Lambeth Palace Library and the Church of England Record Centre regularly embark on new projects and acquire and catalogue new material, from rare books and manuscripts to modern publications.  Every two months, we post here a brief update on some of our latest acquisitions, projects and upcoming events, to keep you up-to-date with our most recent news.

Our latest modern accessions

Some highlights from our most recent new acquisitions at Lambeth Palace Library include:

• Angels in the early modern world, edited by Peter Marshall and Alexandra Walsham (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006).  More information available here.
• Cross and culture in Anglo-Norman England: theology, imagery, devotion, by John Munns (Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2016). More information available here.
• Religion and the book trade, edited by Caroline Archer and Lisa Peters (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015). More information available here.
• Saint Anselm of Canterbury and his legacy, edited by Giles E.M. Gasper and Ian Logan (Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 2012). More information and reviews available here.
• Subscribing to faith?: the Anglican Parish Magazine 1859-1929, by Jane Platt (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015).  More information available here.
• The Templars, the witch and the wild Irish: vengeance and heresy in medieval Ireland, by Maeve Brigid Callan (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2015).  More information and reviews available here.
• A touch of paradise in hell: Talbot House, Poperinge: Every-Man’s sanctuary from the trenches, by Jan Louagie (Solihull: Helion & Company Limited, 2015).  More information and reviews available here.
• The trials of the King of Hampshire: madness, secrecy and betrayal in Georgian England, by Elizabeth Foyster (London: Oneworld, 2016). More information and reviews available here.

Upcoming events

Concert of Tudor Polyphony performed by The Sixteen

Wednesday 26 October, 7.30-8.30pm (followed by reception). In Lambeth Palace Great Hall

The Arundel Choirbook was created in 1525 and is one of very few part-books to have survived the Reformation. It reveals a wealth of extraordinary music and is one of the jewels of the collection of Lambeth Palace Library.   In a rare performance, Harry Christophers and The Sixteen will give voice to the Arundel Choirbook. The Sixteen will perform pieces by Ludford and Fayrfax, complemented with works by Sheppard, a younger contemporary of Fayrfax. The pieces will be introduced by Dr David Skinner (Director of Music at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge), an expert in Tudor polyphony. Concert-goers will have a rare chance to see The Arundel Choirbook itself, which will be on special display. The concert, organised by the Friends of Lambeth Palace Library, will be held in the magnificent, and recently restored, Great Hall of Lambeth Palace and will be followed by a Reception, hosted by the Marquess of Salisbury, Chairman of the Friends of Lambeth Palace Library. Lambeth Palace Library holds records from the 9th century to the present day and is considered second only to the Vatican Library in the importance of its ecclesiastical collections.

Tickets cost £60 (includes reception). To book a ticket please go to the website of the National Centre for Early Music or phone the box office on 01904 658338.

Christmas reception

For the Friends of Lambeth Palace Library and their guests. Wednesday 7 December, 6pm. In the Guard Room, Lambeth Palace

Tickets £10 per head, to include mulled wine and mince pies.  Those wishing to attend should send their names in advance to Juliette Boyd, Lambeth Palace Library, Juliette.boyd@churchofengland.org or telephone 020 7898 1400, not later than Friday 2 December.  Admittance not before 5.30pm via the main gatehouse of Lambeth Palace.

News from the Archives

Newly catalogued archive material includes a 15th-century Register made for Archbishop Thomas Bourchier and including various information relating to the Diocese of Canterbury. Also received by donation were further papers from the 1990s relating to the Medical Forum of the Churches Council for Health and Healing; two watercolours of Lambeth Palace Chapel dating from 1928; and additional papers of C R Dodwell, Lambeth Librarian, relating to the history of the Library in the 1950s. Work to re-catalogue the Library’s historic records continues. For more information on these collections please see the online archives catalogue. There are new research guides on map collections and on using clerical directories for research, and guidance on using the Incorporated Church Building Society has been updated. A blog post focused on the 350th anniversary of the Fire of London. The Lambeth Apocalypse remains on exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge as part of its exhibition Colour: The Art and Science of Illuminated Manuscripts. Library holdings continue to be the subject of research publications, such as the insanity of the Earl of Portsmouth in the 1820s which features in the records of the Court of Arches.

Church of England Record Centre update

• Canon Clarke’s archive containing written and typed notes, correspondence, newspaper cuttings, manuscripts, guide books, photographs and postcards concerning the architecture and architects of Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, predominately in England and Wales but also in Europe, Asia, Africa and America is now fully catalogued and available to be searched via the online catalogue here.
• A selection of the Clarke archive (31 notebooks) has been digitised and is being uploaded to Luna.
• Papers of the Secretary to the Church Commissioners have been fully catalogued and are available to be searched via the online catalogue here.  Also reading a blog entry on the collection is most recommended.
• The archive of the Advisory Council for the Church’s Ministry is now fully catalogued and available here. Charting the history of the recruitment, selection and training of candidates for ordination over the period 1966 to 1991 the archive includes minutes of meetings of the Council and its numerous Committees, correspondence and papers, College Inspection Reports and much more besides.

Sion College Library Provenance Project

We have now added our 300th item to the Sion College Library Provenance Project, the online gallery of images of provenance evidence from the library of Sion College. The project has attracted more than 16,500 views and many visitors have assisted in our research by transcribing inscriptions or identifying previous owners. Item number 300 was a 1650 work on papal primacy written by Jean Ravenau, entitled “De quartis et portionibus Ecclesiasticis …” [A94.2/R19]. The book once belonged to Adrien Maillard, an advocate to the French Parliament whose ownership stamp appears on the title page, pictured to the right.

Social media

Our new Lambeth Palace Library Instagram account now has over 1000 followers!  Thank you to all those who have joined us so far.  Don’t forget that you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, as well as on our blog. Join us for some fantastic insights into treasures from our collections, dating from the 9th century to the present day.