The first Birmingham Library was founded between 1635 and 1642 in Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 by the puritan

Puritan

The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...

 minister Francis Roberts

Francis Roberts (puritan)

Francis Roberts was an English puritan clergyman, author and librarian.Born in Methley, near Leeds, Roberts was educated at Trinity College, Oxford between 1625 and 1632...

. A letter to the Viscount Conway

Edward Conway, 2nd Viscount Conway

Edward Conway, 2nd Viscount Conway PC was an English politician, military commander and peer.-Early life and education:...

, surviving in the state papers of Charles I

Charles I of England

Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...

 and dated 7 August 1637, possibly refers to a catalogue of the library:

I have spoken with Mr. Bellers for the catalogue of books he promise to send your Lordship and he tells me he did send for one but there is none drawne as yett, for that Mr. Burges (who oweth them) is little time where is bookes are and that Mr. Roberts, who was a curate to his father and one upon whose assistance and iudgemt in the drawing of a Catalogue Mr. Burgiss doth much rely, is now resideing nere Burmingeham, that is much infected with the sickenes and therefore doth not stir from thence but Mr. Bellers is very confident that the first catalogue that is delivered shall be to yr L'rp.

A building was erected for the library between 1655 and 1656, and the accounts of the High Bailiff

High Bailiff

In the Isle of Man the High Bailiff is the head stipendiary magistrate.In Vermont, a high bailiff is a county officer.-Isle of Man:The current High Bailiff is His Worship John Needham, who took office on 30 January 2010 on the retirement of Mr Michael Moyle. Mr Needham was previously Clerk to the...

 of Birmingham for 1655 include 3 pounds

Pound sterling

The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...

, 2 shillings and 6 pence

Penny (British pre-decimal coin)

The penny of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, was in circulation from the early 18th century until February 1971, Decimal Day....

 paid to "Thomas Bridgens towards buildinge ye library", with £126 2s 9d following in 1656 "For buildinge the library, repayreing the Schoole and schoole-masters' houses". The library's puritan tradition continued in 1656 when Thomas Hall

Thomas Hall (minister)

-Life:He was son of Richard Hall, clothier, by his wife Elizabeth , and was born in St. Andrew's parish, Worcester, about 22 July 1610. He was educated at the King's School, Worcester, under Henry Bright , one of the most celebrated schoolmasters of the day. In 1624 he entered Balliol College,...

 left the finest examples from his book collection to "the library at Birmingham"; the rest, "being ordinary books and not fit for so publick a library" were left to the clergymen and schoolmasters of Moseley

Moseley

Moseley is a suburb of Birmingham, England, two miles south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants...

, King's Norton and Wythall

Wythall

Wythall is a village in the Bromsgrove District, in the north-east corner of the county of Worcestershire, England. It borders Solihull and Birmingham, and has a population of 11,377....

.

Although the library was one of the first public libraries in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, its puritan origins meant that its collection was dispersed after the Restoration

English Restoration

The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...

of 1660.