Page 8 - Leighton News July 2018
P. 8
-8-
POWYSLAND CLUB COLLECTIONS
THE POWYS-LAND CLUB LIBRARY celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2017. It’s an
amazing archive of historical information about Montgomeryshire and more recently the
wider Powys area. The library is next to the Welshpool town council office in Triangle
House. It stores over 100 volumes of the chronicles which have been produced almost
annually starting in 1868, a year after the club was formed. The library is open to the
public and members can borrow from a selection of other books of local interest.
Before visiting the library itself, I researched many points of interest in our area by using
some of the volumes of the collection that had been digitized by the University of
Toronto,Harvard University and the National University of Wales. Volume 20 was
particularly fascinating — it was an extra volume containing the Herbert Manuscripts at Powis Castle from 1586 - 1735. This
volume was presented in 1886 by the club president, the Earl of Powis.
Incredibly hundreds of pages have been typeset from the script of the documents but maintaining all idiosyncrasies of the
spellings of their era. While the text was legible, the Harvard copy I first saw had missing images. Therefore it was a real
treat to see the original (shown above) with the fold out frontispiece — a facsimile of the one of the manuscripts and the
coat of arms printed in colour. DH
THE POWYSLAND LIBRARY BY DAPHNE WOODHOUSE, THE LIBRARIAN
THE POWYSLAND LIBRARY The purpose Books, Maps, Engravings, Sculptures etc. etc. which
of the Club when it was formed in October may be deemed suitable and proper to be deposited" in
1867 was to collect and the building
print the historical,
ecclesiastical, genealogical, A year after the opening of the new building the Club
topographical and literary was able to build a large library and reading room
remains of Montgomeryshire behind the cottage which it was proposed to open free of
and to promote and encourage the study charge to the general public, to be known as Welshpool
of geology, geography and history of the Free Public Library. In 1887 the museum and library
county and its borders. were handed over to Welshpool Corporation as trustees.
Maurice Charles Jones was the visionary Maurice Charles Jones After 1970 the library benefited financially from a
and enthusiastic founder of the Club and editor of the first 26 Library Fund , administered by Welshpool Borough
volumes of the Collections. He had to keep and store some of Council as it then was, set up by R.U. Sayee from which
the collection in his own home. However, in 1873 Maurice we were allowed to buy books and undertake binding. R.
C. Jones purchased a £400 dwelling-house and garden near U. Sayee, was a well known anthropologist who was born
in Montgomeryshire, educated in Welshpool, and was
St. Mary's Church, editor of the collections. for 28 years from 1938 to 1966
Welshpool as a site for when he was elected as a Vice President. He died in 1970.
the Powysland Museum
and Library. The next big change was in 1974 when the Local
Government Act created Powys. So the Museum and
Daphne in the lending section A building fund of the free library became the responsibility of the newly
almost £1,000 was created authority. The trusteeship of the Powysland
this building on Salop Road. raised by public and Library remained with Welshpool Town Council but was
private subscription. eventually transferred to the Club in 2008.
The building was
opened on October 5th Powys County Council leased the Salop Rd. premises
1874 with the inaugural and used them until a purpose-built library was opened
address delivered by the in 1983 and a new museum opened on the Canal Wharf
Earl of Powis. A carving in 1990, leaving the Powysland Library as the sole
of the arms of the Club occupier of a large empty site.
and the words
Powysland Museum By this time the library had outgrown its space and
Library are still clearly needed larger premises and in 1995 the Club was
visible on the front of offered premises on the top floor of Gilbert Davies &
Partners, solicitors, in Severn St. This provided 2 rooms
The TRUSTEES of the Powys-land Museum and Library and a larger area than the Salop Rd premises but it was
reported "they were now prepared to receive and take " obvious that this, on the top floor could only be a
charge of & earnestly solicit, donations of Antiquities, temporary solution.
POWYSLAND CLUB COLLECTIONS
THE POWYS-LAND CLUB LIBRARY celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2017. It’s an
amazing archive of historical information about Montgomeryshire and more recently the
wider Powys area. The library is next to the Welshpool town council office in Triangle
House. It stores over 100 volumes of the chronicles which have been produced almost
annually starting in 1868, a year after the club was formed. The library is open to the
public and members can borrow from a selection of other books of local interest.
Before visiting the library itself, I researched many points of interest in our area by using
some of the volumes of the collection that had been digitized by the University of
Toronto,Harvard University and the National University of Wales. Volume 20 was
particularly fascinating — it was an extra volume containing the Herbert Manuscripts at Powis Castle from 1586 - 1735. This
volume was presented in 1886 by the club president, the Earl of Powis.
Incredibly hundreds of pages have been typeset from the script of the documents but maintaining all idiosyncrasies of the
spellings of their era. While the text was legible, the Harvard copy I first saw had missing images. Therefore it was a real
treat to see the original (shown above) with the fold out frontispiece — a facsimile of the one of the manuscripts and the
coat of arms printed in colour. DH
THE POWYSLAND LIBRARY BY DAPHNE WOODHOUSE, THE LIBRARIAN
THE POWYSLAND LIBRARY The purpose Books, Maps, Engravings, Sculptures etc. etc. which
of the Club when it was formed in October may be deemed suitable and proper to be deposited" in
1867 was to collect and the building
print the historical,
ecclesiastical, genealogical, A year after the opening of the new building the Club
topographical and literary was able to build a large library and reading room
remains of Montgomeryshire behind the cottage which it was proposed to open free of
and to promote and encourage the study charge to the general public, to be known as Welshpool
of geology, geography and history of the Free Public Library. In 1887 the museum and library
county and its borders. were handed over to Welshpool Corporation as trustees.
Maurice Charles Jones was the visionary Maurice Charles Jones After 1970 the library benefited financially from a
and enthusiastic founder of the Club and editor of the first 26 Library Fund , administered by Welshpool Borough
volumes of the Collections. He had to keep and store some of Council as it then was, set up by R.U. Sayee from which
the collection in his own home. However, in 1873 Maurice we were allowed to buy books and undertake binding. R.
C. Jones purchased a £400 dwelling-house and garden near U. Sayee, was a well known anthropologist who was born
in Montgomeryshire, educated in Welshpool, and was
St. Mary's Church, editor of the collections. for 28 years from 1938 to 1966
Welshpool as a site for when he was elected as a Vice President. He died in 1970.
the Powysland Museum
and Library. The next big change was in 1974 when the Local
Government Act created Powys. So the Museum and
Daphne in the lending section A building fund of the free library became the responsibility of the newly
almost £1,000 was created authority. The trusteeship of the Powysland
this building on Salop Road. raised by public and Library remained with Welshpool Town Council but was
private subscription. eventually transferred to the Club in 2008.
The building was
opened on October 5th Powys County Council leased the Salop Rd. premises
1874 with the inaugural and used them until a purpose-built library was opened
address delivered by the in 1983 and a new museum opened on the Canal Wharf
Earl of Powis. A carving in 1990, leaving the Powysland Library as the sole
of the arms of the Club occupier of a large empty site.
and the words
Powysland Museum By this time the library had outgrown its space and
Library are still clearly needed larger premises and in 1995 the Club was
visible on the front of offered premises on the top floor of Gilbert Davies &
Partners, solicitors, in Severn St. This provided 2 rooms
The TRUSTEES of the Powys-land Museum and Library and a larger area than the Salop Rd premises but it was
reported "they were now prepared to receive and take " obvious that this, on the top floor could only be a
charge of & earnestly solicit, donations of Antiquities, temporary solution.
