The Library of John Jones (1650–1727), Dean of Bangor

Little research has been undertaken on private libraries in early modern Wales. However, a small notebook in the Panton Papers at the National Library of Wales reveals details of some of the books and manuscripts that John Jones, dean of Bangor, lent to others in his circle between 1683 and 1724. This article investigates the contents of the dean’s library and the identities and interests of some of the people who borrowed his material, before discussing its fate. It concludes that the range and types of books in the library broadly equate with those of contemporaries, and that lending them to others in his social and vocational networks replicates similar practice elsewhere in Britain at the time.