William Drummond of Hawthornden's Donation of Books to Edinburgh University Library, 1626

William Drummond of Hawthornden made the first major donation of books to Edinburgh University Library in 1626, gifting the library its first literary collection.

Edinburgh University Library

The foundation of Edinburgh University Library was enabled by the Bequest of Clement Litill’s Library in 1580. Initially gifted to the 'kirk of Edinburgh', the library was transferred to the newly opened University at on 17 September 1584. It soon became the custom for graduates to make a parting gift to the library, either in the form of money or books. As it was a public library, belonging to the Town of Edinburgh, it also attracted donations from prominent citizens. Early benefactors include William Rig of Mortoun, James Heriot, Thomas Fisher, Archibald Douglas of Whittinghem, Thomas Hope of Craighall, Lord Advocate, David Williamson, James Raeth of Edmonston, and Dr. Robert Johnston. None of these donations could compare, however, to the gift made by poet and Edinburgh alumnus William Drummond of Hawthorden.

Drummond's Donation

Drummond had studied under regent James Knox at Edinburgh University, graduating MA in 1605. He began collecting books shortly afterwards, both when travelling abroad, and after retiring to his family seat of Hawthornden Castle, near Roslin, Midlothian. By 1626, when he was made a burgess of Edinburgh, he had amassed a superb private library. He had already made a small but valuable donation to the library in 1624: the Earl of Stirling’s autograph manuscript of Doomesday and copies of Drummond’s own Poems (1616) and Flowres of Sion (1623). The latter are personally inscribed by Drummond to the College of King James (as the University was known following an Act of the Scottish Parliament, 4 August 1621).

In 1626, Drummond made a much more substantial gift, donating around 550 books to the University Library. His motives remain unclear. Besides wishing to be remembered as a benefactor to his Alma Mater, he may also have been bidding a temporary farewell to literary pursuits. He was preparing to go abroad for some time on business connected with registering patents for military machines of his own invention. Drummond made further donations on an annual basis between 1628 and 1636. All in all, he presented some 800 printed titles and thirty-six manuscripts. Around 700 volumes survive in the Library’s collection.

Treasures of the Collection

The library represents a superb example of an educated gentleman's private library of the early 17th-century. It has provided the University Library with some of its greatest treasures, especially in the fields of literature, history, geography, philosophy and theology, science, medicine and law. They include early printings of Shakespeare, Jonson, Spenser, Drayton and Sir Philip Sidney, a complete copy of John Derrick's "Image of Irelande" (1581), and two early pamphlets encouraging the colonisation of Nova Scotia.

Catalogue

On the 26th November 1626 Principal Adamson appeared before the Town Council and produced an inventory of "a number of books given and devoted to the Library within the College by Mr. William Drummond of Hathrindaill " (jat). At first, and indeed for fifty years, the Library was under the sole charge of the Principal, and for his guidance the Town Council in 162 1 passed the following Act: — The Council ordered that the books should be "put into the Library with the rest," and that the inventory should be printed at their expense. Adamson, who was an accomplished scholar, produced accordingly a printed Latin catalogue, which he entitled Auctarium Bibliotheaz Edinburgena^ sive Catalogus Librorum quos Gulielmus Drummond ab Hawthornden^ Biblio- thec(By D,D,Q,, Anno 1627.^ To this catalogue Adamson prefixed a Latin Preface, which was in fact a translation of a paper which Drummond of Hawthomden had previously written Of Libraries, In it the importance of great Libraries is declared, and their founders eulogised.

Shortly afterwards there was published a tract, which \s generally attributed to Drummond, but may have been by Adam- son, entitled Bibliotheca Edinburgena Lectori^ in which the Library was supposed to have addressed people, and invited them to increase its stores. Such appeals almost always produce some fruit in the course of time, if not immediately ; they sink into people's minds and bring, if not gifts, then legacies.

Library Accommodation

Even before Drummond's contribution had been received the Town Council had felt the Library to be of sufficient importance to require extended accommodation beyond what had been originally allotted to it in the College. In 161 6, as we shall see more particularly elsewhere, they built a Hall for Academical purposes, 120 feet long by 30 broad, and the room over this of the same size was appropriated to the reception of the Library. But the upper Hall appears to have been ill-built and not weather-tight.

Craufurd: The Library, begun by that worthy citizen Mr Clemerit Little, before this time had been much increased, not only by the donaries of such as were yearly graduated, but especially by the munificence of many worshipful, citizens cheer- fully contributing thereto ; a catalogue where- of is annexed. After it passed the capacity of an private chamber, it was removed to the higher public hitll, till such time as a proper house could he built for it But the cast win- ' dows of that house, exposed to the east and west moistening winds, procured some mousty- ness to the books: Neither could the Primar (who before that time had the keeping of the house, and care of the books) overtake all by himself. a6th December this year, Mr John Adamson, Principal, had alloted to him 180 merks a-yejw for the charges of an servant, and for buying of coals, to give diy iur for preser- vation of the volumes.

Our first literary collection. There are now about 700 volumes (including a few manuscripts) in Latin, Italian, French and Spanish, as well as English. A printed catalogue was issued in 1627 after Drummond's first large donation: 'Auctarium Bibliothecae Edinburgenae, sive catalogus librorum quos Guilielmus Drummondus ab Hawthornden Bibliothecae D.D.Q. anno. 1627'. It was reprinted in 1815. The most thorough investigation of Drummond and his books will be found in Robert Macdonald’s 'The Library of Drummond of Hawthornden' (Edinburgh, 1971), which lists and discusses all Drummond's known books, some 1,400 titles, not just those given to Edinburgh University. See also John Scally, '‘A labyrinth of delight’: The World of William Drummond of Hawthornden 1585-1649' (Edinburgh, 2005). The books are all listed in the pre-1985 typescript catalogue and there are online records for most of them. All have shelfmarks starting “De.” So include link to General Catalogue

The books are listed in the University Library's guard-book catalogue, and a printed catalogue of the collection is available in the Centre for Research Collections, where the collection itself may be consulted.

Sources

• Thomas Craufurd, History of the University of Edinburgh, from 1580 to 1646: To Which is Prefixed the Charter Granted to the College by James VI of Scotland, in 1582 (Edinburgh: Printed by A. Neill & Co., 1808)
• C. P. Finlayson and S. M. Simpson, 'The History of the Library 1580-1710', in Edinburgh University Library 1580-1980: A Collection of Historical Essays, ed. Jean R. Guild and Alexander Law (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Library, 1982), pp. 43-54.
• Sir Alexander Grant, The Story of the University of Edinburgh during its First Three Hundred Years, 2 vols (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1884)
• M. C. T. Simpson, 'The Special Collections', in Edinburgh University Library, 1580–1980: A Collection of Historical Essays, ed. J. R. Guild and A. Law (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Library, 1982), pp. 140-62.