Title
A catalogue of ye library of Arthur Earle of Essex, at Cashiobury,
Date
made an. 1681, 1682, 1683 [manuscript]
Description
Arthur Capel (1631–1683), Earl of Essex, served as statesman in various capacities during the reign of Charles II and died in the Tower of London after being implicated in the Rye House plot. During his lifetime, Capel amassed a great library at his estate in Cashiobury. John Evelyn wrote that “the library is large … but there are no manuscripts.” He seems to have overlooked this manuscript catalogue of Capel’s library, the earliest such inventory owned by the Grolier Club.
Source
Purchased in 1910.