The collection of literature relating to Norfolk and Norwich was first
mooted on January 15th, 1879, when the Committee resolved that works of
interest connected with Norwich should be purchased. This decision was
doubtless the result of a recommendation from the Librarian, Mr. George
Easter, as Mr. James Reeve, F.G.S., then Curator of the Castle Museum,
had suggested to him the wisdom of forming a Local Collection. In April
of the following year the Librarian reported to the Committee that he had
received during the year 10 pounds for fines, and he requested that he
might retain the amount for the purpose of forming a Local Reference
Library. The Committee sanctioned his request, and from that time to the
present the fines imposed for the detention of lending library books
beyond the time allowed for reading have been exclusively devoted to the
Local Collection. Mr. Councillor Stanley, a member of the Committee, by
way of a commencement, gave "the books containing a complete list of the
city and county charities," and the annual report for 1880 stated that "A
collection of Books of local interest is proceeding very satisfactorily."
The collection had grown in ten years to 1,603 volumes and 1,933
pamphlets. In the annual report for 1893-94 it was stated that the
receipts for fines from 1880 to that date had been 620 pounds, and that
the collection numbered 2,646 volumes, 3,462 pamphlets, and numerous
engravings, maps, portraits, etc. Mr. Easter was mainly responsible for
the selection of the books for the Local Collection, and owing to his
great enthusiasm in its development the collection comprised at his death
in December, 1900, nearly 4,000 volumes and about 5,100 pamphlets.
Mr. Walter Rye joined the Committee as a co-opted member in the latter
part of 1904, and within a few months the Committee had accepted his
voluntary services as a Norfolk antiquary, to compile a card catalogue of
the local books and pamphlets. This catalogue he has kept up to date.
The collection soon engaged his special attention, and from the time of
his joining the Committee until the present year he has been zealous in
its development, giving each year donations from his private collection,
and working in its interest in various ways. In 1908 he published at his
own expense the following catalogues which he had compiled: "Catalogue of
the Topographical and Antiquarian portions of the Free Library at
Norwich" (81 pp.), "Calendar of the Documents relating to the Corporation
of Norwich, preserved in the Free Library there" (22 pp.), "Catalogue of
the Portraits referring to Norfolk and Norwich Men . . . preserved in the
Free Library at Norwich" (33 pp.), and "Short List of Works relating to
the Biographies of Norfolk Men and Women, preserved in the Free Library
at Norwich" (34 pp.).
Mr. Rye's donations have been both numerous and valuable. In 1905-06 he
presented his collection of prints, comprising about 700 portraits and
nearly 7,000 views, which included the well-known Smith Collection.
During the years 1911-16 his donations became more extensive, and were
crowned by his promise made to the Committee in 1916 that he would
bequeath his valuable Norfolk manuscripts and the remainder of his
printed books, of which copies were not in the Library. Some of the more
important manuscripts which he has given to the Library are the
following: Friar Brackley's Armorial Manuscript, circa 1460--a paper
volume of 142 pages, with 75 coloured drawings of arms of the Pastens and
Mautbys and their matches, being the oldest Norfolk Armorial manuscript
known; Collection of original manuscripts relating to the Carpenters'
Company of Norwich, 1594; Rev. F. Blomefield's Original Entry Book for
his "History of Norfolk," 1733-6; Norfolk Pedigrees, compiled by Peter Le
Neve--a volume (86 pp.) of Norfolk pedigrees, with the arms in colours,
and an index of names. For these and other gifts the Committee provided
an oak exhibition case in the Reading Room in February, 1912. In May
1916 the Council placed on record its appreciation of, and grateful
thanks for, Mr. Walter Rye's munificence to the Library.
At the close of 1911 the Committee, having a considerable balance in
hand, resolved to bid for a number of items at the auction sales of Dr.
Augustus Jessopp's Library and the Townshend Heirlooms. At these sales
many interesting and valuable documents relating to the history of
Norfolk and Norwich were purchased for about 92 pounds, including fifteen
of Dr. Jessopp's note-books and an "Address from the Gentry of Norfolk
and Norwich to General Monck" in 1660, bearing the signatures of about
800 persons. The latter manuscript was published in facsimile by Messrs.
