Chapter IV: Part II: England and Abroad (1)

Why chain books?

It is certainly a distressing as well as a suggestive sight to see books in chains. Distressing, because a good book is like a strong man, and when chained is as shorn Samson among the Philistines. No one nowadays would think of chaining books to desks or library shelves, for our ideas about such matters have indeed altered from those prevalent when such a custom obtained; so that the mere sight of a single survival of this rude practice is strongly suggestive, not only of national advance in education and literary enlightenment, but also of the power of the printing-press, through whose influence alone her offspring--as well as her parents, the manuscript books--have been redeemed from their chains.

Before the invention of Printing, books were scarce and dear, and it was the custom of the College authorities to lend single volumes to students for one year, to be then returned with evidence of their having been profitably studied. No doubt positive loss was one result, and injustice to non-favoured students another; but books borrowed have always been proverbial for not coming home to roost, and chaining seemed a natural way of securing them for general use. This appears to me more likely to have been the object of chaining than the prevention of theft.

The custom of fastening books to their shelves by chains was common at an early period throughout all Europe. When a book was given to a mediæval library it was necessary, in the first place, to buy a chain, and, if the book was of especial value, a pair of clasps; secondly, to employ a smith to put them on; and, lastly, a painter to write the name and class-mark across the fore-edge. Large collections of chained books were for the use of particular bodies of students; but when religious zeal made many people feel the want of spiritual food, it led to the chaining of single volumes in churches, where any parishioner, able to read, could satisfy his soul. The Bible was, of course, one of the most common, and among others were Foxe’s _Book of Martyrs_, the various works of Bishop Jewel, and other Divines.

The old records of various Colleges have numerous entries concerning the cost of chains, of rods, of rings, and of wages paid for enchainment. In 1444 great inconvenience was felt from the overcrowded state of the library at Oxford University, where, all the books being chained, the students were continually jostling one another. So a petition was got up to Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, a book-lover whose name is always green in the memory of bibliophiles, that he would assist in obtaining an enlargement of the library.[4] The petitioners state their grievance very tersely in good Latin, and complain that “should any student be poring over a single volume, as often happens, he keeps three or four others away on account of the books being chained so closely together.”[5] Perhaps the most complete account of the whole process of erecting the shelves and desks, and chaining the books, will be found in the archives of Eton College for the years 1519-20 _et seq._ These chains were all removed exactly two centuries later. In the reign of Henry III. the whole library of Oxford University consisted of only a few books, some of which were chained, and some locked in chests in St. Mary’s Church.

In 1519-21 the Eton Library was rearranged, and the books rebound. The cost, and all particulars, are entered in the “Audit Book.” The following is extracted from Willis and Clark, III., 431:--

“In the first year, 24 dozen chains of three sorts (explained in the next year’s account to mean of three different lengths) are bought; 48 iron bars for the rings to play upon; 12 locks, with a corresponding number of hasps (_claustra_) to secure the bars, and 4 keys; and lastly, a pair of pincers to cut the strips of brass or copper required for the attachment of the rings to the boards.”

The following is the text of this portion of the account:--

“Et pro xxiv duodenis cathenarum trium generum ad libros in bibliotheca cathenandos iiij^{li}. Et pro pari forpicum ad laminas eneas secandas ad fixuram dictorum librorum, xvj^d. Et Roberto Oliuere fabro ferrario pro xlviij vectibus ferreis ad chatenas continend’ pondere iij c et di c^{li} lvij^s ij^d. Et idem pro xij seris et totidem claustris et iiij clanibus precij capitis, xx^s xx^d.”

In the next year a bookbinder named Andrew Lisley is employed for 199 days to bind and repair the books. He receives fourpence per day in wages, and one shilling per week in commons. The Bursar buys for his use 20 calf skins, 36 white sheep skins, 3 large and 3 small doe skins, 5 pig skins (_pro quinque pellibus de la soure_), and 28 red skins, 100 plates of horn, 5000 copper nails (to be set round the edge of the boards, like bosses, to protect the binding), 10 pounds and a quarter of strips of brass, 7 pounds brass wire, 27 pairs of clasps, and a quantity of green and red thread, glue and needles.

At Pembroke College, Cambridge, the books were reported by Dr. Matthew Wren (1616) to have suffered severely, partly from the sloping form of the desks upon which they were placed for perusal, and partly from the weight of the chains (_ex inepta mole catenarum_).

1491. From the University accounts:--

Item pro cathenacione vij librorum et
howsing ac clasping ut patet per
billam M. Wodelark ij^s x^d

1574. From the same:--

Item for 27 chaynes for the newe
bookes in the librarye vij^s vj^d

For 34 rynges xxij^d

To John Sheres, setting on 72 chaynes ij^s

To Hillarye, helpyng hym viij^d

1506. Bishop Fisher, of Christ’s College, in the same
University, directs:--

In order that no scholar may be ignorant of the Statutes
of the College, we desire that two copies of them may be
fastened by a small iron chain to a stall in the Chapel, so
that every scholar may be enabled to have access to them.

1554. At Corpus Christi, Cambridge, it was ordered that the
books bequeathed by Peter Nobys, D.D., who was Master, 1516-23,
should be better taken care of for the future; and, if the
chains were broken, that they should be repaired at the expense
of the College.

1563. From St. John’s, Cambridge, College accounts:--

Item to Philip Stacyoner, for cornering,
bossing, and chayninge
Anatomiam Vessalii iij^s

Item for twoe chaynes for the bookes
given by Mr. Hollande xij^d

Item for 2 hookes for them iij^d

1580. At Jesus College, Cambridge, is recorded:--

Cheynynge xii bookes with staples to
them in the chapell vj

1600. From the accounts of Trinity College, Cambridge:--

Item receaved of Mr. Peter Shawe towards
the cheyninge and desking
of his bookes v^{li}

1683. The library of King’s College, Cambridge, was in chains, and among the rules for the guidance of the scholars was this:--

For the rendering his business about the library more easy,
each person that makes use of any books in the said library is
required to set them up again decently, without entangling the
chains.

This entanglement must have been very incommodious, as it was a fault easily committed when the chains hung so close together.

