Canterbury Cathedral Archives and Library

The Cathedral Archives and Library hold a fantastic and varied collection of historic records, including manuscripts, photographs, maps and printed books dating from the 9th century up to the modern day. These cover a range of themes including national and local history, politics, travel, natural science, medicine, church history, and theology.

You can explore these holdings using the Cathedral Archives catalogue. You can explore the Cathedral Library’s holdings through LibrarySearch.

To find out more visit the website.

Some highlights of the collections for Religious Studies students are:

Thematic highlights

  • Philosophy and Ethics – The Cathedral Library holds a large number of works by Greek and Roman philosophers, as well as later western considerations on them. We also hold works by, and on, Jewish philosophers, Islamic philosophers, the Christian ‘Church Fathers’, and a large number of Humanist works. The holdings are a fantastic resource for the study of historical reflections upon ancient ethics. The Cathedral Library also holds pamphlets relating to the slave trade debate, with arguments often framed in terms of moral and religious beliefs.
  • Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam – The Cathedral collections include 19th century printed works on Hindu law, religious traditions, and works reflecting western colonial views of Hinduism and Buddhism. The Library also has a number of 18th and 19th century works considering the life of Mohammed and his successors, and 17th and 18th century translations of the Koran.
  • Christian debates on death and the afterlife – The Library of the Cathedral holds a large number of works on the Christian conception of death, considerations on purgatory, the nature of hell, and eternal life. These include works by Augustine and Origen, as well as eschatological debates.

Collection highlights

  • Early printed Bible and prayer book collections – The Cathedral Library holds a wide range of different editions and translations of the Bible. Languages include Latin, Hebrew, Greek, English, Irish, German, Russian, Persian, Japanese, Chinese, and North American Cree.
  • Library of St. Augustine’s Missionary College – An antiquarian theological library formerly belonging to St Augustine’s Missionary College. The collection is particularly strong on Patristics, including editions of the writings of Saints Aquinas, Justinian, Cyril, and Isidore of Pelusium.
  • Archive of Canterbury Cathedral – The records of the Cathedral date from the 9th century up to the present day, and give a fascinating insight into the community, the running of the church, and the religious and political position of the Cathedral through history. The records are varied, and include records of pilgrimage and 15th century accounts of miracles attributed to St Thomas Becket.
  • Records of St Augustine’s Missionary College – Includes personal papers and letters relating to missionaries across the world, as well as famous students such as the Inuit Erasmus Augustine Kallihirua (Qalasirssuaq).
  • Archives and Libraries of East Kent parishes – The Cathedral holds the records for Anglican parishes in eastern Kent. We also hold the parish libraries of Preston-next–Wingham, Elham, and the rectorial library of Crundale. These libraries give a fascinating insight into what was seen as important and/or appropriate reading for parishioners at the time.

You can access these treasures in the Reading Room, which is within the precincts of the Cathedral. You will need to request material in advance and make an appointment to view it. The Reading Room is open for researchers on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

If you’re unsure about something then please do drop them an email! They love welcoming students, and know that the first time visiting an archive can seem scary – if you have any questions (no matter how small!) about visiting or using the collections they’d be very pleased to help. The email for all enquiries and bookings is: archives@canterbury-cathedral.org