10 CHAINED BOOKS IN DORSET AND ELSEWHERE. 



* Roger L'Isle, Dean of York, " bestowed several exemplars 

 of the Holy Bible to be used by the scholars of Oxford under 

 a pledge ; and these books, with others, were locked up in 

 chests or chained upon desks in St. Mary's Chancel and 

 Church, to be used by the Masters upon leave first obtained." 

 During the fourteenth and following centuries we constantly 

 read of books being secured by chains at the Universities, 

 as well as in Cathedrals and in parish churches. Indeed, at 

 Oxford, there was an early statute which enacted that every 

 book which was presented to the University Library should 

 be chained within twelve days after it had been received. 



By the statutes of my own College in Oxford (University 

 College), which date back to 1292, it was enacted that " no 

 fellow shall alienate, sell, pawn, hire, lett, or grant any House, 

 Rent, Money, Book, or other Thing, without the consent of 

 all the fellows." And, again, " Every Book of the House, 

 now given, or hereafter to be given, shall have a high value 

 set upon it when it is borrowed, in order that he that has it 

 may be more fearful lest he lose it ; and let it be lent by an 

 Indenture, whereof one part is to be kept in the common 

 Chest, and the other with him that has the Book ; and let no 

 Book belonging to the House be lent out of the College without 

 a Pawn, better (than the book), and this with the consent of 

 all the Fellows." 



Both at Oxford and at Cambridge, the Statutes of the 

 various Colleges contained most stringent regulations with 

 regard to the custody of books. They were regarded as 

 " the most precious treasure of scholars, concerning which 

 there ought to be the most diligent care and forethought, lest 

 they fall into decay or be lost." They were classed with the 

 College Charters and Muniments. At Oriel, for example, 

 books might be borrowed for a year by members of the 

 foundation. But if any book was lost, the full value was to 

 be paid. If the production or restitution of any volume was 



* Roger de Insula (or De L'Isle) was Dean of York in 1221 and in 

 1226. He died in 1235. (Le Neve.) 