The Statutes of the College were, about the same period, also chained in the Chapel, as were those of Queen’s College. The Statutes of St. John’s College, Cambridge, were chained in the Vestry.

In 1555 Robert Chaloner, of Gray’s Inn, gave 40 shillings for chains to fasten his gift of books in the library there.

In 1659 John Selden’s books which were sent by his executors to the University Library, Oxford, were chained. In 1757 the chains were all removed.

In the _Foreigner’s Companion through the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford_, written in 1748, the inconvenience of chaining books is noticed, and about this time the abolition of chains began, and, by the end of the century, very few chained collections remained. At King’s College, in 1777, a man was paid £1 7_s._ for nine days spent in taking the chains off the books. Not a single chained book is now to be seen in any of our Universities.

There are, however, a few chained collections still left in the United Kingdom, viz.: Hereford Cathedral, about 2000 volumes; Wimborne Minster, 240 volumes; All Saints’ Church, Hereford, about 300 volumes; Bolton School, about 50 volumes; Grantham, 286 volumes; and Turton, 42 volumes.

Nichols, in his _Illustrations of Manners and Expenses_, says that when Selden’s books were sent to the Bodleian Library, Oxford, the sum of £25 10_s._ was paid for new chains. Taking the chains at a cost of sixpence each, they would serve for 1120 volumes. This was in the year 1659.

The University Library at Leyden was formerly in chains. A representation of it is given in a curious copperplate, which occurs in a history of the University, published in 1614.[6] It will be seen that the books there were placed on single shelves, and not, as in England, shelf over shelf--an arrangement which, although occupying considerably more room, was much more convenient. The same arrangement has been adopted at Florence.

Probably the largest collection of chained books in existence is in the Laurentian Library at Florence, where they rest, large and small, upon richly carved wooden desks.

The interior of this magnificent Library is rich, not only in books, but in architecture, wood-carving, ceiling decoration, and stained glass windows. There is only one row of books in each compartment, and all are kept covered up, except when in use.

This building, designed by Michael Angelo, was begun in 1525, by desire of Pope Clement VII. (Giulio dei Medici), to contain the collection of books associated with the name of his ancestor, Cosmo dei Medici. The book-cases were probably designed by Antonio di Marco di Giano, called _il Carota_, and Gianbattista del Tasso. The material is walnut wood.

In the church of St. Wallberg, at Zutphen, in Holland, there is a large collection of books, originally unchained, but which, being all of a religious tendency, excited the animosity of the Devil, who, on several occasions, gained admittance and stole the best of them. The evidence was indisputable, for the marks of his cloven feet upon the flagstones showed plainly, not only the personality of the thief, but the very course he had taken in his sacrilegious visits. The matter was serious, for no one could tell where the depredations would stop; so a consultation was held, and the determination taken to secure the whole of the residue with chains sprinkled with holy water, after which his Satanic Majesty discreetly kept at a distance; and there the books have remained ever since undisturbed, except by the ubiquitous tourist. There are 268 chained books, and 75 unchained ones lying by them, now in the Library.

The chaining of single books in churches doubtless originated in the Injunctions given by Edward VI. to “the Clergie and the Laietie” in 1547, and printed by Grafton, in which they are ordered “to provide within three moneths next after the visitacion one boke of the whole Bible of the largest volume in English, and within one twelve moneth after the saied visitacion, the Paraphrasis of Erasmus, the same to be sette uppe in some convenient place within the churche.”

This Injunction was repeated by Queen Elizabeth in 1559, and, although nothing was mentioned about chains, it seems very probable that the Churchwardens would, for their own sake, adopt that plan of protecting their property.

The mention of “casks” in the cost of carriage occurs in several instances, as at Gorton, where the carriage of the cask from London cost 16_s._ 4_d._ These casks were the usual mode of conveyance for books both in Holland and England. No safer way than packing books in a large cask, and filling the spaces with sawdust or paper-shavings, could be devised.

The following list of books now in chains in the United Kingdom is compiled in every case from direct information recently obtained. To all who have kindly replied to his inquiries, the Compiler tenders his best thanks. He must also confess how greatly he has laid under contribution the admirable work by Willis and Clark, upon the Architectural History of Cambridge University, and for the Lancashire Libraries the exhaustive contribution by Mr. Chancellor Christie to the Chetham Society’s publications.

That the list is nearly complete is not for a moment imagined. That every reader who can correct or add to it will kindly do so is the urgent request of the Compiler.

A LIST OF BOOKS NOW IN CHAINS.

ABINGDON, BERKSHIRE. ST. HELEN’S CHURCH.

The Vicar writes:--

The books are mainly in very bad condition. In old days they
were chained to the seats in one of the five aisles, which had
a defective roof.

_The Holy Bible._ (=Black letter.=) Printed by Robert Barker. 1611.

_Foxe, John._ (=Black letter.=) _Book of Martyrs._ (Imperfect.)

_Harris, Robert._ Works. 1635.

_Hall, Jos._ (=Black letter.=) _Contemplations._ 1620.

_Rogers, Richard._ (=Black letter.=) _A Treatise_, etc. 1604.

_Babington, Gervase_, Bishop of Worcester. (=Black letter.=) 1615.

_Liturgy, A, in answer to Dissenter’s Objections._ 1683-84.

_The same._ 1684-86.

_Rogers, Richard._ (=Black letter.=) _Sermons upon the Book of Judges._ 1615.

_Hall, Jos._ (=Black letter.=) _Sermons Preached at Court._ 1611-12.

_Jewel, John_, Bishop of Salisbury. (=Black letter.=) _A Treatise preached by._ 1570.

APPLEBY, ST. LAURENCE. WESTMORELAND.

Communicated by Charles Robert Rivington, of Castle Bank, Appleby:--

There are three chained =Black letter= volumes of Foxe’s _Book
of Martyrs_ in Appleby Church, which have lately been restored,
and are now in a fairly perfect condition. The chains are
missing, but the rings for the chains on one of the volumes
are preserved. These books were presented by Richard Moore
(or More), “Citizen and Stacioner” of London, to Appleby
Church in 1632. Moore was the son of an Appleby tailor, and,
in 1598, went to London and was apprenticed to Matthew Lownes,
a well-known printer. He afterwards set up for himself in or
near Fleet Street, and carried on a successful business between
1608 and 1636. At the latter date Moore joined with fifteen
other members of his Company in printing the seventh edition,
in three volumes, of _The Book of Martyrs_, and a copy of this
edition he presented to his native parish.

