Cathedral, Liverpool

Three men who were to play a significant role in the library’s creation included the cathedral’s first dean, Frederick William Dwelly (1881-1957), Sir Frederick Radcliffe (1861-1952), sometime chair of the cathedral’s building committee, and Francis Carolus Eeles (1876-1954), liturgical historian and secretary to the Central Council for the Care of Churches. Radcliffe, after whom the library was named, was its chief donor, and at Dwelly’s suggestion he engaged as his primary advisors first Eeles and later Stanley Morison (1888-1967), a typographical historian and the man responsible for the design of the now ubiquitous ‘Times New Roman’ typeface. By 1933 Eeles had already systematically built up a small collection of around 150 books with a strong liturgical focus but the engagement of Radcliffe in the library project allowed for more expensive purchases. At the sale by Sotheby’s of London of the library of John Meade Falkner (1858-1932), former chairman of the Armstrong armaments manufacturing company, Eeles purchased on Radcliffe’s behalf five manuscripts and eight early printed books, including the Shepton Beauchamp Missal (MS.29).

The purchased manuscripts indicate a concern to acquire texts from the pre-Reformation era. At that time the Roman rite was celebrated in England according to a number of local traditions called ‘Uses’. Chief among these were the Uses of Salisbury - or ‘Sarum’ - and of York. Hence Eeles acquired for Radcliffe two Sarum Missals (Ker, 162-213, nos. 29 and 40, sale lots 294 and 229 respectively), a Sarum Manual of the fourteenth century (Ker no. 20; lot 264), and a Sarum Processional dated between the second half of the fourteenth century and the fifteenth century (Ker no. 35; lot 397). There is also, from beyond England, a Cologne Manual (Ker no. 14; lot 262). The printed texts include a cluster of office books comprising a two volume Sarum Breviary of 1556-7 (lot 121), a Cistercian Breviary of 1542 (lot 126), and a Sarum Book of Hours of 1526 (lot 228). Alongside them Eeles also bought four printed Missals: Sarum Missals of 1514 (lot 330) and 1527 (lot 338), a 1533 York Missal (lot 313) and a Cistercian Missal of 1560 (lot 339). The sale was completed with a Roman Catholic Primer of 1669 (lot 395).

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