Birmingham Library (17th century)

The first Birmingham Library was founded between 1635 and 1642 in Birmingham, England by the puritan minister Francis Roberts. A letter to the Viscount Conway, surviving in the state papers of Charles I and dated 7 August 1637, possibly refers to a catalogue of the library: Although the library was one of the first public libraries in England, its puritan origins meant that its collection was dispersed after the Restoration of 1660.

Birmingham Library (17th century)

The first Birmingham Library was founded between 1635 and 1642 in Birmingham, England by the puritan minister Francis Roberts. A letter to the Viscount Conway, surviving in the state papers of Charles I and dated 7 August 1637, possibly refers to a catalogue of the library: Although the library was one of the first public libraries in England, its puritan origins meant that its collection was dispersed after the Restoration of 1660.