ARRETON, ISLE OF WIGHT. PARISH CHURCH.

The Vicar says:--

I cannot discover any trace of a chained book. Some old volumes
of Foxe’s _Book of Martyrs_ are carefully preserved in the
church, which may possibly have led to the surmise.

_Venables’ Guide to the Isle of Wight_, p. 181, refers to the chained books at Arreton, where, “on a desk in the south chancel, are preserved copies of Foxe’s _Book of Martyrs_, but of a comparatively modern edition.”

BARBER-SURGEONS’ HALL, MONKWELL STREET, LONDON.

The following extract is from _The Annals of the Barber-Surgeons of London_. Compiled by Sidney Young. 4to. London, 1890:--

In 1747 Mr. Whiston (the eminent Bookseller) was employed by
the Barbers’ Company to make a catalogue and valuation of the
Library and MSS. “A learned Physician” had offered the Company
twenty-five guineas for the Library, together with a skeleton
and some other curiosities, but the Court of the Barbers
“being desirous to manifest their esteem for and preserve the
friendship of the Surgeons,” gave them the refusal of the
Library and skeleton, etc., for twenty-five guineas. “And that,
in case of their acceptance thereof, the rich and ancient pall
belonging to this Company should be at their service as a free
gift.”

The Surgeons would not accept this offer, but said (for the
first time after a two years’ separation and division of the
property) that they considered the Library belonged to them
under the provisions in the Act of Parliament.

Various attempts were subsequently made by the Barbers’
Company to sell the Library, and in 1751 it was disposed of to
Mr. Whiston for £13! It is greatly to be regretted that the
Surgeons’ Company did not purchase it, and so preserve to the
Royal College of Surgeons what must undoubtedly have been a
most curious and unique collection. Dozens of these old books
had bosses and chains attached to them, and in the old days
were guarded with a jealous care. In 1701 Dr. Tyson made some
proposals to the Company for the regulation of its Library,
and a Committee of the Court being thereupon appointed
drew up a great many rules, all of which are set out in the
Barber-Surgeons’ Minute Book of that date. No list of the
books is now known; there were two in MS., but they have both
disappeared.

The following extract is from the United Company of Barbers and
Surgeons’ expenses for 1638-39:--

1638-39. =The charge= and settinge
upp o^r bookes and auntient Manuscriptꝭ
in o^r new Library.

Paid for 36 yardꝭ of chaine at 4^d
the yard & 36 yards at 3^d ob.* the
yard cometh to xxij^s vj^d

Paid to the Coppersmith for castinge
80 brasses to fasten the
Chaines to the bookes xiij^s iiij^d

To porters at sev’all tymes to carry
these bookꝭ ij^s

Paid to the bookebynders for new
byndinge 15 bookꝭ xlviij^s vj^d

Paid for Claspinge 19 large & small
bookꝭ & fasteninge all the brasses
to the iron chaines to Threescore
& foure bookꝭ in the Library,
new bosses for two great bookꝭ 8^s
setting on old bosses j^s mending
ould Claspes ij^s xxxj^s viij^d

Paid for makeinge Ringes swiffles &
fittinge all the iron chaines xij^s
------------------
=Som= is vj^{li} xviij^s
------------------

* Ob. = obolus, a halfpenny.

BARCHESTON, WARWICKSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

The Curate-in-charge supplies the following:--

_Erasmus, Rot:_ (=Black letter.=) _The Paraphrase on the New
Testament._ (Imperfect.) Part of the oak-bound covers is gone,
and the leather is greatly worn by age and decay, but the chain
is still attached.

_Musculus, Wolfgangus. Common Places of Christian Religion._
4to. London, 1578. (Translated from the Latin by Iohn Man.) In
oak boards covered with leather, with chain attached.

_Jewel’s Works_ are also here, but evidently never had a chain.

The Chained Bible has disappeared. The desk has decayed and
been removed; the books being now placed upon what, previous
to the restoration of the church, was the Altar Table in the
Wellington Chapelry.

BINGLEY, YORKSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

Communicated by A. W. Irwine:--

No chained Bible.

In _Notes and Queries_ for 1853 it is stated that “Bingley had a desk and chain, but _The Book of Articles_ had given place to some more modern volume.”

BOLTON-IN-THE-MOORS, LANCASHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

In 1651 Humphrey Chetham left by will certain books to be chained in the church. It was not, however, until 1668 that the library was completed. In the minute book of the feoffees are many entries concerning them. These mention chains.

Also pd. for chains, claspes, carriedg,
caskes, &c. 03.10.00.

The books have now been placed in the Grammar School Library.

BOLTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL, LANCASHIRE.

In his account of the old Church and School Libraries of Lancashire (Chetham Society), 1885, Mr. Chancellor Christie thus describes this Library:--

“The books of which the library at present consists are in an
old oak chest or book-case, which stands upon legs, about three
feet from the ground. The chest contains two shelves divided
down the centre, with iron rods running along the front of each
shelf, evidently for the purpose of chaining the books, and
has folding doors opening at the centre. Along the outside,
above the doors, runs this inscription carved in wood, ‘The
Gift of Mr. James Leaver, Citison of London, 1694.’”

Of a list of 44 works catalogued as belonging to the School in 1735, 18 remain (in addition to the volumes transferred from the Parish Church Library, referred to above), of which the following still retain their chains:--

_Foxe’s Acts._ Folio. 1684. 3 vols.

_Johannis Arndtii de Vero Christianismo--libri quattuor._ 8vo.
London, 1708. 2 vols.

_Collection of Psalms._

BORDEN, near SITTINGBOURNE. PARISH CHURCH.

The Vicar writes:--

There is a _Book of Martyrs_, but I do not know if it was ever
chained.

“Esta,” in _Notes and Queries_ for 1853, says:--

In the Parish Church of Borden a copy of Comber _On the Common
Prayer_ is chained to a stand in the Chancel.

BOWNESS-IN-WINDERMERE, WESTMORELAND. PARISH CHURCH.

