Duke Humfrey's Library
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Duke Humfrey's Library is the oldest reading room in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford. Founded by Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, who donated 281 books to the library after his death in 1447. Subsequently, sections of the libraries were restored and expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries, including a second story, east wing and west wing. The library currently functions as an additional reading room for the Bodleian Library.
History
Duke Humfrey's Library is named after Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, a younger son of Henry IV of England. He was a connoisseur of literature and commissioned translations of classical works from Greek into Latin. When he died in 1447, he donated his collection of 281 books to the University of Oxford. At the time, this was considered an incredibly generous donation as the university only had 20 books. All classes at that time were taught via oral lectures; books were handwritten and were only for the extremely wealthy. Oxford built Duke Humfrey's Library as a second storey to the Divinity School in order to house his collection in 1450–1480.[1] In 1550, during the Reformation, the King's Commissioners despoiled the library of books in order to destroy the vestiges of Roman Catholicism in the country. The books were probably burnt, and in 1556 the furniture was removed by the university. Today, only three of Humfrey's original books remain in the library.[2]
The Library was refitted and restored from 1598 by Sir Thomas Bodley and in 1610–1612 the east wing (now the Arts End) was added. The west wing (now the Selden End) followed 20 years later. The books in the oldest part are accommodated in oak bookcases which are at right angles to the walls on either side with integral readers' desks. The ceiling consists of panels painted with the arms of the university.[3] Duke Humfrey's Library functioned as a reading room for maps, music and pre-1641 rare books until 2015 when it now serves as an additional reading room for users of the Bodleian Library due to that the new Weston Library operates with special collections.[4]
- The interior of Duke Humfrey's Library
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Collections
Serving an additional reading room for all users of the Bodleian, the library consists of the original medieval section (1487), the Arts End (1612), and the Selden End (1637). It houses collections of maps,[5] music, Western manuscripts, and theology and art materials. It is the main reading room for researchers of codicology, bibliography, and local history, as well as the location of the University Archives and the Conservative Party Archive.
The library is on the first floor and forms an H-shape with the later parts as the uprights. The Arts End is above the Proscholium and is attached at two corners to the Old Schools Quadrangle. The medieval section is above the Divinity School and Selden End (named after John Selden a benefactor of the library) is above the Convocation House. A drawing of the medieval section with the Divinity School below in isolation is used as the emblem of the Bodleian Library. Duke Humfrey's Library was used as the Hogwarts Library in the Harry Potter films.[6]
References
- ^ Summit, Jennifer (2008). Memory's Library: Medieval Books in Early Modern England. University of Chicago Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-226-78172-3.
- ^ "Duke Humfrey's Library at the Old Bodleian Library". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ Alden's Oxford Guide, Oxford: Alden & Co., 1958; p. 18
- ^ "Bodleian Old Library". www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
- ^ "Bodleian maps move to Duke Humfrey's Library". The Conveyor. 6 October 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ "Filming & photography". Bodleian Libraries.
External links
Media related to Duke Humfrey's Library at Wikimedia Commons
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