Histories and Reformation Texts from the Rare Book Collection
In addition to consulting books in the Schulich-Woolf Rare Book Collection, students' research led them to explore our general rare book collection. Interest in biography, local history, antiquities, and the Reformation resulted in an array of books from the 17th and 18th centuries. These texts are listed below with students' remarks on how they incorporated the works into their research papers. You may click on the images or titles to see more images of the works listed.
John Foxe's Actes and Monuments (1610)
I used The Actes and Monuments to scan for and identify where Foxe discusses the Jewish people. My efforts are to recognize how Foxe reflects upon the Jewish people as descendants of the Israelites, to whom Protestants also claim a direct connection. I attempted to contextualize and understand how he can discuss a group of people with whom he has very little contact, and whose continued existence is a threat to a burgeoning English Protestant identity under the Elizabethan settlement. Finally, I tried to identify what sources Foxe may have drawn upon to discuss Jews living in England after the Norman conquest until their expulsion in the 13th century, and how the perceived brutality of Jews (or against them) contributed to Foxe's narrative of Christian martyrs within England.
-Mitchell Gould
I used Foxe's Actes and Monuments along with 3 other books from the period in which it was written. In that, I was attempting to see how individual writing in this period appealed to history in order to give their faith legitimacy. Within their appeals to history, they focus on the Providential power of God, Spiritual authority, and the history of Christianity. Overall the books showed me that authors in this period used history to their advantage and highlighted examples that proved their religious beliefs.
-Anthony Gutta
William Camden's Annales Rerum Gestarum Angliae et Hiberniae Regnate (1615)
William Camden's Annales were extremely helpful for my research as Camden is considered to be Elizabeth’s first ever historian. The Annales provide a complete overview of her reign beginning with her accession to the throne after the death of Mary Tudor, up until her death in 1603. The objective approach that Camden takes not only provided me with an even handed interpretation of Elizabeth’s reign but, it also established the foundation for my understanding of the seventeenth century historiography of Elizabeth I. As a result, I found myself comparing works that were written well after 1615, to the work of Camden.
-Jade Yerex
John Speed's History of Great Britaine (1632)
I investigated how 16th and 17th-century historians wrote about Anne Boleyn. I chose this book because it gives a very detailed and exaggerated account of the Reign of Queen Anne. The book is a strong example that she was viewed as a Godly Queen and a reformer by the protestants, a point that I make very clear in my essay.
-Serena Lowery
Edward Earl of Clarendon's History of the rebellion and civil wars in England (1702)
The opportunity to use an original printing of the Earl of Clarendon's History of the Rebellion was invaluable to my research. Being able to work first hand with the volumes that I had read so much about was an important learning experience and allowed me to more fully understand the books I was working with.
-Thomas Geriepy
Inigo Jones' The most notable antiquity of Great Britain, vulgarly called Stone-Heng, on Salisbury Plain, restored (1725)
I studied how the seventeenth century was a period of great controversy for Stonehenge. I touch on the changing nature of antiquarianism, how Jones' book may been an exercise in cultural assimilation and how they begun to be used for political/religious reasons for the crown.
-Matthew Ierino
Edward Herbert of Cherbury's The life of Edward Lord Herbert of Cherbury (1764)
Being able to work with the books in this collection adds a significant weight to our studies of English history. As tangible relics, these books connect us directly to the events and authors we have studied, and I consider myself very fortunate to have had this opportunity as part of my experience at Queen’s.
-Sarah Sifton
To complement John Nordon's Speculum Britanniae (1593), Emma Allen also consulted John Stow's Survey of London (1754) and Richard Arnold's Customs of London (1811).