The bar and its libraries in England and Wales

The bar has traditionally regarded itself as the learned branch of the profession and the provision of libraries has accordingly loomed large in its history. In England the barristers' profession has centred on the four Inns of Court, collegiate bodies dating from medieval times. Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple, Middle Temple and Gray's Inn are independent, unincorporated bodies, each having had a library from early in their history. An obvious resemblance to the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge is not a mere visitor's impression of the Inns of Court and their libraries. The Inns of Court were indeed regarded and described as ‘The Third University of England’ until the English Civil War.

The mid-nineteenth century was a period of significant expansion for the Inn libraries, one reason being the large increase in the output of law from the numerous jurisdictions of the Empire. In 1859 it was estimated that Inner and Middle Temple each had about 15,000 volumes while Lincoln's Inn had 30,000 volumes. Between 1831 and 1861 all the Inns invested in new buildings for their libraries. New buildings were not only the result of the expansion of the collections but also a cause of it. The profiles of the libraries were raised both with the benchers, who authorised expenditure, and with the members, whose donations of books had always been a significant source of acquisitions. Apart from meeting a practical necessity, the new buildings were also a significant opportunity for the Inns to display their Victorian self-confidence and prosperity to the outside world.