Catalogue of the library [at Hardwick] (Hardwick MS 16*)

This catalogue arranges books in the Cavendishes' library firstly into two broad subject areas and then roughly alphabetically within those subjects according to title, with several blank folios between letters of the alphabet. The catalogue is largely written by James Whildon, it is a neater, slightly later version of HS/ADD/1 and is based on an earlier version compiled by Hobbes (HS/E/1A). However some of the titles listed in Hobbes' catalogue are not in this version. This version includes new shelfmarks and also additional titles, possibly of books acquired after the original catalogue was compiled. Books listed towards the end of each letter's entry are sometimes in a different hand suggesting that whilst the inventory may have been a complete catalogue when first recorded, a few other books were then added to it over time. Letters and numbers in the right hand margin would have denoted the books' locations in the library. This manuscript is an expanded version of Hobbes’s original (HS/E/1A) and a updated version of Whildon's 1657 catalogue (HS/ADD/1). The main updates being minor changes to a few shelfmarks and the incorporation of later additions arranged alphabetically rather than written at the end of the page entry. The shelfmarks listed by Whildon here are identical to those found in the books that still remain in the library at Chatsworth. The books listed are largely in English and Latin. Each title is followed by a "4", "8" "16" or "fol" (this referes to the size of the book according to the number of folds of the folio).

The volume includes:

fols. 1: a brief list of books taken out of the library by William Cavendish to London, c 1678, and an inserted folio titled "Books taken out of the library at Hardwick in July 1699 for the library at Chatsworth" which includes a list of 50 books including five added by Hobbes,

fols. 5- 45: a list of books on religion (specifically Christianity), theology and philosophy,

fols. 47- 101: a list of books on theatre, georgraphy, travel, history, law, biology, chemistry, physics, language, poetry and art,

fols. 98: a list of "Books taken out of the library at Hardwick in July 1699 for the library at Chatsworth",

fols. 102: a page titled "Music books" with only one listing.

This catalogue may include some of the manuscripts in HMS/4. Though the titles of a few of the manuscripts are listed in this catalogue, there is no way of telling if they are the very copies listed here. Purchas Pilgrims for example is listed as "five volumes fol" shelf mark P.3.1, which was perhaps a later printed edition rather than the manuscript HMS/4/11, though the volume listed as "his Pilgramage fol" shelfmark P. 3. 15 could be referring to the manuscript.

Other catalogues of library material owned by the Cavendishes can be found in the Hobbes collection (GB 2495 HS E/2 and E/1/A).

HMS/1/25 contains reference to: 'James Whildon paid £1 on 26 December 1657 for "drawing a catalogue of the Books in the Library at Hardwick, by your Lordships Order from Mr Hobbes .'