(born in 1594; died 6 November, MANUSCRIPTS. and of Norfolk; Earl Marshal of Arundel in 1603; died 4 October, [See CLASS II, § 3.] MANUSCRIPTS. INCORPORATED by the Act (A.D. 1753) in 1661; died 21 May, 1724). life as 'William CHARLETON'] (born in sum of £20,000,-in order that those 'tending many ways to the Manifestaconsequences, the Use and Improveremain together and not be separated, may by the great confluence of people Opened, for Public PARTICU Book I, Chap. I. INTRODUC TION. Primary Book I, TION. CLASS II.-Primary Accession Collections. 1757-1831: (1) EPOCHS INCREASE. 1757. Old 'ROYAL LIBRARY.' Restored, by Henry, Prince of Wales, in the year 1609, by the purchase-and incorporation with the remGROWTH AND nants of an ancient collection-of the Library of John de Lumley, Lord Lumley (Born circa 1530; Restored in blood, as VIth Baron Lumley, in 1547: Died 1609); Continued by Charles I and Charles II, Kings of England, &c., from 1627 to 1683; Given to the Nation by King George the Second in 1757. This OLD ROYAL LIBRARY, although, as above mentioned, it still contains fragments of the more ancient Collection of the Kings of England—and among them books which undoubtedly belonged to King HENRY THE SIXTH, if not to earlier Plantagenet kings-may fairly be regarded as of Prince HENRY'S foundation in the main. Lord LUMLEY'S Library (which the Prince bought in bulk) contained that of his father-in-law, Henry Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel, into which had passed a part of Archbishop Cranmer's Library. But this conjoined Collection has not wholly passed to the British Museum. It suffered some losses after Prince HENRY's death. On the other hand, it had acquired the collection of MSS. formed by the THEYERS (John and Charles), in which was included another part of the Library of CRANMER ; as I shall shew hereafter. [See Book I, Chapter 3.] Chap. I. 1759. HEBREW LIBRARY (Printed and Manuscript) of INTRODUCDA COSTA. Collected by Solomon Da Costa, formerly of Amsterdam, and chiefly between the years 1720 and 1727; Given by the Collector, in 1759, to the Trustees of the British Museum for inspection and service of the Public, as a small token of my esteem, reverence, love, and gratitude to this magnanimous Nation, and as a thanksgiving offering for numberless blessings which I have enjoyed under it.' (From DA COSTA's Letter to the Trustees.) A collection, small in extent, but of great intrinsic worth; and very memorable, both as the generous gift of a good man; and as instancing the co-operation (at the very outset) of the love of learning in a foreigner and a Jew-with a like love in Britons, for a common object; national, indeed, but also much more than national. (III) 1762. The THOMASON COLLECTION of ENGLISH BOOKS and TRACTS, Printed and Manuscript. Collected by George Thomason (Died 1666); Purchased by King George the Third, in 1762, for presentation to the British Museum. This Collection-the interest of which is specially but by no means exclusively political and historical— was formed between the years 1641 and 1663 inclusive, and it contains everything printed in England during the whole of that period which a man of great TION. enterprise and energy could bring together by daily watchiness and are catay. I also contains many publicscious, and many private impressions, from penting-gresses i Seetand, Ireland, and the Contiment of Furice, icing or strating the affairs of the United Kingdom and of the Commonwealth. It is becme, the Collector refused £4000 for his beacy, as usuficient ze reimburse his costs, charges, His heirs and their assigns kept it for a century and then sit & zo King George III for £300. It motides many peuresi MSS, which no printer Jared 20 put 30 YE 1766. The SoxAUER Fossus Culons by Daniel Charles Solander (Died to May, 1782), Purchased by Gustavus Brander and by him dressed to the Museum (of which he was one of the first Trusives in 1766. The Solander Fossils so called from the name of the eminent naturalist who found and described them formed the primary Collection on which by gradual accessions the present magnificent collection of fossils has been built up. (V) 17616. The BiRCH LIBRARY of PRINTED BOOKS and (wed by Thomas Birch, D.D., a Trustee of the Bettish Museum (Died 1766), and bequeathed by the (VI) Book I, Chap. I. 1772. The HAMILTON VASES, ANTIQUITIES, and INTRODUCDRAWINGS. Collected by Sir William Hamilton (Died 6 April, 1803); Purchased by Parliament from the Collector in 1772 for £8400. [See Book II, Chapter 2.] (VII) 1790-1799. The MUSGRAVE LIBRARY. Collected by Sir William Musgrave, a Trustee (Died 1799); Acquired, partly by gift in 1790; partly by bequest in 1799. [See Book II, Chapter 1.] (VIII) 1799. The CRACHERODE LIBRARY and MUSEUM. Collected by the Reverend Clayton Mordaunt Cracherode, a Trustee of the British Museum (Died 1799), and bequeathed by the Collector. [See Book II, Chapter 3.] (IX) 1799. The HATCHETT MINERALS. Collected by Charles Hatchett, and purchased for £700. (x) 1802. The ALEXANDRIAN COLLECTION of EGYPTIAN ANTIQUITIES. Collected by the French Institute of Egypt in 1800; Transferred to the Crown of England by the TION. |