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St Fin Barre's Cathedral Library Collection: Home

Library of St Fin Barre's Cathedral.

About the Collection

The collection comprises books, pamphlets and House of Commons /Lords Journals. The main subject areas are theology and ecclesiastical matters, but the classics, history, literature and science are also represented. Most of the books were printed in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, chiefly in London and Dublin. There are three small collections of pamphlets dealing with:

  • the Popish plot, and religious controversy, etc of the last quarter of the 17th century, chiefly English printing
  • Political and miscellaneous tracts of the early 18th century, chiefly Dublin printing
  • Irish pamphlets of the last decades of the 18th century, tithe war, economics, politics etc.

Languages in the collection include French, German, Italian, Latin, Irish Gaelic, Greek, Dutch, Spanish.  

Both Bishops Crow & Stopford believed in recording their ownership of each book. The former generally wrote his name and sometimes the date, place and circumstances of acquisition on a flyleaf or the title page; Stopford's books bear his armorial bookplate. For the bibliophile, Crow is the more satisfying, for he acquired works from a number of continental printing houses, both famous and obscure, as well as those of London and of course his alma mater, Oxford. Their subject matter reflects the concerns of his own and the preceding centuries with the scrutiny of the earliest and most authentic texts of the Bible, the Early Fathers, and the principal classical authors. Stopford's collection, by contrast, mostly comprises contemporary works printed in Britain and Ireland, but the content is more varied than Crow's, particularly his two series of pamphlets which include items on political events and aspects of social life.  

There is no way of knowing which of the early books belonged to Bishop Browne, apart from a few signed copies dedicated to him by their authors.  

Several dozen early items have their bindings stamped with the arms of the Tighe family and may have come from the library of William Tighe of Dublin (1657-1679).  

The collection contains 6 incunabula. Fragments forming part of the binding of various items are found within the collection.

Provenance

The pre-20th century collection was acquired in 1982-1983 and the original shelfmark (Letter.Number.Number or Letter.Letter.Number.Number) was retained. Modern books purchased in 1998.

Collection Highlights

Crossover with U.19 Macartney Papers. Describe them and how they’re used for HI3200 Ireland & Empire. 

Staunton, George. An Authentic Account of An Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China...: Taken chiefly from the papers of His Excellency the Earl of Macartney... Sir Erasmus Gower...and of other gentlemen in the several departments of the embassy. Dublin: Printed for P. Wogan [et al.], 1798. A.5.12 Travel to the East

Charles Crowe (1650-1720), Born in Lancashire, educated at Oxford. Chaplain to the Earl of Rochester, Laurence Hyde, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was BIshop of Cloyne 1702-1726.   Crowe usually wrote his name and sometimes the date, place and circumstances of acquisition on a flyleaf or the title page; Crowe acquired works from a number of continental printing houses, as well as those of London and his alma mater, Oxford.  Their subject matter reflects the concerns of his own and the preceding centuries with the scrutiny of the earliest and most authentic texts of the Bible, the Early Fathers, and the principal classical authors. 

In 1727 the cathedral chapter was sufficiently well endowed to pay fl15  for the purchase from the widow of Charles Crowe, bishop of Cloyne, of the bishop's collection of books.

Explicatio mandati secundi Decalogi / Per patrem Thomam Sanchez Cordubensem .. Madriti: praelo et expensis Ludouici Sanchez typographi regii, MDCXIII [1613]

Thomas Stopford (1730-1805), educated at TCD, Bishop of Cork & Ross 1794-1805. Died in Dublin & bequeathed his library to St Fin Barre’s. Stopford’s books bear his armorial bookplate and frequently his signature.  Stopford’s collection, by contrast to Crowe’s, mostly comprises contemporary works printed in Britain and Ireland, but the content is also more varied than Crowes, particularly his two series of pamphlets which include items on political events and aspects of social life.

