Hereford and Worcestershire Earth Heritage Trust
Geological Records Centre,
University of Worcester,
Henwick Grove,
Worcester,
WR2 6AJ
Tel: 01905 542014
building.stones@worc.ac.uk
www.EarthHeritageTrust.org
Using Worcester Cathedral Library and Archive
The library and archive has been an integral part of the life of Worcester Cathedral
since Anglo-Saxon times. It is a resource for cathedral staff carrying out repair work on
the building, and for relevant local and family history enquiries by members of the
public.
The collection comprises 298 medieval manuscripts, which range mainly from the
tenth to the fifteenth centuries. There are also 5500 post medieval books collected by
the post medieval Dean and Chapter and the Bishops of Worcester, and 19,000
archive documents which belong to the Dean and Chapter and stretch from the middle
ages to the present day. There is also a music collection, which contains works by
many famous composers including Sir Edward Elgar and Thomas Tomkins, and also
archives. The cathedral library looks after the parish libraries of St. Nicholas
(Worcester), Bromsgrove, Feckenham, and Great Malvern churches.
The modern library collection
The cathedral continues to collect a small number of modern books, which are
available for staff and volunteers to use for their work, and for the benefit of visiting
researchers. The emphasis of this collection is local and church history, although it is
not restricted to these areas. It consists mainly of books from the nineteenth century to
the present day.
The archives
The archives are separated into various classes (which are (A) registers, (B) leases,
(C) account rolls, (D) miscellaneous, (E) court rolls, (F) the Victorian restoration, (G)
Dean and Chapter correspondence up to 1933, and (H) modern documents) as well as
additional manuscripts and pamphlets.
The cathedral holds many archives relating to the cathedral priory and later the Dean
and Chapter, including items relating to what were once their lands and property.
People with a local or family history question, which has some connection to
Worcester Cathedral, are always welcome to make enquiries. If you are making an
enquiry about the archives of the Diocese, these are held at The Hive.
Information for Researchers
All researchers will need to make an appointment and bring a letter of introduction.
An appointment can be booked to study in the cathedral library from Monday to Friday
10am to 1pm then from 1.45pm to 4.45pm to make an appointment call: 01905
732922. Alternatively, there is an online query form at:
http://worcestercathedral.co.uk/Library.php
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