WARRINGTON Gentlemen’s Book Society, the oldest society in the town, helped raise funds for four local charities, with an auction of books at their annual dinner at Statham Lodge, Lymm.
A total of £1,000 was equally divided to £250 each for Warrington Disability Partnership, St Rocco’s Hospice, Warrington Youth Zone and Burtonwood and Winwick Community Bus.
The auction of current best-sellers and specialist books was performed by auctioneer Warrington-Worldwide Editor Gary Skentelbery, who was joined at the event by his father and fellow member David Skentelbery, Freeman of Warrington.
The event was hosted by retired accountant Basil Mitchell and organised by another well-known local accountant Percy Peckley.
Auctioneer Gary Skentelbery with his father Freeman of Warrington, David.
The Warrington Gentlemen’s Book Society was the precursor to the first rate-supported public library in the United Kingdom. Operating as a private subscription library from the mid-18th century, it was mainly used by the tutors and associates of the nearby Warrington Academy.
The Society, which has existed for 184 years in its current form, started as a long-established private library operating out of the premises of printer William Eyres on Horsemarket Street. It was known at the time as the Warrington Circulating Library and was formally operating by at least 1760.
As a subscription library, membership was not universal but restricted to those who could afford the fees. Its primary users were the learned individuals associated with the Warrington Academy, a prominent dissenting academy of the era that attracted influential thinkers and scholars.
Key Individuals and Influence
The library’s main patrons were the tutors and figures connected to the Academy. This suggests a membership composed of notable individuals in Warrington’s intellectual and social circles, including dissenting ministers, academics, and professionals. The presence of such a library indicates a vibrant intellectual community in Warrington during the Enlightenment period.
Transition to Public Ownership
The private library continued to operate for nearly a century until a significant transformation in the mid-19th century. In 1848, the library’s collection and operations were used to form the basis of the Warrington Public Library. This new institution was established under the Museums Act of 1845, making Warrington the first town in the United Kingdom to open a public library supported by local rates (taxes).
This transition marked a shift from a private society catering to a select few to a public service accessible to the wider community, a pioneering moment in the history of public libraries in Britain.
Legacy
The Warrington Gentlemen’s Book Society’s primary legacy is its role in the establishment of the UK’s first rate-supported public library. It provided the initial collection and the physical location that enabled Warrington to take a leading role in the public library movement. The town’s commitment to education and intellectual pursuits, evidenced by the existence of the original society and the Warrington Academy, paved the way for this significant social and educational milestone.
2 Comments
Hi, how do you become a member?
By invitation – email me at garys@warrington-worldwide.co.uk and I will pass your details on. We only meet once a year.