Dr. D.G. Selwyn: "Cranmer's Library: Its Potential for Reformation Studi...
Cranmer’s library was famous in its day
for size and range and is the best known to have survived the Tudor period. Roger
Ascham, Hugh Latimer, and Peter Vermigli commented on it (42). Howeverm there really
is no contemporaneous, definitive catalogue of Dr. Cranmer’s library—Lambeth, Croydon,
Bekesbourne, Canterbury, Ford, and Otford. Early after being attainted by Mary in
1553, an inventory, confiscation and forfeiture of goods was ordered up. Burbidge
in the late 19th and Jayne and Johnon in the mid-20th century
did good detective work. Diverse locations (about 65 locations mostly in England
and Ireland but some in the US and one at Gronigen), volumes and manuscripts were
located and studied, largely from the Arundel-Lumley Collection. It was estimated
to have 500 printed books and 100 manuscripts by Mary’s 1553 accession. Mary proclaimed
the Statute against Heresy on 13 Jun 1555 and a long list of prohibited authors
on 6 Jun 1558—forbidding the usual Reformed and Lutheran authors. It is believed
that Dr. Cranmer’s library was purged by the Romanist Arundel and his son-in-law,
Lumley, while there were some few Protestant survivals.
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