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 19^th and Jayne and Johnon in the mid-20^th 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.