The Clerk supplies the following:--

_Erasmus, Rot:_ (=Black letter.=) _The Paraphrase upon the
Gospels._ 1516-20.

The chain is gone, but the iron ring to which it was attached
still remains on the cover.

_Jewel, John_, Bishop of Salisbury. _A Defence of the Apology
for the Church of England._ (=Black letter.=) Folio. London,
1611 (? 1561). (Imperfect.)

_Book of Homilies._ (=Black letter.=) 1543. (Imperfect.)

The last two in one cover.

BRIDLINGTON, YORKSHIRE. PRIORY CHURCH.

The senior Curate writes:--

There are four Books in the Priory Church which formerly were
chained; but they have been rebound (a pity), and the old
clasps are gone, but the chains are there yet.

_Heylin, Peter, D.D._ _De jure parentalis Episcoporum_; or, a
brief _Discourse asserting the Bishops’ Right of Peerages_.
Folio. London, 1640. (Perfect.)

_Comber, Thos., D.D._ _On the Prayer Book._ London, 1684.
(Imperfect.)

_Jewel, John_, Bishop of Salisbury. _A Defence of the Apologie
of the Church of England._ Folio. London, 1611. (Good copy.)

_Hooker, R., D.D. Ecclesiastical Polity._ Folio. London, 1682.
(Good copy.)

BRISTOL, REDCLIFFE CHURCH.

The Vicar states:--

The Bible has long disappeared, and no one remembers having
seen it. The desk is still in the church.

R. W. Elliott, writing to _Notes and Queries_ in 1853, says:--

In Redcliffe Church, Bristol, there is a small mahogany lectern
supported by a bracket with a brass chain attached, near the
Vestry, on the north side of the Choir.

BROMSGROVE, WORCESTER. PARISH CHURCH.

The Vicar writes to this effect:--

_Bishop Jewel’s Defence of the Apology for the Church of
England_, 1609, is chained to a desk in the Church, and is in
good preservation.

CANTERBURY. THE CATHEDRAL.

The Bishop of Dover writes:--

There is no chained Bible in Canterbury Cathedral. In the north
aisle of the choir we have an old wooden desk let into the
wall, on which (possibly) in the reign of Henry VIII. a Bible
was chained. I have put there a copy of the second edition of
the Bishops’ Bible from our library.

CARTMEL, LANCASHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

There are 294 books in this library, which is one of the most ancient and perhaps the most interesting of our church libraries. It was in existence in 1629, for in that year the churchwardens ordered “That the books given unto the church may bee more convenientlie laid and chained, according to the directions of the donors.”

The Vicar writes:--

There were certainly two chained volumes of Foxe’s _Book of
Martyrs_ in Cartmel Church until comparatively recent times.
The books now exist in the library, with the rings for chains
on the covers. Their date is 1610. I cannot find that any other
volumes in the library were chained at any time.

CHEDDAR, SOMERSET. PARISH CHURCH.

The Vicar states:--

There is no chained book now here. I have always heard that
there was one in former times, but I have not been able to
learn what has become of it.

CHELSEA, MIDDLESEX. PARISH CHURCH.

The Perpetual Curate writes:--

The five chained books in my Church are:--

_The Vinegar Bible._ Folio, 1716-17.

_Book of Common Prayer._ 1723.

_The Homilies._ 1683.

Foxe’s _Book of Martyrs_. 1681.

Foxe’s _Book of Martyrs_. 9th edition, 1684.

CHESTERTON, CAMBRIDGESHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

The Vicar says:--

I am very sorry to say that the book you refer to has not been
in the church since my incumbency, and I have never been able
to trace it.

R. W. Elliott, writing to _Notes and Queries_ (Vol. VIII., 1853), says:--

In 1851 I noticed the upper part of a lectern in Chesterton
Church with a book lying upon it very much torn and wanting the
title-page.

CHEW MAGNA, SOMERSETSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

The Sexton (in default of the Vicar) states:--

There is a chained book in this church, entitled _The Defence
of the Apology of the Church of England_, 1560.

CHIRBURY, SHROPSHIRE.

In the PARISH SCHOOL-ROOM there are 207 books, ranging in date from 1530 to 1684. Originally, they were all chained on much the same model as those in Hereford Cathedral. At the present time the chains remain upon 110 only, although the plain signs are upon all the others, showing that they were affixed to the upper and outer corner of each book. (See _Journal of Brit. Arch. Assoc._, 1883, Vol. IX., p. 394, where a catalogue of the books is printed.)

CIRENCESTER, GLOUCESTERSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

The Vicar states:--

I am sorry to say that I have been told that the chained
books disappeared from our Parish Church at the time of its
restoration in 1867. Nothing remains but the old desk, now in
the choir vestry, and a large hook still in the wall of one of
the chapels, which was used to hold up, when required, the lid
of the desk.

CUMNOR, OXFORDSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

The Parish Clerk (in default of the Vicar) writes:--

There is a chained Bible here with the original chain. It has
lately been restored, and is now in perfect condition. It is
situated near the reading-desk, though not used for service.
The date is 1611.

DENCHWORTH, BERKSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

The following communication is from the Vicar:--

There are only two books in the Vicar’s library still chained,
and both in good condition.

_Ball’s Power of Godliness._ 1657.

_Cartwright’s Commentary on the Proverbs of Solomon._
Amsterdam, 1638.

All the books were originally chained, though of course this
does not apply to a few recent additions by later Vicars. They
were in a room over the church porch,[7] which, when Geo.
Street, the architect (as a young man), restored the church, he
swept away, bringing the books over to the Vicarage.

There was a _Caxton’s Golden Legend_, which an erring Vicar
sold to the Bodleian.

There is a beautiful copy of _Thos. Aquinas_, the earliest
volume of which is dated 1485; and a Cranmer’s Bible of 1541,
wanting the title-page.

The old chains are still in existence, and lie on the library
floor as a relic.

DURNFORD, WILTS. (_See_ GREAT DURNFORD.)

EASTON-IN-GORDANO, BRISTOL. PARISH CHURCH.

The Rector writes:--

I have never heard of the existence of a chained book in this
Parish. In 1822 our old Church was pulled down, and I fear
hardly any care taken as to ancient things.