Ferguson, Adam. Institutes of Moral Philosophy: For the Use of Students in the College of Edinburgh. Edinburgh: printed for A. Kincaid & W. Creech, and J. Bell; sold in London by S. Crowder [and others], 1773

George Arthur Webster (1830-1890), dean of residence, Queen’s College, Cork and Chancellor of Cork Cathedral. There are 8 Webster Ex libris items in the collection. 

Cappell, Jac... Observationes in Novum Testamentum: exceptis Actibus Apostolorum & Apocalypsi D. Ioannis / Nunc demum XXXIII post Authoris obitum annis, in lucem editae ; procurante Ludovico Cappello ... Una cum ejusdem Ludovici Cappelli Spicilegio ante annos XXV primum edito, nunc denuo ab Autore aucto, castigato & emendato. Amstelodami: Apud Ludovicum & Danielem Elzevirios, [1657]. S.6.17 Annotations upon all the books of the Old and New Testament: this second edition so enlarged, as they make an entire commentary on the sacred scripture: the like never before published in English. Wherein the text is explained, doubts resolved, scriptures parallelled, and various readings observed. By the labour of certain learned divines thereunto appointed, and therein employed, as is expressed in the preface. London: Printed by John Legatt, 1651.

From left to right:

Quarta pars totius summe maioris beati Antonini. Venetijs: per Lazarum de Soardis, MDIII [1503].

 Sententiae et regulae vitae ex Gregorii Nazanzeni scriptis collectae: Eiusdem iambi aliquot, nunc primum in lucem editi / per Ioannem Sambucum Pannonium. Antverpiae: ex officina Christophori Plantini, MDLXVIII [1568].

Orlandino, Niccolo. Historia Societatis Iesu. Coloniæ Agrippinæ [Cologne]: Sumptibus Antonij Hierat, MDCXV [1615].

A Sermon Preached Before the Incorporated Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts: at their anniversary meeting in the parish church of St. Mary-le-Bow, on Friday, February 19, 1779 / by the Honorable and Right Reverend Father in God, James, Lord Bishop of Saint David’s. London: Printed by T. Harrison and S. Brooke in Warwick-Lane, 1779. 

Describe HI6091: Skills for Medieval Historians, the online exhibition undertaken and the work placement in Special Collections.

Watson, Richard. A Collection of Theological Tracts. Cambridge: Printed by J. Archdeacon, for J. & J. Merrill, T. Evans, and J. & J. Fletcher, 1785

3D - See play

Philōnos Ioudaiou eis ta tou Mōseōs: Kosmopoiētika, Historika, Nomothetika. Tou autou monobibla. = Philonis Iudaei in libros Mosis: De mundi opificio, Historicos, De legibus. Eiusdem libri singulares. Ex bibliotheca regia. Parisiis: Ex officina Adriani Turnebi ... , MDLII [1552].

Multiple fragments

Biblia Latina / cum glossa ordinaria Walafridi Strabonis aliorumque et interlineari Anselmi Laudunensis et cum postillis ac moralitatibus Nicolai de Lyra et expositionibus Guillelmi Britonis in omnes prologos S. Hieronymi et additionibus Pauli Burgensis replicisque Matthiae Doering]. Basiliae: per Johannem Petri de Langendorff et Johannem Froben de Hamelburg, MCDXCVIII [1498].

See Edel's blog post for culture night

Scot, Reginald. The Discouerie of Witchcraft: Wherein the Lewde Dealing of Witches and Witchmongers is Notablie Detected. London: Imprinted b William Brome, 1584.

See Matters French

Corpus juris civilis: Pandectis ad Fflorentinum archetypum expressis, institutionibus, codice et novellis, addito textu Graeco, ut & in digestis & codice, legibus & constitutionibus Graecis, cum optimis quibusque editionibus collatis… / opera & studio Simonis van Leeuwen JC. Lugd. Bat. Amstelodami: apud Joannem Blaeu, Ludovicum & Danielem Elzevirios; Lugd. Batavorum [Leiden]: apud Franciscum Hackium, MDCLXIII [1663].

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