Robert Ashley, a member of the Middle Temple, died in 1641, bequeathing all of his books to the Inn to found a library there, and £300 to employ a Library Keeper. While Ashley did practise as a lawyer, he was more successful as a translator and bibliophile. William Cox was one of the executors of Ashley’s will and was commissioned to create a catalogue of his books; Cox was the first Library Keeper from 1642 to 1655.
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“Congratulations!”, a word that frequently echoed around the Hall that day and it struck a chord with those who were on the receiving end, capturing what it meant to complete the journey and obtain this great achievement. A word accompanied with feelings of great joy and excitement as it frequently left the mouths of Benchers, family and loved ones who beamed with pride. At the top of the Hall, dressed in their gown and wigs with their certificates in hand were the newly called members of the Inn whose moment had finally come, their Call to the Bar.
The ceremony programme overall did not feel overly busy, but the time was apportioned well and in a way that made it engaging. The ceremony began with the procession of Benchers into the hall who took their seats opposite the grandparents, parents, siblings, and friends of those yet to be called. The education team headed by Christa Richmond were also present as Master Reader opened the ceremony with a speech which reminded those yet to be Called of their ethical obligations as members of the profession. As I listened to these words, I found the reflections sobering because it was a reminder that these duties were a present reality these newly called lawyers were to uphold.
One after the other, each student member was Called by name as they walked across the Hall towards Master Treasurer who Called them to the Degree of the Utter Bar. The moment felt very solemn as the entire Hall silently watched each person’s Call, which crowned off the hard work that had brought them to that moment in time. I noticed that each newly called member would then walk towards Christa Richmond and sign a book that was on the table known as the cupboard in the Hall. I was informed that the signing of this book had been a long-standing tradition of the Inn dating back many years and contained the names of every member that had ever been Called by the Inn. Knowing this it more special because these newly Called members were now part of a great history of Barristers who had gone before them and being able to sign their name in person was like cementing this great moment.
The highlight of the ceremony came when the entire Hall began to applaud the newly Called members. The applause continued for a considerable amount of time and when I thought it was about to lessen, the room maintained the same vigour and volume it began with which could be felt all over. It was the cherry on top of the ceremony and captured the celebratory atmosphere that I felt existed in the room from the start.
A small reception was held afterwards which I thought was a nice way to round off the celebrations. I saw benchers such as Master Cowell, Master Edmund and Master Treasurer conversing and congratulating newly Called members who were spread out across the room with their families. I am sure those who were able to attend their call day in person found the occasion a memorable one as the word ‘congratulations’ echoed around that room just as it had done in the Hall.
The Library subscribes to electronic journals, law reports and the legal databases listed below. Access to subscription-based resources is only available in the Library, apart from Bloomsbury Professional Online, Kluwer Arbitration, Lexis Practical Guidance and Oxford Legal Research Library which can be accessed remotely, upon application to the Library, by Middle Temple members who hold a practising certificate as a barrister in England and Wales AND/OR are on the
Middle Temple Library is unique amongst the four Inns in that we still hold the majority of books that have been collected by the Inn since 1641. As the books have been read and used throughout the centuries, however, they have suffered wear and tear to such a degree that many of them are in urgent need of repair. The Book Sponsorship Programme was started in 2007 in order to help preserve these books for future generations.
The Library provides a range of guides to assist you with your legal research. The Library Guide & Introduction to Legal Research was co-written with Master David Woolley KC.
The guides are available as PDF files and can be downloaded below. You will require Adobe Reader, which is free to download.
The guides available to download are:
The Rare Book & Manuscript Collection contains over 9,000 early printed books and approximately 300 manuscripts. The collection reflects the educational and personal interests of barristers spanning the thirteenth to nineteenth centuries. The collection contains significant early legal texts as well as a wide range of non-legal subjects, including history, poetry, travel, medicine, theology and science.
The Library collects legal texts in certain specialist subject areas such as banking, commercial law and arbitration, competition, employment, insurance, professional negligence and shipping, amongst others.
We are also the specialist library for ecclesiastical law, and we offer access to a full range of legal resources for EU and American Law