The Library subscribes to the following legal databases, electronic journals and law reports. Access to subscription-based resources is only available in the Library, apart from Bloomsbury Professional Online and PLI+ which can be accessed remotely by members of Middle Temple who are authorised to practise in England and Wales, upon application to the Library. Frequently used resources which do not require a subscription are included in this list and indicated as [free].
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Although we know that the Inn had a small library prior to 1540, an early account about the Inns of Court states that Middle Temple ‘had a simple library in which were not many bookes besides the law and that library by meanes that it stood always open, and that the learners had not each a key unto it, it was at last robbed of all the bookes in it’!
The Library is now open. See opening hours page for our current opening hours. Measures and restrictions will be in place to ensure the health and safety of members and staff. In order to adhere to government guidance on social distancing, the number of members allowed into the library at any one time will be restricted. Full details can be found here.
Electronic Resources
Investigating the recordkeeping practises of earlier generations at the Inn and the how documents gradually moved from the Treasury to their final home in the Archive Repository.
This selection of free legal websites is intended as a signpost for barristers, pupils and students conducting electronic research. More comprehensive lists of resources are available on the portals and gateway sites detailed below. The Library also subscribes to a number of databases, which are for in-library use only. Please refer to the E-Resources and e-books page for more information.
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.
The Library produces a newsletter three times a year. The current issue (No. 22, September 2018) can be downloaded here, or to the right. You will require Adobe Reader.
Back Issues
Archived issues of the library’s newsletter can be downloaded to the right. Issues available are:
Contact details for different departments are below. Please see the How to Find Us and FAQ links for more information.
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For details of our lost property policy, please click here.
While our catalogue is not available for public consultation, listed below are the majority of the series held by the Middle Temple Archive, with dates of coverage, divided into administrative sections. This is intended to enable researchers to assess the archive's resources and narrow their enquiries.