Inner Temple Library
Encyclopedia
The Inner Temple Library is a private law library
in Central London
, England, serving barrister
s, judges, and students on the Bar Vocational Course. Its parent body is the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, one of the four Inns of Court
.
Its law collections cover the legal systems of the British Isles
(England and Wales
, Scotland
, Northern Ireland
, the Republic of Ireland
, the Channel Islands
and the Isle of Man
) and also Commonwealth countries. There are, in addition, extensive non-law collections covering such subjects as history, topography
, biography and heraldry
, and an important collection of legal and historical manuscripts.
The Library is first mentioned in 1440, then in the Inn’s records in 1506. The Library refused to accept John Selden
's manuscripts in 1654, most likely because the size of the collection would have necessitated a new building, but it has been described as "the greatest loss which the Library of the Inner Temple ever sustained". One building burned down in the Great Fire of 1666, and in 1678 another was blown up to stop a fire from spreading in the Temple. In 1707 the Inner Temple was offered the Petyt Manuscripts (William Petyt had been Keeper of the Records in the Tower, and a well-known writer of constitutional law) and a sum of £150 to build a new Library, which was completed in 1709 and consisted of three rooms. A Librarian was appointed immediately, and the practice continues to this day.
The library building before World War II was a Gothic
building built in 1827-8 by Sir Robert Smirke
, contained about 60,000 volumes, and formed part of a larger building. Modifications were made in 1867, 1872, and 1882 which extended the Library to eight rooms In 1886, J.E.L. Pickering, Librarian, read a paper at the Library Association monthly meeting on a 5-month trial at the Library, entitled "The Electric Light as Applied to the Lighting of the Inner Temple Law Library".
The building was destroyed during the Second World War: several thousand volumes of printed books (but none of the manuscripts) were lost. The destroyed books were mostly replaced, either by gift or purchase, over the next 30 years or so.
The present building was completed in 1958 to the design of T.W. Sutcliffe, and is in the style of the eighteenth century. It is on two floors above the private rooms of the benchers, and its natural, unstained English oak wood-panelled L-shape roughly matches that of the prior building.
The history of the Library is discussed in some detail in the introduction to J. Conway Davies's Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Library of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple (Oxford
, 1972).
Law library
A law library is a library designed to assist law students, attorneys, judges, and their law clerks and anyone else who finds it necessary to correctly determine the state of the law....
in Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
, England, serving barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
s, judges, and students on the Bar Vocational Course. Its parent body is the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, one of the four Inns of Court
Inns of Court
The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. All such barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional...
.
Its law collections cover the legal systems of the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
(England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
and the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
) and also Commonwealth countries. There are, in addition, extensive non-law collections covering such subjects as history, topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
, biography and heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
, and an important collection of legal and historical manuscripts.
History
See also: Inner TempleThe Library is first mentioned in 1440, then in the Inn’s records in 1506. The Library refused to accept John Selden
John Selden
John Selden was an English jurist and a scholar of England's ancient laws and constitution and scholar of Jewish law...
's manuscripts in 1654, most likely because the size of the collection would have necessitated a new building, but it has been described as "the greatest loss which the Library of the Inner Temple ever sustained". One building burned down in the Great Fire of 1666, and in 1678 another was blown up to stop a fire from spreading in the Temple. In 1707 the Inner Temple was offered the Petyt Manuscripts (William Petyt had been Keeper of the Records in the Tower, and a well-known writer of constitutional law) and a sum of £150 to build a new Library, which was completed in 1709 and consisted of three rooms. A Librarian was appointed immediately, and the practice continues to this day.
The library building before World War II was a Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
building built in 1827-8 by Sir Robert Smirke
Robert Smirke
Robert Smirke may refer to:* Robert Smirke , 18th/19th century English painter* Robert Smirke , son of the painter, 19th century English architect...
, contained about 60,000 volumes, and formed part of a larger building. Modifications were made in 1867, 1872, and 1882 which extended the Library to eight rooms In 1886, J.E.L. Pickering, Librarian, read a paper at the Library Association monthly meeting on a 5-month trial at the Library, entitled "The Electric Light as Applied to the Lighting of the Inner Temple Law Library".
The building was destroyed during the Second World War: several thousand volumes of printed books (but none of the manuscripts) were lost. The destroyed books were mostly replaced, either by gift or purchase, over the next 30 years or so.
The present building was completed in 1958 to the design of T.W. Sutcliffe, and is in the style of the eighteenth century. It is on two floors above the private rooms of the benchers, and its natural, unstained English oak wood-panelled L-shape roughly matches that of the prior building.
The history of the Library is discussed in some detail in the introduction to J. Conway Davies's Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Library of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple (Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, 1972).
Admission
The Library is open to all members of the four Inns of Court. The Library is not open to the public, though non-members may be admitted, upon written application to the Librarian, to consult material not available elsewhere.External links
- Inner Temple Library website
- "AccessToLaw: annotated legal links maintained by Inner Temple Library"
- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9905E7D81630E132A25752C1A9619C94669ED7CFDrysdale, William, "About the Inns of the Court; Twenty Acres in the Heart of London Given Over to Lawyers and Students. Wales and his Bitter Beer Prayers and Champagne at the Morning Service for the Lawyers and Their Friends in the Old Church of the Knights Templars," The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, 11 July 1897] - http://books.google.com/books?id=o74YAQAAIAAJ&dq=%22inner+temple+library%22&num=100&ei=058NS52_HZu-zgT20eTgAg Davies, James Conway, Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Library of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple: The Petyt Collection: MSS. 534–538. The Barrington Collection: MSS. 2–85. Records of the Inner Temple: MSS. 1–10; Volume 2 of Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Library of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, Inner Temple (London, England), Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
for the Masters of the Bench of the Inner Temple, 1972]