In 1706 John Moore, Bishop of Norwich “gave to this Library Eusebij, Socratis, Sozomeni, Theodoriti, & Evagrij Hist. Ecclesiast. in 3 vol., Paris, 1678,” and Thomas Tanner, who had been made Chancellor of the Norwich Diocese in 1701, gave a copy of La Bigne’s “Sacræ Bibliothecæ Sanctorum Patrum,” 5 vols. (Paris, 1589). Tanner also gave a large donation in 1726 which was thus recorded: “Thomas Tanner, S.T.P. and Chancellor of the Diocess of Norwich This year added more than an Hundred Books to those which he had formerly Given to this Publick Library; Which are particularly inserted in the Catalogue, with his Name before each Book.” Possibly some of the books he gave were duplicates and were exchanged for others, as the 1732 Catalogue credits him with only 92 vols.
During the years 1707 to 1709 several Fellows of Trinity and other Cambridge Colleges gave donations of books (See List of Donors at the end of Part I., pp. 52-56). The Minute Book records that on August 5th, 1707 “was brought into the Library by Mr. Reddington, Fellow of Trinity College, in Cambridge,
these following books being the gift of several persons of the said college, as here follows.” These donations, numbering 28 volumes, were the gift of twelve Fellows, and may have been the result of an organised effort by Reddington to increase the Library. John Reddington was Rector of St. Edmund, Norwich, 1712, Rector of Rackheath, 1711-39, and of Hethel, 1737-39, and master of Norwich Grammar School from 1732 to 1737. He died in 1739, aged 57. In 1708 the Minute Book states that on Sept. 6th Mr. Reddington brought in five books the gift of five Fellows of Trinity College; and on Oct. 4, Mr. Brett brought in 8 volumes the gift of John Lightwin, the President of Caius College, and four other Cambridge men.
Benjamin Mackerell, described as “of the City of Norwich, Gent.”, gave two volumes in 1716, and 13 volumes in 1731, when he held the office of Library Keeper.
John Jermy was stated in 1729 to “have sent & Given to this Library several Law Books and others; which are particularly inserted in the Catalogue, with his Name before Each Book.” In 1733 he gave forty books, and in 1737 fourteen books. In the 1732 Catalogue he is credited with 67 volumes.
Edmund Prideaux, the son of Dean Prideaux, in 1730 “gave to this Library more than Threescore Books which are all of them inserted in the Catalogue with his Name before each Book.” In the 1732 Catalogue only 49 volumes are shown to have been given by him.
The last entry in the Vellum Book records a gift from Robert Nash, Chancellor of the Diocese of Norwich, of a copy of “A Defence of Natural and Revealed Religion: being an abridgment of the Sermons preached at the Lecture founded by the Hon. R. Boyle,” 4 vols. (London, 1737), by Gilbert Burnet, vicar of Coggeshall, which was published in that year.
Possibly it was the misfortune of the Library to lose a donation of manuscripts from Peter Le Neve relating to Norfolk that would have been of inestimable value, as the collector’s work, said Mr. Walter Rye, “was characterised by strictest honesty,” and the material “formed the backbone of the well-known county history, begun by Blomefield, and completed by Parkin.” [24]
Bishop Tanner, one of Le Neve’s executors, stated in a letter to Dr. Rawlinson in 1735 that “There was an ugly Codicil made a few days before his death in favour of his wife, upon which she set up a claim for several of his Norfolk Collections, and has hindered the execution of that part of his will, which relates to the putting those papers into some public library in Norwich. But I have hopes given me that she is coming into better temper, and will let us perform our trust without entering into a chancery suit.” [25a] There is no codicil to the will at Somerset House, and the actual words relating to his collections are as follows: “I give and bequeath unto the Revd. Doctor Tanner Chancellor of Norwich and Mr. Thomas Martin of Palgrave all my abstracts out of Records old Deeds Books pedigrees seals papers and other collections which shall only relate to the antiquities and history of Norfolk and Suffolk or one of them upon condition that they or the survivor of them or the Exors or Admors of such survivor do & shall within 12 months next after my decease procure a good and safe repository in the Cathedral Church of Norwich or in some other good and publick building in the said city for the preservation of the same collections for the use and benefit of such curious persons as shall be desirous to inspect transcribe or consult the same.” Le Neve’s widow evidently impeded his purpose, as his collections did not come to the city.
A donation, the loss of which, however, cannot be regretted, is referred to in the Court Book for 1677: “The Chamberlain, with the advice of Rob’ Bendish & Jo: Manser, Esqrs are to consult a good workeman about ye making of a Case of Deale for ye skeleton of a Man given to the City Librarie & to report ye charge.” [25b] Kirkpatrick quotes this and remarks: “But it seems it was not made, for there is no skeleton in the library now.” [25c] Since the days of Rameses II., whose Egyptian Library bore the inscription “Dispensary of the Soul,” libraries have often been properly so regarded, as their contents are undoubtedly remedial agents of vigour and virtue, but it is not clear why a