Printed books from 1473
The Cathedral’s printed books date from 1473. They contain collections of some pre-Reformation printed works, and others acquired by the Cathedral Chapter. We also administer a modern theological lending library on behalf of Lord Crewe’s Charity in the Sharp Library.
The Chapter collection of printed books is very broad. It includes Bibles, commentaries, history, law, natural history, polemics, classics, travel, atlases and Hebraica. The Refectory Library contains around 30,000 titles published between the 16th and 19th centuries.
There is also a substantial collection of local maps and prints and a very large collection of 17th to 18th century dissertations from European universities.
Post-1851 collection
The post-1851 collection specialises in church history, local history, bibliography and architecture, as well as some limited periodical runs – both complete and ongoing.
Antiquarian collections
The Antiquarian collections include transcripts, extracts and notes and documents of:
- Christopher Hunter (acquired in 1757)
- George Allan and Thomas Randall (1823)
- Cuthbert Sharp (1851)
- William Longstaffe
- Robert Surtees, one of the most eminent historians of the county of Durham
- James Raine, (1791–1858) antiquarian, topographer and Cathedral Librarian
More recently, papers belonging to some 19th and 20th-century Bishops of Durham have been deposited in the Cathedral Library.