We have a board monument to Captain Samuel Sturmy, who, circa
1720 (says the inscription), left a book on Navigation to the
care of the Churchwardens, to be lent to the seamen in the
parish. I do not know that it was chained, nor has any one now
living here any recollection of hearing about it--it has quite
disappeared. Swift, in _Gulliver’s Travels_, quotes, I believe,
verbatim without acknowledgment from it in his description of
the Storm at Sea and how they escaped.

In Rutter’s _Somerset_, p. 258, is the following:--

Against the north wall of the old nave was a curious old
tablet, dated 1669. At the top was the portrait of Captain
Samuel Sturmy, of this parish, who published a mathematical
treatise, in folio, entitled _The Mariner’s or Artisan’s
Magazine_, a copy of which he gave to the parish, to be chained
and locked in the desk, until any ingenious person should
borrow it, leaving £3 as a security, in the hands of trustees,
against damage, etc.

EAST WINCH, NORFOLK. PARISH CHURCH.

I am indebted to Mr. W. H. Smalley for the following:--

_The Holy Bible._ (=Black letter.=) Folio, 1611.

It is imperfect, wanting the title-page, and has a MS. note on
a fly-leaf at the beginning: “This holy volume, interesting
for its antiquity as well as pre-eminently for the truths it
reveals, I have repaired with my own hands and fastened with a
chain, as was often done when Bibles were first ordered to be
set up. It is placed upon a portion of the ancient Rood-screen.
This Bible, and other books, I found some years since amongst
various discarded articles of furniture, altar cloths, etc., in
the old church chest.--E. J. ALVIS, Vicar, September, 1884.”

ECCLESFIELD, YORKSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

The Vicar writes:--

The books are altogether removed. This was done in 1860, when
the Chancel was restored. The books were in a very dilapidated
condition, and I think there were about three short rusty
chains. Two or three of the imperfect books have been bound,
and are kept in the Vestry Safe.

The following was contributed to _Notes and Queries_ for 1852, by J. Eastwood.

The accompanying list (remains of which, more or less perfect,
with chains attached, are still extant) will probably be
interesting.

From Ecclesfield Church Accounts: Books chayned in the Church,
25th April, 1606:--

_Dionysius Carthusian upon the New Testament_, in 2 vols.

_Origen upon St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans._

_Origen against Celsus._

_Lira upon Pentathucke of Moses._

_Lira upon the Kings, etc._

_Theophilact upon the New Testament._

_Beda upon Luke and other parts of the Testament._

_Opuscula Augustini._

_Augustini Questiones in Nouū Testamentū._

_The Paraphrase of Erasmus._

_The Defence of the Apologye._

_Prierius Postill upon the Dominical Gospells._

FRAMPTON COTTERELL, near BRISTOL. PARISH CHURCH.

The Rector sends the following:--

The chained book is still in the Parish Church. When I was
instituted, in 1886, I found an old wooden lectern of rude
construction, with a chained book upon it, against the east end
of the wall of the south aisle. Considering that no care seems
to have been taken of the book all this century--as is shown
by the dog-eared condition of its leaves, and the frequent
inscriptions of parishioners’ names, from 1760 to 1879--and by
the book having been always open and uncovered--for it is so
chained that it cannot be closed--I think it is now in fair
condition. In 1886 I had it carefully covered over with strong
paper, and on the top I placed a great folio Bible; and since
then, this lectern and Bible--with the chained book covered
under the Bible--have been used in a Chapel, in the south
aisle, at Daily Prayers on week-days. I uncovered the chained
book to-day; it is a small folio, nearly perfect, and bound in
leather. Title and pp. 1-4 lost.

The Church also contains the following Works:--

_Correspondence between John Bishop of Sarum and Dr. Cole._

_Jewel’s Sermon at Paul’s Cross._

_Jewel’s Defence of the Apology._

_Treatise de private Messe and on the Holy Scriptures_, in 1
vol.

GORTON, LANCASHIRE.

Clause in the Will of Humphrey Chetham, Esq., dated 16th December, 1651:--

“Also I do hereby bequeath the sum of £200 to be bestowed by
my Executors in Godly English books ... most proper for the
edification of the common people, to be, by the direction of
my said Executors, chained upon desks, or to be fixed to the
pillars, or in other convenient places, in the Parish Churches
of Manchester, Bolton-le-Moors, and in the chapels of Turton,
Walmsley, and Gorton.”

In June, 1658, the Library at Gorton was completed; and it was agreed at a meeting of the feoffees and executors:--

That ffor the ffixing there bee allowed for and towards the
shelveing and chaining the said books 30_s._ for every £20
worth of books.

At the end of the feoffees’ list of books occurs:--

The Chaines 14 shillings, and the carriage of Caske from London
26_s._ 4_d._, and claspinge of bookes 12_d._

The Vicar of Gorton Church writes that:--

There are no books chained in the Church, but there is what may
be termed a whole library of chained books, comprising about 48
vols. belonging to the parish. This library, in its original
oak case, is in the Committee Room of the schools, and the
books are in a good state of preservation. The gift of Humphrey
Chetham.

GRANTHAM, LINCOLNSHIRE.

In 1598 a chained library was presented to the Parish Church of Grantham, in Lincolnshire, and placed in a room over the south porch, approached by a circular stone staircase out of the Church. (_Willis_, III., 432.)

The Vicar writes:--

The chained library still exists over the south porch of
Grantham Church. The room was new floored and ceiled with oak
about eight years ago. The old book-cases were also repaired,
for they had fallen into great decay. The chains are on the
books, and the other ends of the chains are fixed to an iron
rod on the book-case. The books, which are mostly the work of
17th-century divines, are in fair condition. There are 268
books, of which 74 have chains still attached to them.

GREAT DURNFORD, WILTSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

There is an imperfect copy of Jewel’s _Defence_, in a wooden chest in the nave, having a chain attached; and in the chancel is an old double lectern, to which it may have been chained.

HALES OWEN, WORCESTERSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

The Rector writes:--

There are no chained books in Hales Owen that I am aware of.

