The Abbotsford Library Research Project

In 1995 Professor Douglas Gifford was appointed the Honorary Librarian of Walter Scott’s library at Abbotsford by the Faculty of Advocates in Edinburgh. The Faculty owns the books in the library, some 15,000 volumes, arguably representing the finest private writer’s library in Britain. (The Maxwell-Scott family still own and run the house and grounds; moves are taking place to establish a family-Advocates Trust which will collaborate in running Abbotsford and looking after the interests of the books.)

The Library is not open to the public; because of the priceless nature of the collection, both in terms of Scott and the books themselves, all advice has stressed the need to keep it as a conservation library. This does not mean that scholars cannot access the books, since a consultation process has been established in recent years to enable bona fide scholars to see volumes relevant to their research. Researchers ask permission of the Keeper of the Advocates Library and the Honorary Librarian to see the volumes they need. Permission is readily granted, subject to the proviso that the need to consult Scott’s volumes is established. The book/s (generally limited to a small number) are brought up to Edinburgh, where arrangements have been made for them to be studied under supervision in the national Library. Initial enquiries should be made to Andrea Longson, Senior Librarian, The Library of the Faculty of Advocates.

In 1996 The Abbotsford Library Research Project Trust was set up, with the Trustees being representatives of the family, the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, The Keeper of the Library of the Faculty of Advocates, and the Principal of the University of Glasgow. Professor Gifford is Director of the Project. The aims of the project are to explore and make known the riches of Scott’s collection, to encourage wider knowledge of Scott’s work, both through research and collaboration with Abbotsford House in exhibition and activities related to Scott and Border culture. The project reports to the Trustees and to the Abbotsford Library Advisory Committee set up to help look after the books and the project by the Faculty of Advocates. The Committee has senior members of the Faculty of Advocates, and professorial representatives from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, as well as representatives of the National Library, The Scott Club, and of course Abbotsford itself.

The results so far are exciting; a complete stock-check was completed in 2002 by a team of postgraduates of Glasgow University, led by Gifford and Catherine Smith, the then Senior Librarian for the Advocates. Remarkably few (c55) volumes were missing (some have since been found); much new manuscript material of Scott’s and others was noted; and volumes needing conservation were listed and are in the process of being dealt with by Advocate’s library rare books staff. Now a new and searchable catalogue is in preparation, led by Lindsay Levy, who has discovered no less than items not known to outstanding amongst these are the Bokenham mass, a medieval folio manuscript of great significance which was thought to be lost till discovered by Lindsay Levy; a letter from the Duke of Argyll begging for his life from King Charles; and a manuscript copy of The Western Remonstrance, a summons to arms by Covenanters in the closing years of ‘the Killing Time’ of the 1680’s.

Additionally, following the stock-check, a team from Glasgow University led by Gifford, Dr Gerard Carruthers, Dr Kirsteen McCue of Glasgow University and Dr Ali Lumsden of Aberdeen University completed a preliminary survey of Scott’s holdings in chapbooks, tracts, popular political, religious ands supernatural pamphlets. The survey indicated that with over 6000 holdings, Scott’s collection of popular culture establishes him as a pioneer in this area, and his collection as of massive importance. This is an area to which the Project will return seriously in future.

In 2004, Drs Carruthers and Lumsden published the first of two unpublished and substantial Scott manuscripts. The Reliquiae Trotconsienses is Scott’s antiquarian and self-parodying account of the making of his library, and has met with international interest. More recently Carruthers and Lumsden have completed their work on the remaining manuscript, the Sylva Abbotfordienses, which will shortly appear on the Abbotsford Website, along with further details of activities and discoveries listed above.

The Project has now acquired dedicated premises at Abbotsford for the first time. Previously, with the House run as a family museum, difficulties inevitably occurred in terms of space to work and access to books through the day when visitors were being given tours. With the deaths in recent years of the much-missed ladies of Abbotsford, Scott’s great-great-great granddaughters Mrs Patricia and Dame Jean Maxwell-Scott, there are plans for greater collaboration between Abbotsford and the Faculty in terms of exhibitions (developing other areas, such as Scott’s links with Border writers such as James Hogg, or his rich knowledge of Border Ballads, or Romantic poetry and fiction generally. The Project Trust, it is hoped, will become a centre of Scott studies, national and international; (indeed, it is fair to say that it already is). Abbotsford itself, by its nature as a family house dedicated to Scott, can never in itself be a study centre, given the primary need to conserve the books while allowing public visitors as a museum; but the Advisory Committee, with its growing inclusion of universities and associated scholarly interests, should increasingly enable both research into the library itself, under its auspices, and reveal more and more of the hitherto under-explored riches of Scott’s wonderful library.

The University of Glasgow is represented both on the Board of Trustees for The Abbotsford Library Research Project Trust (a formal agreement between the Faculty of advocates and The University of Glasgow). The Principal is a Trustee and Professor Gifford is Director of the Trust. The Advisory Committee has Glasgow members in Gifford, Drs Gerry Carruthers and Kirsteen McCue, and Professors Ted Cowan, Andrew Hook, and Nigel Leask. More detailed discussion of activities and discoveries will appear on this site in the near future

Enquiries regarding access and information should be made to Andrea Longson, Senior Librarian, The Library of the Faculty of Advocates, Parliament House, Edinburgh, EH1 1RF ; Tel 0131 260 5637; e-mail andrea.longson @advocates.org.uk