A collection of around 5,000 volumes that formed part of the collections from St Benedict's Abbey, Fort Augustus (see St Benedict's Abbey (Fort Augustus) Collection), deposited in the Library in 1992. The Cassidy Collection was collected from the 1830s to the 1860s by an Irish Franciscan, the Rev Thomas Cassidy (died 1873). His book label and/or signature serve to identify books belonging to the collection. The dominant theme of the collection is English Catholic books from the penal period from the reign of Elizabeth I of England onwards, when a series of laws were passed to prevent the practising of the Catholic faith in England. The collection in particular has examples of recusant works printed at secret presses or abroad. Many of these books were apparently purchased by Cassidy from book stalls on the quays at Dublin. There are nine incunabula and many rare books from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Many are in contemporary bindings and have early provenances. In his will made in 1852, Cassidy left the books to the Archdiocese of Dublin "for the intended Irish Roman Catholic University or some similar Roman Catholic public Institution". It is not clear whether Paul Cullen (1803-1878), Archbishop of Dublin, ever actually came into legal possession of the books. By the time of Cassidy's death in 1873 the situation of the Catholic University in Dublin had changed significantly since its foundation in 1853. The university had not managed to obtain a charter; Cardinal John Henry Newman left as rector in 1858, and by 1866 it was clear that the original vision for the university had failed. Cassidy's executors took charge of the books and eventually gave them to St. Benedict's Abbey for safe keeping. The books were brought to Fort Augustus in December 1885 and stayed there until 1992.

Organisation

The books have been catalogued individually and have the shelfmark 'Cassidy.'.

Acquisition

The Cassidy books were not the property of the Trustees of St Benedict's Abbey but had been placed there for safe keeping. On the dissolution of St Benedict's Abbey in the 1990s the Cassidy books were transferred into the custodianship of the English Benedictine Congregation Trust and are now on deposit in the National Library as a separate collection.

Related collections

St. Benedict's Abbey (Fort Augustus) Collection

References

'Several tons of books : the creation, travels and rediscovery of Thomas Cassidy's recusant library', J. Marshall, in J. Hinks & M. Day (editors), From compositors to collectors: essays on book-trade history, New Castle, DE; London, 2012, 307-322.