VRTI Research Fellow Dr Sarah Hendriks gives talk to Renaissance and Architecture and Theory Scholars Meeting in Cambridge, UK

VRTI Research Fellow gave a talk this week titled “Antiquarian Libraries and the Construction of Ireland’s History” to the Renaissance and Architecture and Theory Scholars Meeting in Cambridge, UK.

The official founding of the Society of Antiquaries in 1707 formalized a growing tradition of British antiquarian activity that had begun in the mid-sixteenth century. Across these c.150 years, an increasingly active network of antiquarians and scholars developed a market for published accounts of the antiquities and histories of various nations. Their manuscript source materials, of official documents and private accounts, were accessed and shared through networks and in spaces that bridged the public and private worlds. In an era before the first truly public libraries and archives, these spaces could be highly varied in their appearance, style, and functionality. Furthermore, the design of these spaces had a direct influence on the ability to consult materials, create copies, and safeguard original materials, thereby directly impacting the creation of antiquarian history writing.

Her paper examind the role of such spaces in the creation of early modern ‘histories’ of Ireland. It demonstrated how libraries and their collections were built, stored, and accessed, and considered how the design and use of these spaces contributed to the loss and survival of unique and original manuscript materials – many of which are now being used to replace those lost from the Public Record Office blaze of 1922.

Hero Image: Detail of Bermingham’s Tower, Dublin Castle, Brooking Map (1728)