Holdings of Lambeth Palace Library

This page gives summary details on electronic finding aids for Library collections. These sources are freely available except where separately noted: Overview - Printed books - Manuscripts and archives

Lambeth Palace Library website, including references to published catalogues, and online guides to sources on selected subjects 

Online access to the printed books catalogue, excluding only Sion College collections

Printed book holdings

Early printed books (1473-1800): 
English Short Title union catalogue (ESTC), including the Early English Serials database (available by subscription) 

Recent accessions of printed books

Online access to the catalogue to manuscripts and archives, covering selected collections

Individual collections 

Incorporated Church Building Society Archive: 
The Church Plans Online website gives access to digital images of plans and catalogue data, searchable by place, date, architect, etc 

Medical licences issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury (1535-1775): 
Surname index, index by county and list of medical complaints mentioned

Visitation returns of Canterbury diocese and peculiars (1717-1935) and the diocese of London (1763-1900): 
Place name index

Faculty Office (1701-1850) and Vicar General (1694-1850) marriage records: 
The British Origins website gives access to name indexes (accessible to members of the Society of Genealogists, or on payment of a fee) and background information on the records 

Manorial records for Middlesex and Surrey (part of the records of the Archbishop's estates): 
Manorial Documents Register

Catalogues available on the Access to Archives (A2A) website are as follows: 

Archbishops' Archives: 

• Early Archbishops' papers (1664-1828, but not later Archbishops)
• Carte Miscellanee (East Kent records, CM 31-36)
• Faculty Office records (main catalogue, not supplementary indexes)
• Temporalities records (main catalogue, not supplementary finding aids)
• Vicar General peculiars records, including testamentary records

• MSS 113...283 (various)
• MSS 929-942 (Gibson)
• MSS 1741-1743 (Gibson)
• MSS 2000-2019 (Fairhurst)
• MS 2168 (Gibson)
• MSS 2690-2750 (Queen Anne Churches) 
• MSS 3120-3469 (various)
• MSS 3470-3533 (Fairhurst)
• MSS 4267-4269 (Fairhurst)
• MSS 4400-4433 (Gibson)

• Christian Faith Society 
• Church Society 
• Church Union 
• Commonwealth records (note that there are also supplementary finding aids at Lambeth Palace Library) 
• Doctors' Commons 
• Fulham Papers (part: early papers of Bishops of London, including Bishops from 1676-1787, and later papers of Bishops from 1897-1945) 
• Keble Papers 
• Lord Wharton's Charity 
• Royal Commission on Ecclesiastical Discipline 
• Society for the Relief of Poor Pious Clergyman 

General information 

National Register of Archives 
References to selected individuals, families and corporate bodies in Lambeth Palace Library holdings (nearly 1300 entries), and recent accessions of manuscripts/ archives (see also Lambeth Palace Library annual reports) 

Subject guides 

Overseas missions 
Summary records for Lambeth Palace Library sources on the Mundus website 

Artists' papers 
References to records of artists, designers and craftspeople at Lambeth Palace Library in the Artists' Papers Register (architects are not included: for architects, try Church Plans Online) 

19th and 20th century church history and Christian theology 
Summary records for Lambeth Palace Library sources on the Revelation website
 
Musical manuscripts
Researchers interested in musical manuscripts may find the Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music (DIAMM) website, of use.

However, while our programme to convert our existing finding aids to electronic format is in progress, many detailed lists and indexes are available only in the Library and for some parts of our collections, particularly manuscripts/archives, there is only summary information available online. This is not an exhaustive list of sources. If you are unable to locate the information you require, please contact the Library and the staff will be pleased to advise. 
 

Some images of Lambeth Palace are on the Lambeth Landmark website. Note that these images are held not at Lambeth Palace Library, but at Lambeth Archives.