Typescript catalogue of printed books in the library of the church of St Mary Magdalene, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, by Oswald Allen, c. 1985

The collection comprises an autographed copy of a typescript catalogue of the Bishop White Library at St Magdalene's church in Newark, Nottinghamshire. It contains 191 pages. The catalogue was compiled by Oswald Allen, honorary librarian of the church, in about 1985. The catalogue is arranged alphabetically by authors' names and provides book titles and publication details. The books listed cover the period 1512-1907, although the majority of items date from the 17th century. A note by the compiler explains that the catalogue is entitled 'provisional' because circumstances prevented the completion of the work. Introductory notes explain the principles on which the catalogue has been created.

Oswald Allen was honorary librarian for the church of St Mary Magdalene, Newark-on-Trent Nottinghamshire from 1949 to 1990.

The library was founded in 1698 by Thomas White (1629-1698), Bishop of Peterborough from 1685, who bequeathed his printed books to Newark. A room was built over the south porch of the church to house the books. The library was consolidated by a further bequest of books by Rev. George Burghope in 1742. It is now known as the Bishop White Library.

No archival arrangement has been necessary.

ACCESS: Accessible to all registered readers.

LANGUAGE: English

• This description is the only finding aid available for the collection. Copyright on the description belongs to the University of Nottingham.

REPROGRAPHIC: Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational use and private study purposes only, depending on access status and the condition of the documents.

COPYRIGHT: Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Keeper of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk).

The catalogue was deposited with the University of Nottingham's Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections in July 1990.