The following is an extract from the Will of Sir Thomas Lyttleton, 1481, quoted in _Testamenta Vestuta_:--

I wull and bequeth to the Abbott and Convent of Hales-Oweyn a
boke of myn called _Catholicon_ to theyr own use for ever, and
another boke of myn wherein is contaigned the _Constitutions
Provincial_ and _De gestis Romanorum_ and other treatis
therein, which I wull be laid and bounded wyth an yron chayn in
some convenyent parte within the said Churche at my costes, so
that all priests and others may se and rede it when it plesith
theym.

HANMER, FLINTSHIRE. ST. CHAD’S PARISH CHURCH.

The four chained books perished in the fire of February 3, 1889, when Hanmer Church was burnt out. They were Foxe’s _Martyrs_, 3 vols., 1608, and Jewel’s _Apology_, 1570; all without title-pages.

Archdeacon Weir, in 1855, reported:--

In the Church was a copy of Foxe’s _Book of Martyrs_, in 3
vols. One was chained to a desk at the east end of the south
aisle, and the other two to a desk at the west end. (_Notes and
Queries_, XII., 479.)

HEREFORD. ALL SAINTS’ PARISH CHURCH.

The chained library in this Church is one of the most interesting in England. It occupies three shelves along two sides of the vestry, the total number of volumes being 285. It is interesting, too, as a survival of an obsolete custom, for the books were bequeathed to the Parish by William Brewster, M.D., so late as 1715, a period at which, in most instances, the custom had been abolished, so that this may be considered as the last known instance of chaining books.

It is not unlikely that the number of books in the neighbouring Cathedral, all chained, was the moving cause of these being so treated. The chains are evidently made in exact imitation of those in the Cathedral library. The narrow escape, too, that this collection had from being sent _en bloc_ to America, as narrated below, increases our interest in it.

* * * * *

The following anecdote has been told me by Mr. Stibbs, bookseller, of Oxford Street, London:--

About twenty years ago I was in the vestry of the Church of All
Saints’, Hereford, in which there are about two hundred chained
volumes of old Divinity. One of the Churchwardens accompanied
me, and I remarked to him, “How useless these old books must
be without any one to look at them!” “That’s true,” he said;
“they are quite useless.” “Well,” I replied, “why not let me
have them? I will give you £100 for them, which will obtain for
the use of the parish a really useful lot of books.” “Well,
that’s a good offer, and I’ll lay it before the Vestry,” was
his reply. A short time after, I was informed that the Vestry
meeting had been held, and my offer accepted. I went down to
Hereford, paid the £100, took possession of the books, chains
and all, and brought them up to London. I immediately made a
catalogue of them, but had hardly finished, when I received
an urgent request from one of the Churchwardens not to part
with one of them on any account, for that the Dean of Windsor,
whose consent ought first to have been obtained, had positively
refused to sanction the sale. Having been at considerable
expense in travelling to Hereford three times, besides time
wasted in cataloguing, I declined to deliver up the books; but,
as considerable ill-blood, and probably legal proceedings,
would have ensued, I at last sent them back, upon payment of
all expenses, and they are now restored to their original
position. I will only add, that arrangements had been partially
made for the sale of the whole to an American dealer.

HEREFORD CATHEDRAL.

The collection of books in Hereford Cathedral is an exceptional instance of a genuine Monastic Library. It contains about 2000 volumes, of which about 1500 are chained, being probably the largest chained collection in existence. There are five complete book-cases, and the ruins of two others, each being 9 ft. 8 in. long, 8 ft. high, and 2 ft. 2 in. wide. The books are for the special use of the Canons in residence, who, however, cannot find it very convenient to consult chained volumes. The Catalogue, also chained, classifies the books in eight divisions, of which the manuscripts are by far the most interesting as well as the most valuable. The printed books are ranged under the following heads:--Bibles and Concordances; Fathers of the Church; Ecclesiastical History; Civil History; Theology; Law and Education; Miscellaneous. The collection, formerly in the Lady Chapel, was removed, chains and all, in 1862, to the Archives Chamber. Each chain is between 3 and 4 feet long, with a swivel in the centre which is useful in preventing entanglement. Many books are, notwithstanding the chains, missing; and all are more or less injured by the rough usage which chains necessitate, thus strongly confirming the evidence afforded by the Wimborne Minster Library.

* * * * *

The following from Willis and Clark describes the method of chaining:--

To attach the chain, a narrow strip of flat brass is passed
round the left-hand board and riveted to it in such a manner as
to leave a loop in front of the edge of the board, wide enough
to admit an iron ring, 1¼ inch in diameter, to which one end of
the chain is fastened. The book is placed on the shelf with the
fore-edge turned outwards, and the other end of the chain is
fastened to a second ring rather larger than the former, which
plays along an iron bar.

HULL, YORKSHIRE. HOLY TRINITY CHURCH.

W. Sparrow Simpson, writing to _Notes and Queries_ in 1853, states:--

Until within a very few years, a desk, with Foxe’s _Martyrs_
lying upon it, was in this Church, affixed to one of the
pillars in the Nave.

IMPINGTON, CAMBRIDGESHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

The Vicar states:--

On my accession to the charge, in 1882, being aware that
some chained books were said to exist, and not seeing them,
I made inquiry for them. I was told by the Sexton, who well
remembered seeing the books chained up, as described in _Notes
and Queries_, that in consequence of the books being subject
to constant mutilations, they were removed from the Church by
the Clerk, who for many years had charge of them in his own
house. At the time of my inquiry, the Clerk had been dead some
years, and the books had found their way into an old granary on
a farmstead, in close proximity to the Church. I secured their
remains, and after removing the cobwebs and filth to which they
had been exposed, they presented a very dilapidated appearance.
Happily there still remained a few links of the chains, and
other metal ornaments used in the binding, which stimulated the
idea to rebind the tattered fragments.

Through the kindness of the Squire of the Parish, W. B.
Caldwell, Esq., Impington Hall, these remains have been rebound
with the links and other ornaments attached as nearly in their
original position as could be judged. The volumes are now
carefully preserved in a very handsome church chest made of
yew, and presented by the Squire.

KETTERING, NORTHAMPTON. PARISH CHURCH.

Mr. Wrigley writes:--

I am sorry to say that the two books which were in the church
on the old desk have been destroyed, either by visitors or
children, and there is nothing left but the chains and the two
covers.

