{"id":1968,"date":"2021-12-17T09:49:23","date_gmt":"2021-12-17T14:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanscottishfoundation.com\/programs\/?p=1968"},"modified":"2021-12-30T10:10:36","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T15:10:36","slug":"the-saving-of-the-honresfield-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanscottishfoundation.com\/programs\/?p=1968","title":{"rendered":"The Honresfield Library Has Been Saved!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ASF is so delighted to share news of the Saving of the Honresfield Library… The Bards will return to Scotland!<\/i><\/div>\n
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We are proud to have been able to help amplify the Call for Support. Look back on the efforts\u00a0to Save the Bards in our #ScotsInUS podcast special <\/i>here.\u00a0<\/a>The episode is\u00a0available for viewing on all our podcast platforms including Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Facebook, and Youtube.<\/i><\/div>\n
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The media release from Honresfield Appeal Scottish Steering Group is available below. We look forward to viewing the collection in the future.<\/i><\/div>\n
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Media release from the Honresfield Appeal Scottish Steering Group<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Scottish members of a consortium set up to save a unique collection of literature for the nation have welcomed the news that their international appeal has reached its target of \u00a315 million.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This means that the Blavatnik Honresfield Library (formerly Honresfield Library) \u2013 a treasure trove of items from the world\u2019s most beloved writers, unseen by the public for almost a century \u2013 will no longer be sold at open auction and instead will be shared with libraries and other organisations across the UK.<\/span><\/p>\n

The library, collected and curated by a Rochdale businessman in the 1800s, comprises priceless manuscripts, rare first editions and irreplaceable letters. These include works by Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Jane Austen and the Bront\u00eb siblings.<\/span><\/p>\n

A UK-wide consortium led by The Friends of the National Libraries, which includes Abbotsford, the National Library of Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland, was successful in raising half the funds needed from hundreds of individual donors, as well as the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Scottish Government, the Foyle Foundation, and other organisations, with the balance coming from a generous donation by Sir Leonard Blavatnik \u2013 the largest ever given to the UK by an individual for a literary treasure.\u00a0This achievement has also been made possible by the vendor\u2019s willingness to give the consortium the time needed to launch and run the fundraising appeal, to which countless people from Scotland, the UK and around the world contributed including a great number of Burns and Scott fans from North America.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Arrangements will be made in the coming months for the Scottish organisations to take possession of key works from the collection, conserve them and make them publicly accessible. These include an early volume of poems by Robert Burns in his own hand \u2013 containing some of his earliest recorded literary works \u2013 known as the First Commonplace Book<\/em>, as well as individual autograph poems (Cessnock Bank<\/em> and the Brigs of Ayr<\/em>), and some of the poet\u2019s earliest correspondence, including the only extant letter to his beloved father.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other Scottish material of huge importance is the complete working manuscript of Sir Walter Scott\u2019s iconic novel Rob Roy<\/em>, part of the autographed manuscript of Scott\u2019s verse romance, The Lay of the Last Minstrel<\/em>, his travel journal of an expedition off the Scottish coast in 1814, a copy of Border Antiquities<\/em> with extensive manuscript revisions, and an exceptional group of Scott first editions in their original condition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for the nation that this coveted collection of literary treasures has been saved from being sold into private hands. Once again, books which play a crucial part in Scotland\u2019s literary history were in danger of being withheld from public view. These include some of Robert Burns\u2019s earliest works and the manuscript of Sir Walter Scott\u2019s Rob Roy<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Scottish Government is pleased to support the Honresfield Library appeal by providing \u00a3400,000 to ensure these valuable books return to Scotland where our culture and heritage organisations will ensure they are cared for, preserved and made available to the public.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of the National Heritage Memorial Fund said:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe at the National Heritage Memorial Fund are delighted to have supported the campaign to save Honresfield Library with \u00a34million, the largest amount we have ever granted towards an acquisition of literary manuscripts since our formation in 1980.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire such an outstanding and nationally significant collection. The NHMF is a fund of last resort, and the astonishing array of manuscripts will join over 1,000 heritage treasures saved for the nation. With Honresfield Library now secured for public ownership, organisations across the UK will benefit from these literary gems joining their collections.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am proud that this incredible archive will be the\u00a0last major acquisition we will support under my leadership, before I step down at the end of the year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Amina Shah, Trustee of the FNL and National Librarian and Chief Executive of the National Library of Scotland, said:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNever before has a consortium worked so quickly and effectively to secure hidden literary treasures. This is a triumph for the people, for heritage and for the power of partnerships.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt the National Library of Scotland we are thrilled to continue working with the Abbotsford Trust and the National Trust for Scotland, to share these Scottish literary treasures with the public and researchers \u2013 in Scotland and across the world \u2013 and we are grateful to the many supporters who helped to make this happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Phil Long OBE, Chief Executive of the National Trust for Scotland said:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the most fantastic news. We are so grateful to everyone who contributed to the appeal for acts of such astonishing generosity, as well as to the Scottish Government for the welcome support given.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a pleasure to work with the Friends of the National Libraries and the other consortium members and this is a truly collaborative achievement that will benefit generations to come.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThose lucky enough to view the collection items have said that they express a palpable feeling of history in the making, with some of the works being part of the very foundation of our shared culture.\u00a0 I\u2019m looking forward to the opportunity to display items from the collection in Scotland so that as many people as possible can share in that feeling.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Giles Ingram, Chief Executive of Abbotsford said:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is simply the most incredible achievement and we are deeply grateful to all those individuals and organisations who have made the saving of such a remarkable collection for the British public possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

“To think that manuscripts written by Walter Scott in his own hand, will be returning to his homeland, many to his own home, is a triumph. The Lay of the Last Minstrel<\/em>, Rob Roy<\/em> and Scott\u2019s diary of his lighthouse tour are each evocative of turning points in contemporary culture, and of Scott\u2019s fame and fortune. Emerging from private ownership after so many years, it is heart warming to know they will be available for the public to enjoy at long last.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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