Newcastle Quakers Library

The collection comprises the major part of the surviving library of the Newcastle Society of Friends, including all the early books which now survive. The collection is entirely by and about Quakers from the 17th century foundation of the Society of Friends onwards and features books on all aspects of Quakerism. This includes volumes reflecting some of the Friends' particular interests, such as pacifism, disarmament and attitudes to war, the international spread of Quakerism to such as Russia, China and Ireland, social relief, the bible, major Quaker figures, other Quaker institutions nationally and regionally, and the history of the organisation. Present are books, journals and (especially later 17th century) pamphlets. There is some overlap with and duplication of items in the Sunderland Society of Friends Library. A quantity of the Newcastle books have come from the former North Shields Society of Friends Library with bookplates recording this. The first Quaker Meeting House in North Shields was established in 1698 at the Bull Ring. Most of the books are stamped as being part of the Pilgrim Street library.

The Newcastle Society of Friends or Quakers is based at the Quaker Meeting House, West Avenue, Newcastle NE3 4ES, whence this library was transferred in 2013. Quakers have been worshipping in Newcastle since 1698, for most of that time in Pilgrim Street, but since 1961 at 78 Jesmond Road in Jesmond, and then since 2011 in West Avenue in Gosforth.

Original order retained as far as possible, with a straight numerical sequence, with pamphlets subnumbered, replacing the original idiosyncratic alphanumeric sequence.

Open for consultation.

Donated by the Society in September 2013, with a further donation in November 2013 (Acc Nos. Misc.2013/14:7 & 28.

Catalogued in Discover

Catalogued by Alastair Fraser 2017.

The archive of the Newcastle Society of Friends (1833-1998) is held by Tyne and Wear Archives with some additional material (1987-1998) at Durham County Record Office reference D/X 1561.

Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the Head of Collections (e-mail pg.library@durham.ac.uk) and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. The Library will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Collection appraised on site before donation with modern duplicates not retained.

Library of the Sunderland Society of Friends