KIDDERMINSTER, WORCESTERSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

The Vicar states:--

We have in the Vestry of our Church a _Defense of Jewel’s
Apology_, with a chain attached to it. It is in a very decayed
state. I had a box made for it some years ago.

KING’S LYNN, NORFOLK. ST. MARY’S CHURCH.

The Vicar writes:--

There is a chained Bible in a chest in my Church, which I am
sorry to say is in a very dilapidated condition.

KINVER, STAFFORDSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

Communicated by the Vicar:--

Here there is an oak desk, about 7 ft. long, within which were
chained the undermentioned books, which are now kept in the
iron safe, and for the chains of which there are holes in the
desk:--

_Actes and Monumentes of Christian Martyrs and Matters
Ecclesiastical passed in the Church of Christ from the
primitive beginnings to these our days, as well in other
countreys, as namely in this Realme of England, and also of
Scotland, discoursed at large. Newly enlarged by the author
John Fox. Folio._ (=Black letter.=) 1583. Printed by John Day,
dwelling over Aldersgate.

Has been rebound, and now has no chain or link.

_The Works of John Jewel, late Bishop of Salisbury._ London.
Printed by John Norton. Folio 1609.

Has an iron link, but no chain.

_The Whole Duty of Man._ London. Printed by William Norton for
E. Pawlet, at the sign of the Bible in Chancery Lane, near
Fleet Street. Folio. 1703.

Has brass chain and link, clasps and boss centre, with corners
to the covers.

_Expository Notes ... on the New Testament_ ... endeavoured by
William Burkitt, M.A., late Vicar and Lecturer of Dedham, in
Essex. The sixth edition, carefully corrected. London. 1716.

Has brass chain, link, clasps, boss centre, and corners to
covers.

LESSINGHAM, NORFOLK. PARISH CHURCH.

The learned antiquary, Dawson Turner, wrote to the _Gentleman’s Magazine_ in 1846 (Part I., p. 151) about a copy of the _Book of Martyrs_, which was chained to what he calls a “hutch” of unpainted and almost unshapen boards, with a narrow shelf at the top to serve as a lectern, placed by the north wall of the Chancel, adjoining the Communion rails.

The Vicar of Hempstead (now united with Lessingham) writes:--

While Lessingham Church was in use there was an old copy of
Foxe’s _Martyrs_ with a portion of a chain attached to it. The
Churchwarden had a box made for the book some few years ago and
took it to his house. It is now in my keeping. The Church is in
ruin, but we are hoping to get it restored. The book is much
torn and imperfect.

LEYLAND, LANCASHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

Communicated by the Curate:--

There are four folio volumes, each secured by a chain to a thin
iron bar, which at some time was fastened into the masonry. At
present the volumes lie in the window within the Chancel, but
just outside the Communion rails. I am sorry to report that the
books are in a very poor condition, owing to the damp having
reduced the pages to tinder, and so to dust. The village people
talk of them with bated breath, as “Latin Bibles used in the
Church service when the Church belonged to the Catholics.” In
spite of all explanations, this ridiculous statement is held
to, and the ignorant Romanists (as it appears to me) have
carried off a piece now and again when unobserved. The books
are as follows:--

_A Preservative against Popery in several select Discourses
upon the principal heads of Controversy between Protestants and
Papists._ 2 vols. Folio. London, 1738.

[This is by Edmund Gibson, successively Bishop of Lincoln and
London. There should be 3 vols.]

_Foxe’s Book of Martyrs._ (=Black letter.=) Folio. (In very bad
state.)

_Controversies between Cole, Harding and Jewel._ Folio. London.

_Certain Sermons by the Bishop of Sarum._ Folio. London, 1611.

LINCOLN CATHEDRAL. THE CHAPTER LIBRARY.

An old desk preserved here, having two shelves, one below broad and one above narrow, shows evidence of books having been at one time chained to it.

LLANBADARN, ABERYSTWYTH, GLAMORGANSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

The Vicar says there are no chained books in the Church, nor
has he heard of any having been there.

J. M. G., in _Notes and Queries_ for 1853, states:--

In a case in the Vestry of the Mother Church of Llanbadarn,
there were many volumes about 150 years old which had been
chained; but they were in a very dilapidated condition, arising
from the dampness of the room.

LONDON. ALL HALLOWS’, LOMBARD STREET. PARISH CHURCH.

Outside the Vestry door and within the Church is placed a glass case which contains the following volumes. Folio.

_The first tome or volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the newe testament. Enpriented_ (sic) _at London in Flete-strete at the signe of the Sunne by Edwarde Whitchurch the last daie of Januarie Anno Domini 1548_.

The second volume is dated “the ii daye of June, 1552.” They are both in good preservation, in original binding, rebacked, with clasps and bosses. On Vol. I. is a rude chain of 16 links, each about 1¼ inch long, and attached to the top of the left-hand cover. A similar chain is attached to the bottom of right-hand cover of Vol. II.

The third volume is _The Holy Bible_, 1613 (=Black letter=), being the second impression of the 1611 edition. Both titles are well preserved, but all is wanting at end after Rev. xviii. 12. The binding is comparatively modern and there are no signs of chaining. Upon the middle of one outer cover is a label let in, upon which is “ST. L. E., 1696,” and the names of the Churchwardens, while a label on the other side has “ST. B. G., 1696.” All Hallows is now the Parish Church of four parishes, including St. Leonard’s, Eastcheap, and St. Bene’t Gracechurch. The three books, according to a descriptive slip attached, originally were chained to a desk in St. Leonard’s Church, Eastcheap. They were saved when, in 1666, the Church was burnt, and the parish after the Great Fire having been united to St. Bene’t Gracechurch, they were deposited there, until St. Bene’t’s in its turn was, in 1864, destroyed and united to All Hallows, when they were sent to occupy their present position.

LONDON. ST. ANDREW UNDERSHAFT, LEADENHALL STREET. PARISH CHURCH.

Chas. Robert Rivington states:--

There are preserved in a book-case in the Vestry the following folio (=Black letter=) volumes:--

_John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs._ Fifth Edition. Printed by P.
Short, London, 1596.

_The Paraphrases of Erasmus_, 1551 (?)

_Sir Walter Raleigh’s History of the World._ Printed by W.
Jaggard for W. Burr. London, 1621.

