Abstract

First founded as an Augustinian Priory in the twelfth century, Canons Ashby was for over 400 years the home of the Dryden family.  The history of libraries on the site is complex and many-layered, but one thing is striking: the near invisibility of books in the pre-nineteenth century documentary record.  The paper will discuss the reasons which may underlie this, and will explore the pitfalls of relying on inventories when writing the history of domestic libraries.
 
Resources
History SPOT blog post 25 July 2012
National Trust page