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Church of England and Nonconformity

For as long as there has been an established church, there have been those who, for many reasons, rejected its governance and teachings.  The library and archive collections tell both stories, the Church of England and the story of nonconformist movements such as the Society of Friends (Quakers), Methodists, Baptists, Unitarians, Congregationalists, and the United Reform Church, who created their own beliefs and practices, often in the face of adversity. 

Researching Church of England and Nonconformity

Our collections cover a vast range of religious, social, and local history, primarily focusing on the activities of the Society of Friends (Quakers) and the Church of England.

A major part of the Quaker records consists of personal journals, letters, and memoirs that provide a window into individual lives, travels, and religious beliefs from the 17th-century onwards. There is also a wealth of information on Quaker education, including records from schools like Ackworth, Bootham, and The Mount. Social reform is another key area, with documents detailing efforts in abolitionism, peace testimony, and international war relief.

Beyond Quaker history, the collections include extensive Church of England records from the York Diocesan Archive, covering everything from parish administration and clergy appointments to historic wills and probate. There are the library and records of the Anglican religious communities: the Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield, and the records of the Society of the Sacred Mission.

​Rare Books collection holds three parish libraries, formed during the 17th-century when increased production of printed books and increased levels of literacy encouraged the creation of individual libraries.

There are also significant records for other religious groups, such as Methodists, Congregationalists, and Unitarians. Additionally, the collections highlight the development of mental health care through the archives of The Retreat hospital, and the history of printing and bookselling, specifically through the extensive records of the York firm William Sessions Ltd.

Notable collections and collectors

The history and development of the Society of Friends are particularly well represented across the library and archive collections.  The Rare Books collection houses more than 600 books from Friends’ Meeting Houses mainly in the north of England, some dating back to the earliest decades of the Society.  The archives in turn hold the personal and professional papers of the Quaker Rowntree and Tuke families and the Rowntree Trusts, The Retreat psychiatric hospital, and the Quaker Mount School for Girls.  

The library and archives also cover the emergence and development of Protestant dissent more widely, from the 16th-century to the present day. Notable collections include the Methodist chapel archives for York and the surrounding area, as well as the archive of St. Saviourgate Unitarian Chapel, the oldest surviving place of nonconformist worship in York.  

York Minster Library holds the historic printed collections of the Chapter of York dating back to the 1470s including theology and church history through the ages. There is also an impressive collection of books on Baptist and other non conformist groups , with a particular focus on Yorkshire and the North of England.

Halifax Parish Collection

This library was founded by Robert Clay, vicar of Halifax from 1624 to 1628, who presented some of his own books, and solicited gifts from other people.

Over the next two hundred years, many other books were added, notably a large collection belonging to Simon Sterne. This included some books which had belonged to his father, Richard Sterne, Archbishop of York, 1664-1683.

Not all of the earlier books survived. The Collection now contains about 239 works, all but one pre-1700, including four incunabula. Many are inscribed by the original owners.

This collection would be of interest to researchers studying the nature and history of English parish libraries.

Theology and biblical studies form the bulk of the collection, with some more general works.  Highlights include

Slaithwaite Parish Collection

A parish library from the church of Slaithwaite, near Huddersfield. It was founded by the Rev. Robert Meeke, vicar from 1685 until his death in 1724, who, in his will, provided that part of his own library should be kept for the use of his successors.

It was placed here on permanent loan in 1967. It consists of around 250 books, mainly of 17th- and 18th-century theology, with a few rather surprising exceptions: 

  • Mikrocosmographia (1616), the first complete treatise on anatomy in English, illustrated with numerous woodcuts.
  • 17th-century edition of the Gesta Romanorum, considered to be a source text for writers such as Chaucer and Shakespeare.

There are also some manuscripts of local interest.

This collection would be of interest to researchers studying the nature and history of English parish libraries.

Mirfield Collection

The collection comprises 2259 books, most printed before 1800, many on the continent.

The books form part of the library of the Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield, West Yorkshire. This Anglican religious community for men was founded in Oxford in 1892, and moved to Mirfield in 1898.

The library was built up mainly by gifts from members and friends and includes books from the Wilberforce family including the abolitionist William.

All the pre-1800 books, plus a few sets of the publications of historical record societies, such as the Royal Historical Society, and the Surtees Society, were deposited here on permanent loan in 1973. 

There are several incunabula, including an edition of St. Augustine's De civitate Dei, printed by Nicolas Jenson in Venice, 1475.

Although the books are predominantly theological, there are many interesting works in other subjects: for example, the first collected edition of the works of Sir Philip Sidney (1598); the second edition of Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan (1651); and the first edition of 1775 of A journey to the western islands of Scotland, by Samuel Johnson.

The Borthwick Institute for Archives holds the Mirfield archive.

Society of Friends

The Society of Friends (better known as Quakers) originated in mid-17th-century England. The Library and Archives collections include books from Friends Meeting Houses, plus papers from notable York Quakers and from the Society of Friends.

The Retreat collection

The York Retreat psychiatric hospital was founded in 1796, by and for the Society of Friends.  The rare books collection holds the Retreat’s printed books, an example of an intact working specialist library particularly relating to psychiatry and mental illness. It contains just over 400 titles dating from the 17th- to the early 20th-century.

The Sessions Book Trust collection

Local history, Quakerism and the history of the book trade are the main strengths of the Sessions Book Trust Collection.

How to access the collections

All the collections can be accessed via the Library's online catalogue. A valid University of York username and password is required to access content online. 

Items held in the Borthwick can be consulted in the Borthwick Reading Room and copies can be made subject to copyright and condition. These materials cannot be loaned outside the University of York without the permission of the owners. Books in the Rare Books Collection may also be consulted at the Borthwick Institute for Archives.