_The Works of John Jewel, Bishop of Salisbury_, 1611.

One volume in a sadly dilapidated condition has attached to
it a chain about three feet long with a swivel in the centre.
The other volumes were some years ago “restored” by a zealous
churchwarden, who discarded the original bindings and encased
them in stout but inappropriate coverings which it is painful
to behold. The chains which were attached to the old covers are
preserved.

LONDON. ST. CLEMENT’S, EASTCHEAP. PARISH CHURCH.

Two books, once in chains, are preserved here.

Pearson _On the Creed_, 1st edition. The title-page and preface (4 leaves) are from the reprint of 1715. The original volume having become much dilapidated, the present Rector, Rev. W. J. Hall, supplied a title-page and three leaves. It is perfect at the end. A portion of the original chain is still attached to a loop on the back of the book, which is held in position by strong iron anchors, one on each side of the volume, let into the boards. The anchor is the symbol of St. Clement.

This copy was presented by the author himself, who preached the substance of his work in a series of lectures at St. Clement’s, of which Church he was rector for many years.

The other book is Comber’s _Companion to the Temple_. Several leaves damaged at the beginning, but perfect at the end. On the binding are the initials T. H., 1706. It has been rebacked. The remains of a chain are attached to the right-hand cover. These two volumes and four others, more modern and without any signs of chains, are deposited on a long slanting shelf in the Choir. Near to them is a plain wooden double lectern, upon which are evident remains of the places where chains once were.

LUTON, BEDFORDSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

Communicated by the Vicar:--

_The Bible_ was chained to the S. Choir bench, and Foxe’s _Book
of Martyrs_ to a lectern, formerly. The staple and one link of
the chain are still in the bench. The staple was a few years
ago in the lectern, but has been removed. Both books are in the
chest in the Vestry, but in a partially mutilated condition.

LYNN, NORFOLK. (_See_ KING’S LYNN.)

MALVERN, WORCESTER. THE ABBEY.

One of the officials, failing the Vicar, states:--

There is a chained _Prayer-book_, of about the year 1670, in
the Abbey Church.

Cuthbert Bede, in a letter to _Notes and Queries_, 1853, says:--

In Malvern Abbey Church is a stand to which two books are
chained: one is a _Commentary upon the Book of Common Prayer_,
and the other is a treatise on _Church Unity_.

To this the Rev. H. T. Griffith, of Hull, adds at the same date:--

In Malvern Abbey Church is a copy of Dean Comber’s _Companion
to the Temple_, chained to a desk, and bearing a written
inscription to the effect that it should never be removed out
of the Church, but should remain chained to its desk for ever,
for the use of any parishioner who might choose to come and
read it there.

Another correspondent says:--

The inscription is signed “H. Clements, 1701.” The book is in
rough calf binding. Age and damp have done their work upon it,
and it is fast dropping to pieces.

MANCETTER PARISH CHURCH. WARWICKSHIRE.

The Vicar supplies the following information:--

Books chained, with the original chain, on a desk in the
Church:--

_Foxe’s Book of Martyrs_, without title, but otherwise in good
condition. 2 vols.

_Erasmus Rot. Paraphrase._ Without title, but in good
condition. 2 vols.

_Jewel’s Apology._ 1 vol. 1560.

These books were rebound some years since, and are now in a
glass case.

These are probably the books given in 1651 to the Church by
Humphrey Chetham.

MANCHESTER. CHETHAM LIBRARY.

The gift of books by Humphrey Chetham, in 1651, was by his will ordered to be chained.

“And my Will and Mind is that the Books be fixed or chained
as well as may be within the s^d library.” And they were so
chained (although no signs of it are now left), as is evident
from the old account books.

MANCHESTER. JESUS CHAPEL COLLEGIATE CHURCH.

According to the will of Humphrey Chetham, dated 1651, 202 books were placed and chained in the Jesus Chapel. Their disappearance, says Mr. Chancellor Christie, is one of the most discreditable chapters in the history of the Wardens and Fellows. In 1830 the books were sent to the Chetham Hospital, but nothing appears to have remained save the desks, a few old tattered books, and remnants of loose chains. Soon after, they (about 100 volumes) were sold to a bookseller of the town.

MARGATE, KENT. PARISH CHURCH.

The Vicar sends the information:--

There are three old Bibles at St. John’s Church, one being a
“Great Bible.” They are not now chained. They are imperfect,
but have been rebound and placed in a glass case.

MINSTER IN THANET, KENT. PARISH CHURCH.

When Margate Church was restored in 1876, there were four old Bibles which had been chained. One of these was sent to the Mother Church at Minster, whence an old Bible had been lost or stolen previously.

In _Notes and Queries_ for 1853, J. W. Brown writes:--

In Minster Church, Kent, there is an oak cover to a Bible
chained to a desk, temp. H. VIII. The whole of the letterpress
has been taken away (by small pieces at a time) by visitors to
the Church.

MONTGOMERY CASTLE.

A chained library was placed here in the 17th century by that
celebrated Divine and Poet, George Herbert. It exists no
longer. (See Walton’s _Life of Herbert_.)

NEWPORT PAGNELL, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. PARISH CHURCH.

The Vicar writes:--

There are two books with chains attached to them in one of
the cupboards of the Church. They are much dilapidated; the
title-pages and many other leaves are missing. One book is _The
Defence of the Apology of the Church of England_; and the other
the history of some early persecutions, and articles on persons
and things of Reformation times. (? Foxe’s _Martyrs_.)

NORTHWOLD, NORFOLK. PARISH CHURCH.

The Rector writes:--

No information respecting a chained Bible belonging to this
parish. There is no book of the kind in the Church.

Mr. Hart, author of _Ecclesiastical Records_, saw a copy of Foxe’s _Book of Martyrs_ in Northwold Church. (See _Gentleman’s Magazine_, 1846.)

OXFORD. ST. MARY’S CHURCH.

In 1300 there were a few Tracts chained or locked in chests in the choir.

PRESTWICH, MANCHESTER. PARISH CHURCH.

The Rector says:--

I have never heard of any chained book in the Parish Church.

A letter to _Notes and Queries_ in 1853, p. 273, signed John Booker, says:--