Lambeth Mystery

Here is a story worthy for James Runcie’s clerical sleuth, Canon Sidney Chambers. Buried in last week’s issue of the ‘Spectator, largely given over to commemorating Margaret Thatcher, was a story about a thief who stole some precious volumes from Lambeth Palace library. In 1975 the librarian noticed that 60 of the library’s most valuable printed books from the 16th and 17th centuries had gone missing. These were topographical volumes with fine illustrations so there was always the danger they might have been cut up to make prints. The library cards for the volumes had also been removed. Despite efforts to trace them, none of the books ever turned up and the matter was gradually forgotten. Finally the mystery was solved last year when a solicitor dealing with the estate of someone once connected with the library handed over a sealed confession and details of how the books could be found. It turned out not 60 but 1,400 items had been removed, many of them from the collections of Archbishops Whitgift and Bancroft. The books had suffered some damage in an attempt to remove identifying marks and restoration is underway. One of two volumes are still missing. Over to Canon Chambers. Lambeth Palace Library has tactfully not revealed the name of the person who stole the books.