Thomason Collection of Civil War Tracts facts for kids

The Thomason Collection of Civil War Tracts is a huge collection of over 22,000 pamphlets, posters, handwritten notes, books, and news sheets. Most of these were printed and shared in London between 1640 and 1661. This collection is a very important first-hand look at the history of England. It covers the end of King Charles I's rule, the English Civil War, the time when England had no king (called the Interregnum), and the return of King Charles II to the throne. Today, you can find this amazing collection at the British Library.

How the Collection Was Built

A bookseller and publisher named George Thomason (who passed away in 1666) carefully gathered and saved these writings for more than twenty years. He had a shop near St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

What's Inside the Collection

The collection includes many different kinds of writings. You can find sermons, songs, political speeches, and debates. There are also opinions, jokes, and even gossip. It has news reports and descriptions of King Charles I's trial and execution. You can read about battles from the Civil War and reports from Parliament. Some of these regular publications are even seen as the first versions of modern newspapers. Thomason's collection has about 80% of all the works published in England during this time.

Thomason's Special Notes

George Thomason often wrote notes by hand on the pamphlets. He would add important information like the date they were published. He also wrote down who wrote anonymous works (works where the author wasn't named). During the difficult years of the Civil War and when Oliver Cromwell ruled England, Thomason reportedly moved his collection many times. He did this to protect the more controversial writings from being destroyed by the government or by people who disagreed with them.

The Collection's Journey Through Time

After George Thomason collected everything, the collection had a long and interesting journey.

Early Attempts to Sell

It seems Thomason trusted the collection to Thomas Barlow. Barlow was a leader at The Queen's College and used to be a librarian at the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford. He later became a Bishop of Lincoln. Between 1660 and 1664, Barlow offered the collection to the university. He also included two copies of a handwritten list of all the items. However, they couldn't agree on a price.

Thomason still hoped the collection would be sold. In his will from 1664, he asked his three helpers (Barlow, Thomas Lockey, and John Rushworth) to sell the collection to the University for his children.

A Royal Connection

After Thomason died in April 1666, the deal with the university fell through. The collection stayed with Barlow for a while. Then, around 1677–1679, a bookbinder named Samuel Mearne got the collection. He was working for the Royal Library at the Palace of Whitehall. Mearne rebound all the volumes to make them look uniform. But he was never paid for his work, so he kept the collection.

Eventually, Mearne's widow (his wife after he died) asked the Privy Council (a group of advisors to the King) for permission to sell the collection. She got permission in May 1684.

Finding a Permanent Home

For the next forty years, different members of the Sisson family (who were descendants of Samuel Mearne) tried to sell the collection many times. They offered it to important people like Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, and to libraries like the Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Library in Oxford. But each time, the buyers were put off by the high price.

In January 1754, Elizabeth Sisson approached Thomas Birch, who was one of the people in charge of the new British Museum. She loaned him the 12-volume list of the collection. But again, no sale happened during Elizabeth Sisson's lifetime.

Finally, in 1762, John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute bought the collection for King George III. He paid £300, which was a very low price compared to how much it cost to gather the collection. In the same year, King George III gave the collection to the new British Museum at Montagu House. There, they were first known as the "King's pamphlets" and became part of the Royal Library. In 1973, the museum moved the Thomason Tracts to the British Library, where they are still kept today.

Why the Collection is Important

The Thomason Tracts are incredibly important for understanding English history. The famous writer Thomas Carlyle once said that they were the most valuable documents connected to English history. He believed they were better than many other old records for showing what English people were like in the past. He felt that the entire secret of the 17th century was hidden in this huge collection.

The Thomason Tracts Today

Many of the publications in this collection are extremely rare. In fact, some of them are not known to exist anywhere else in the world. The tracts are bound into about 2,000 volumes. They are kept at the British Library's main building in St. Pancras.

Because they are so rare and fragile, the original documents cannot be handled by most researchers. However, the library has paper copies in its rare books collection. Also, in 1977, a company called University Microfilms International released the entire collection on 256 microfilm reels. These microfilms are available at research libraries all over the world, allowing many people to study this unique historical treasure.