There was certainly a collection of books at Lincoln Cathedral in the twelfth century, and its origins were perhaps earlier still; but little interest seems to have been taken in building up the library until the second half of the seventeenth century, with the appointment in 1660 of the bibliophile Michael Honywood, a Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, as Dean. The present Wren Library's collection of some 8,000 printed books is based largely on his private library, bequeathed to the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln on his death in 1681. Much of Honywood's library was put together during...
There was certainly a collection of books at Lincoln Cathedral in the twelfth century, and its origins were perhaps earlier still; but little interest...