A unique collection of antique literature will be shared with the public for the first time in almost a century after 15 million pounds (approx. US$20.4 million) was raised to buy it.
The Honresfield Library was set up by mill owner William Law in the 19th century when he lived at Honresfield, a few miles from Haworth, Scottish Borders.
The collection has been largely inaccessible for the past 80 years, with its contents examined only by a few trusted scholars.
However, recently, a group set up to buy the contents of the Blavatnik Honresfield Library—which includes priceless manuscripts, letters, and first editions—has succeeded in its bid to stop the collection from being sold at auction.
The group raised 15 million pounds to purchase the collection, with the balance made up by multibillionaire businessman Sir Leonard Blavatnik, with the intention of sharing it with libraries in the UK and other organizations.
The library was collected and curated by Mr. Law, a Rochdale businessman in the 1800s, and includes first editions, letters, and manuscripts from the likes of Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Jane Austen, and the Brontë siblings.
It includes important works by Burns such as the First Commonplace Book—a handwritten early volume of poems containing some of his earliest recorded literary works—as well as individual autograph poems (Cessnock Bank and the Brigs of Ayr).
It also contains some of the poet’s earliest correspondence, including the only extant letter to his father.
Other important Scottish material includes the complete working manuscript of Sir Walter Scott’s novel Rob Roy, part of the autographed manuscript of Scott’s The Lay of the Last Minstrel, his travel journal of an expedition off the Scottish coast in 1814, a copy of Border Antiquities with extensive manuscript revisions, and a group of Scott first editions in their original condition.
Arrangements will be made in the coming months for the Scottish organizations to take possession of key works from the collection, conserve them, and make them publicly accessible.
The collection was due to be sold at Sotheby’s but was “saved for the nation” after the Friends of the National Libraries, which includes Abbotsford, the National Library of Scotland, and the National Trust for Scotland, raised funds from individual donors.
Donations from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Scottish Government, and the Foyle Foundation also helped towards the total.
Scottish Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said the collection would have otherwise been “withheld from public view.”
“It’s important for the nation that this coveted collection of literary treasures has been saved from being sold into private hands,” Gilruth said. “Once again, books which play a crucial part in Scotland’s literary history were in danger of being withheld from public view.”
“The Scottish Government is pleased to support the Honresfield Library appeal by providing £400,000 to ensure these valuable books return to Scotland where our culture and heritage organizations will ensure they are cared for, preserved, and made available to the public,” he added.
Ros Kerslake, chief executive of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: “We at the National Heritage Memorial Fund are delighted to have supported the campaign to save Honresfield Library with £4 million, the largest amount we have ever granted towards the acquisition of literary manuscripts since our formation in 1980.”
Kerslake believes this is truly a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to acquire such an outstanding and nationally significant collection.
“The NHMF is a fund of last resort, and the astonishing array of manuscripts will join over 1,000 heritage treasures saved for the nation,” Kerslake explained. “With Honresfield Library now secured for public ownership, organizations across the UK will benefit from these literary gems joining their collections.”
“I am proud that this incredible archive will be the last major acquisition we will support under my leadership before I step down at the end of the year,” he added.
According to Amina Shah, Trustee of the Friends of the National Libraries, and National Librarian, and Chief Executive of the National Library of Scotland, never before has the consortium worked so quickly and effectively to secure hidden literary treasures.
“This is a triumph for the people, for heritage, and for the power of partnerships,” Shah said. “At the National Library of Scotland we are thrilled to continue working with the Abbotsford Trust and the National Trust for Scotland, to share these Scottish literary treasures with the public and researchers—in Scotland and across the world—and we are grateful to the many supporters who helped to make this happen.”
For Phil Long OBE, chief executive of the National Trust for Scotland, this is the most “fascinating news.”
“We are so grateful to everyone who contributed to the appeal for acts of such astonishing generosity, as well as to the Scottish Government for the welcome support given,” he said. “It was a pleasure to work with the Friends of the National Libraries and the other consortium members and this is a truly collaborative achievement that will benefit generations to come.”
Long also expressed that “those who are lucky enough to view the collection items have said that they express a palpable feeling of history in the making, with some of the works being part of the very foundation of our shared culture.”
He is also looking forward to the opportunity to showcase items from the collection in Scotland so that as many people as possible can share that feeling.
“This is simply the most incredible achievement and we are deeply grateful to all those individuals and organizations who have made the saving of such a remarkable collection for the British public possible,“ said Giles Ingram, chief executive of Abbotsford. ”To think that manuscripts written by Walter Scott in his own hand, will be returning to his homeland, many to his own home, is a triumph.”
“The Lay of the Last Minstrel, Rob Roy, and Scott’s diary of his lighthouse tour are each evocative of turning points in contemporary culture, and of Scott’s fame and fortune,” he added.
He believes that, emerging from private ownership after so many years, it would be “heartwarming” to know that they will be available for the public to enjoy.