Jarrold and Sons in 1913, the volume also including an introduction by
Mr. Hamon Le Strange, F.S.A., biographical notes and index by Mr. Walter
Rye, a catalogue of the collection of books in the Library on the Civil
War period by the City Librarian, and several portraits.
The Committee received in 1915 an intimation of a munificent bequest of
500 pounds by the late Mrs. Elizabeth Russell Hillen, of King's Lynn, for
the advancement of local archaeology, etc., on condition that the name of
Hillen should be permanently associated with the use of the money. The
Norwich Castle Museum also received a similar bequest. Mrs. Hillen was
the widow of Mr. Henry James Hillen, a native of King's Lynn, who died in
1910. After retiring from the profession of schoolmaster he devoted much
of his time to historical and archaeological research, and subsequently
published the fruits of part of his work in local newspapers, several
brochures, and his monumental "History of the Borough of King's Lynn," 2
vols., 1907. Mr. Hillen made considerable use of the Local Collection,
and his wife's bequest was no doubt partly in recognition of the services
it had rendered.
For many years the Committee has tried to make the collection as complete
as possible, its wise object being to collect everything local: it has
endeavoured to obtain all books, pamphlets, prints, plans and maps, and
important manuscripts relating to Norfolk and Norwich, all books and
pamphlets printed locally until about 1850, all books and pamphlets by
authors associated with the county either by birth or residence,
portraits and biographical publications relating to Norfolk people, local
newspapers, election literature, early theatre bills, broadsides,
book-plates, reports and proceedings of local authorities and societies,
etc.
When the present Librarian commenced his duties in 1911 the collection,
as recorded in the stock-book of the Library, comprised 5,129 volumes and
6,362 pamphlets, since which time by purchase, spontaneous donations, and
systematic application for local publications the collection has
increased to 6,364 volumes and 8,126 pamphlets. In addition there are
about 7,900 topographical prints and photographs, 950 portraits, and 380
maps, exclusive of the Photographic Survey Collection.
The collection contains extremely valuable files of local newspapers,
including a rare volume of "Crossgrove's News or the Norwich Gazette" for
the years 1728-32, the "Norwich Gazette" 1761-64, a long file of its
successor the "Norfolk Chronicle" from 1772 with a few gaps to date, the
"Norwich Mercury" 1756-60, 1771-80, and from 1802 to date, and "The
Eastern Daily Press" from 1875 to date. Recent features introduced in
the Local Collection are files of obituary notices of Norfolk people,
extracted from various papers and mounted on large cards, and cuttings
from newspapers and periodicals of items of local interest, which are
mounted on uniform sheets, classified, and filed for reference.
Donations to the Local Collection have been far too numerous even to
allow mention of the names of all the chief donors, but the interest of
Mr. James Reeve, F.G.S., the Consulting Curator of the Castle Museum,
should not pass unnoticed. He has given in recent years several scarce
books and prints, including a copy of his rare monograph on "John Sell
Cotman," and a volume of etchings by the Rev. E. T. Daniell.
In order to provide a handy guide to the extensive literature relating to
Norwich, the present writer prepared an annotated and classified
catalogue of the books, pamphlets, articles and maps in the Local
Collection dealing with the City under its most important aspects. The
catalogue, entitled "Guide to the Study of Norwich" was published in
1914, and the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society marked its
appreciation of it by purchasing 360 copies. In 1915 a series of special
annotated catalogues of literature in the Library relating to Norfolk
Celebrities was commenced in the "Readers' Guide." The first was devoted
to the collection of literature relating to Lord Nelson (comprising 218
books, 39 pamphlets, 81 articles, and 31 prints), and the second to
Norfolk Artists. Both catalogues were reprinted as pamphlets for sale at
sixpence each.
He also prepared a scheme of classification for the entire collection,
and began classifying and cataloguing the contents in 1915, but the work
has been suspended owing to the absence of his trained assistants on
service. However, about 3,000 books and pamphlets have been classified
and catalogued in accordance with modern bibliographical practice, and it
is hoped that in due course a complete catalogue will be prepared and
printed, which will not only serve as a key to unlock this vast store of
local information, but will also form an extensive bibliography of
Norfolk and Norwich.