The Codrington Library
The All Souls library (formally known as the Codrington Library) was founded through a bequest from Christopher Codrington (1668–1710), a Fellow of the College. Christopher Codrington bequeathed books worth £6,000, in addition to £10,000 in currency. This bequest allowed the library to be built and endowed. Christopher Codrington was born in Barbados, and amassed his fortune from plantation slavery. The library was completed in 1751, and has been in continuous use since then. The modern library comprises some 187,000 items, about a third of which were published before 1800. The collections are particularly strong in Law, History, and Classics.
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