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| Exeter Cathedral Library | |
|---|---|
| Name | Exeter Cathedral Library |
| Country | England |
| Established | 11th century |
| Location | Exeter, Devon |
| Collection size | c. 10,000 manuscripts and printed volumes |
| Director | Chapter of Exeter Cathedral |
Exeter Cathedral Library Exeter Cathedral Library is the historic library attached to Exeter Cathedral in Exeter, Devon, England, with medieval origins and a continuous medieval and early modern archive tradition. The library developed alongside the Diocese of Exeter and the Cathedral Close, accumulating liturgical, biblical, legal and scholarly materials through bequests, purchases and chapter activity during the High Middle Ages, the Reformation, the English Civil War and the Georgian era. Its holdings have been used by clergy, scholars and collectors including figures associated with Oxford University, Cambridge University and the British Museum.
The library's foundation is contemporaneous with the Norman reorganisation under William the Conqueror and the episcopate of Leofric, whose era saw the compilation of early codices and liturgical books linked to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Saxon Chronicle compilers and monastic scriptoria. In the later medieval period bishops such as Walter Branscombe and John Grandisson contributed to the growth of the collection, coordinating with wider movements such as the reforms of Lanfranc and the monastic networks of Cluny. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries the library absorbed material from suppressed houses and negotiated legal status with the Crown and the Chapter of Exeter. During the English Civil War the cathedral and library were affected by iconoclasm related to supporters of Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth of England, though many manuscripts survived through the protection of bishops like Gilbert Sheldon and antiquaries such as Anthony Wood. In the 18th and 19th centuries antiquarian interest from figures like John Leland and Thomas Hearne spurred cataloguing linked to collections at the Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library and nascent national institutions such as the British Library.
The library's holdings include medieval illuminated manuscripts, early printed books from Aldus Manutius and William Caxton, ecclesiastical registers, heraldic rolls, and chapter acts dating from the episcopate of William de Warmington through the tenure of Henry Phillpotts. There are copies of the Book of Common Prayer, Vulgate biblical manuscripts, commentaries by Thomas Aquinas and scholastic works associated with Peter Lombard. Local records include cartularies from Tavistock Abbey, Battle Abbey transfers, and parish documents tied to the Hundred system and Devonshire gentry families such as the Courtenay family and the Arundell family. Natural philosophy and science texts by Isaac Newton and subscribers to the Royal Society sit alongside liturgical manuscripts linked to Gregorian chant and continental exemplars from Chartres and Paris. The printed collection comprises incunabula, early modern works by John Foxe and William Laud, and topographical surveys by William Camden and John Hooker.
Significant medieval codices include service books, antiphoners, and psalters with illumination comparable to the output of scriptoria at Gloucester Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, and the libraries of Worcester Cathedral and Coventry Cathedral. Notable items are manuscript glosses reflecting scholastic commentary of Duns Scotus and William of Ockham, and apocryphal texts associated with Ælfric of Eynsham and Wulfstan. The incunabula collection showcases early typographic examples from printers such as Aldus Manutius, Peter Schoeffer, and printers of Venice and Cologne, together with English imprints by William Caxton and Richard Pynson. Provenance marks show connections to collectors including Humfrey Wanley, Sir Robert Cotton, and the genealogical interests of the Heralds College.
The library is housed within the precincts of the Exeter Cathedral complex, sited near the Cathedral Green and accessed from the Chapter House area and the medieval Library Room adjoining the cloister and the Bishop's Palace. Its rooms reflect phases of adaptation from Norman masonry influenced by Romanesque architecture through Gothic architecture alterations associated with master masons who worked on the cathedral nave and transepts. Later Georgian fittings and Victorian restorations were informed by surveys by George Gilbert Scott and conservation approaches promoted by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. The library's proximity to the River Exe and the Guildhall, Exeter situates it within the civic and ecclesiastical geography frequented by members of the Chapter of Exeter and visiting scholars from Trinity College, Cambridge and Christ Church, Oxford.
The library provides reader access subject to the policies of the Chapter of Exeter and in collaboration with regional institutions such as the Devon Archives and Local Studies Service and the South West Heritage Trust. Services include supervised consulting of manuscripts, support for researchers from University of Exeter, inter-library liaison with the Bodleian Library, and outreach projects with local schools, societies like the Royal Historical Society, and heritage organisations including Historic England. Reproduction services, lecture hosting, and loans for exhibitions occur under agreements with national bodies such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Archives.
Conservation of parchment, vellum and early paper follows standards advocated by the Institute of Conservation and the International Council on Archives, including environmental monitoring aligned with guidelines from English Heritage. Digitisation initiatives have partnered with university digitisation centres at University of Exeter and national digitisation programmes linked to the Wellcome Trust and the AHRC. Digital surrogates are intended for use in cataloguing projects coordinated with the Catalogue of Digitised Medieval Manuscripts and cooperative catalogues maintained by the British Library and regional repositories.
Key figures in the library's stewardship include medieval librarians attached to the chapter under bishops like John Grandisson, early modern custodians who corresponded with antiquaries such as William Camden and John Leland, and 19th-century curators influenced by antiquarians like John G. Nichols and bibliographers associated with the Society of Antiquaries of London. Major benefactors over the centuries include members of the Courtenay family, donors connected to Tavistock Abbey estates, and more recent supporters from civic patrons linked to Exeter University and heritage philanthropists associated with the National Trust.
Category:Libraries in Devon Category:Exeter Cathedral