Duke Humfrey's Library is the oldest
reading room in the
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...
at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
. It is named after
Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, who donated 281 books after his death in 1447. Sections of the libraries were restored and expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries, including the addition of a second storey, an east wing and a west wing. The library currently functions as a reading room.
History
Duke Humfrey's Library is named after
Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, a younger son of
Henry IV of England
Henry IV ( – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. Henry was the son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (a son of King Edward III), and Blanche of Lancaster.
Henry was involved in the 1388 ...
. He was a connoisseur of literature and commissioned translations of classical works from Greek into Latin. When he died in 1447, he donated his collection of 281 books to the University. This was considered a very generous donation, as the university at the time only had 20 books and all classes were taught via oral lectures; prior to
Gutenberg
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg ( – 3 February 1468) was a German inventor and craftsman who invented the movable-type printing press. Though movable type was already in use in East Asia, Gutenberg's invention of the printing ...
's circa 1450 invention of the movable type press, books were hand-copied and were only for the very wealthy.
The library was constructed as a second storey to the
Divinity School
A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...
between 1450 and 1480 in order to house the collection. In 1550, during the
Reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
, the King's Commissioners despoiled the library in order to destroy the vestiges of Roman Catholicism in the country. Some of the books were taken and hidden by people in their homes to protect them- they are slowly returning to circulation, and in 1556 the furniture was removed by the university. Today, only three of Humfrey's original books remain in the library. The MS. Duke Humfrey c. 1 was reacquired in the 2020s, with a history of ownership from
Jean le Bon, King of France in the mid C14th to Lancastrian royalty in England by early C15th.

The Library was refitted and restored from 1598 by
Sir Thomas Bodley and between 1610 and 1612, the east wing (now the Arts End) was added. The west wing (now the Selden End) was built 20 years later. The books in the oldest part are in housed in oak bookcases at right angles to the walls, with integral desks. The ceiling consists of panels painted with the
arms of the university. Up until the opening of the new
Weston Library
The Weston Library is part of the Bodleian Library, the main research library of the University of Oxford, reopened within the former New Bodleian Library building on the corner of Broad Street and Parks Road in central Oxford, England.
Hi ...
in 2015, Duke Humfrey's Library functioned as a reading room for maps, music and pre-1641 rare books; it now serves as an additional reading room for users of the library.
Collections
The Library consists of the original medieval section (1487), the Arts End (1612), and the Selden End (1637). It houses collections of maps, music, Western manuscripts, and theology and art materials. It is the main reading room for researchers of
codicology
Codicology (; from French ''codicologie;'' from Latin , genitive , "notebook, book" and Greek , ''-logia'') is the study of codices or manuscript books. It is often referred to as "the archaeology of the book," a term coined by François Masai. ...
, bibliography and local history, as well as it containing the University Archives and the Conservative Party Archive.
Layout
The Library is on the first floor and forms an H-shape with the later parts as the uprights. The Arts End is above the Proscholium and is attached at two corners to the Old Schools Quadrangle. The medieval section is above the
Divinity School
A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...
and Selden End (named after
John Selden
John Selden (16 December 1584 – 30 November 1654) was an English jurist, a scholar of England's ancient laws and constitution and scholar of Jewish law. He was known as a polymath; John Milton hailed Selden in 1644 as "the chief of learned m ...
a benefactor of the library) is above the
Convocation House.
A drawing of the medieval section with the Divinity School below in isolation is used as the emblem of the Bodleian Library.
Culture
Duke Humfrey's Library was used as the Hogwarts Library in the
''Harry Potter'' films.
File:Duke Humfrey's Library Interior 6, Bodleian Library, Oxford, UK - Diliff.jpg
File:Duke Humfrey's Library Interior 2, Bodleian Library, Oxford, UK - Diliff.jpg
File:Duke Humfrey's Library Interior 1, Bodleian Library, Oxford, UK - Diliff.jpg
File:Duke Humfrey's Library Interior 5, Bodleian Library, Oxford, UK - Diliff.jpg
References
External links
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Bodleian Library