Introduction to Lambeth Palace Library

LAMBETH PALACE LIBRARY

Welcome to one of Britain's oldest public libraries

Lambeth Palace Library is the historic library of the Archbishops of Canterbury and the principal library and record office for the history of the Church of England. The Library focuses on ecclesiastical history, but its rich collections are important for an immense variety of topics from the history of art and architecture to colonial and Commonwealth history, and for innumerable aspects of English social, political and economic history. It is also a significant resource for local history and genealogy. Our source guides provide further information.

The Library was founded as a public library by Archbishop Bancroft in 1610, and its collections have been freely available for research ever since. Using these pages you can explore our holdings, and find out about visiting the Library and the services available here.

Great Hall, part of Lambeth Palace Library Image of the Month: Bishop Montgomery on the Great Wall of China

Who Do You Think You Are? at Lambeth Palace Library
Do you have an Anglican clergy ancestor? See our guide for information on sources
Mary Queen of Scots execution warrant saved for the nation
Back-a-Book! Help preserve the Library's collections for the future

All the information on this site is © Lambeth Palace Library, and images on this site may not be reproduced without payment of a fee. Lambeth Palace Library accepts no liability for information on sites linked to from these pages. Nothing on this site is to be taken as constituting specific advice about our services, for which you should contact us.