them conduce, in the utmost possible measure,
to the researches, the pursuits, and the profit of every class of the
townspeople. For some readers it may also be desirable to add that the
so-called "Public" Library by whose managers this Memorial is drawn
up, is Public in name only."
Notwithstanding the persistent attempts of the "Public Library" on
futile pretexts to retain the City Library, the Council on February 17th,

1857, decided by a large majority in favour of the removal of the City
Library to the new library building under its own control. Even then the
Free Library Committee had difficulty in securing the books, and it was
only after their repeated applications that the City Library was installed
in the Library in 1862. Mr. John Quinton, the Librarian of the Norfolk
and Norwich Literary Institution, superintended the removal of the
books, and arranged them in their new quarters. The book-plate in the
volumes was printed from a wood-block engraved by his daughter,
Miss Jane Quinton, a student of the Norwich School of Art, which at
that time occupied the top floor of the Library. The books were shelved
in cases on the ground floor until 1879 when they were removed to
their present glass cases in the News Room.
The Council on the 17th March, 1868, agreed to the recommendation
of the City Committee "that the Wyckliffe Bible and other books be
committed as a loan into the custody of the trustees of the [Norfolk and
Norwich] Museum, proper provision to be made for the exhibition and
preservation thereof." {17} Several manuscripts and printed books
were sent to the Museum, and Mr. J. J. Colman, the Mayor in that year,
presented to the city a glass case for the exhibition of the books.
In 1872 the Norfolk and Norwich Law Library, which had just been
established, applied for the loan of between 30 and 40 legal works in
the City Library, and the Council acceded to its request on condition
that any person not a member of the Law Library should have access to
the books, and that the books should be returned to the City Library on
request. A list of the books lent was printed in the Catalogue of the
Law Library published in 1874. The books were returned during the
year ending March, 1900.
The Catalogue of 1883 stated that the following was the rule for the use
of the City books: "A loan of these books may be obtained at the Free
Library, from 11 to 4 on any day of the week excepting Thursday, by
application to the Town Clerk, who will supply a Form to be filled up
by the applicant and forwarded to the Chairman of the Libraries
Committee." Now the books are issued by and at the discretion of the
City Librarian, for use in the Reference Library, in accordance with the

rules of the Public Library.
The City Committee, which is responsible for the City Library,
provided in 1912 a large exhibition case in the Reading Room for the
display of some of the more rare and interesting books.

DONORS.
The Library was formed almost entirely by donations, principally from
local residents, including bishops, deans, and other clergy, magistrates,
merchants and tradesmen. The donations from the inception of the
Library in 1608 to 1737 are enumerated in the Vellum Book provided
for the purpose in 1659, to which reference is made on page 46. The
first donation was a gift of fifteen volumes from Sir John Pettus who
was Mayor during the year of the foundation of the Library, viz.,
Severinus Binius' "Concilia generalia et provincialia," 4 vols. in 5,
(Cologne, 1606), "Centuriones Magdeburgh," 7 vols., (Basel), and
Bellarmine's "Disputationes de controversiis Christianae Fidei," 3 vols.,
(Paris, 1608). His gift was followed by one in the same year from
Susannah Downing, wife of Alderman George Downing, who had been
Mayor in the previous year. She gave Hieronymus Zanchius' "Opera
theologica," 8 vols. in 3, 1605 (Excudebat Stephanus Gamonetus). In
the following year Thomas Corye, merchant, gave Luther's Works in 7
vols. and three volumes of Ludwig Lavater's Commentaries, (Zurich);
Sir Thomas