CHAINED BOOKS IN DORSET AND ELSEWHERE. 19 



the Churches and others were placed there because they were 

 thought likely to be helpful, yet there were no directions 

 given that any of them should be chained. This was done 

 for the sake of securing them. 



Lists of Churches and other buildings which are in possession 

 of Chained Libraries and Chained Books have been given in 

 Notes and Queries, Blades' Books in Chains, Dr. Cox's Church 

 Furniture (Antiquary's series), c.f. also Clark's The Care of 

 Books. Excepting for the short notes immediately following, 

 the remainder of this paper deals only with Dorset Church 

 Libraries and Books. 



No English Chained Library now in existence can be 

 compared for a moment in interest or in value with the 

 Cathedral Library at Hereford. The building on the site of 

 the old western cloister is modern (1897). In the upper 

 chamber are the old volumes. Originally they numbered 

 2,000, all chained. Now there are 200 MSS., in the original 

 book cases, chained ; besides a large number of early-printed 

 books also in chains. Amongst the treasures of the Library 

 are an ancient copy of the Gospels, which is probably more 

 than 1,000 years old ; a 13th century copy of the " Hereford 

 Use ; " a copy of the " Bangor Use," written about the year 

 1400, with a curious charm for toothache inserted in the 

 middle of the book ; a first edition of Caxton's Golden Legend, 

 1483 ; and a considerable number of Incunabula, or 15th 

 century printed books. It is perhaps unnecessary to state 

 that, preserved at Hereford, in the east aisle of the choir 

 (though of course not chained in the Library), is the celebrated 

 llth century Mappa Mundi. 



In 1715 a collection of some 280 chained books was 

 bequeathed to the churchwardens of All Saints' Church, 

 Hereford, and their successors, for the use of the rectors or 

 vicars, by Dr. Wm. Brewster. In 1858, when a bookseller 

 named Head was warden, and the church was in need of 

 money, the entire collection was disposed of to a London 

 firm of booksellers for 100, and narrowly escaped shipment to 



