Burnley Grammar School Library

Burnley

Burnley Grammar School Library

1641-1728

Publications published between the 17th-19th centuries, which were formerly held in the library of Burnley Grammar School, a selective boys school in Burnley, Lancashire. The Library was thought to have once been one of the most extensive school libraries in Lancashire. The collection largely comprises books received by the school from two bequests in 1728 and 1729, including volumes which belonged to the Townley Family of Burnley. The volumes are mostly works on Anglicanism, but also cover subjects including history, politics, medicine, and law.

The books are arranged in the order defined in original catalogues from the Library. The volumes were initially arranged by language (Latin, Greek, and English). Books of each language were further arranged by the size of the volume (quartos, octavos, and smaller size). The books were numbered consecutively in this order and later additions to the list were added to the end of the sequence/

<p>The records of Burnley Grammar School are held by Lancashire Archives (DDX 1344).</p>

Burnley Grammar School

c.950 volumes

The collection can be accessed by appointment in the Archives Research Centre. Requests for access must be made at least one week in advance to ensure we are able to book your place and retrieve the requested material ahead of your visit.

The Library was held on the premises of the School from around 1728. It is thought that very few volumes were added to the collection after Towneley bequest in 1729. Although there was a catalogued mentioned in Halstead?s will, the collection wasn?t catalogued until 1842. At this time there were 1046 volumes in the collection.

In 1559 Lawrence Habergham granted land to be used for the foundation of a free school for boys in the Burnley area. The school initially operated in St Peters? Church until the first school building was erected in the churchyard in 1603 by John Towneley (c. 1528?1607). A new school building was constructed on the other side of the River Brun in 1693 after the dispute with the Towneley family.

Around 1728, Henry Halstead, (1641-1728), Rector of Stansfield in Suffolk and former pupil at the School, bequeathed his collection of books to the school. This was followed a year later by another bequest by Edmund Towneley, (1652-1729), rector of Slaidburn, including some volumes which had been held by other members of the Towneley family.

In response to the Endowed Schools Act, 1869, representatives of the town council and the local school board joined the School governors in exchange for financial aid. As a result, the School moved to new premises on Bank Parade in 1874. The Library was moved to the new School building in 1876.

The Grammar School came fully under the control of the local council in 1904. The Library was transferred to Burnley Public Library shortly after the School moved to new premises on Byron Street in 1959. The School closed in 1981 when it merged with the Girls? High School to form Habergham High School.