Simon Sterne d.1708

Simon STERNE d.1708

Biographical Note

Third son of Richard Sterne, Archbishop of York. Matriculated at Jesus College, Cambridge 1669 but did not graduate; he was admitted at Lincoln’s Inn in 1672 and appears to have spent most of his life near Halifax as a gentleman of some means.

Books

Sterne bequeathed books to the parish of Halifax, to augment the parish library there; many of these came from the libraries of his father, and his uncle William, as well as his own. The size of each of these libraries is not known; ca. 260 volumes survive today from Halifax Parish Library (now in York University Library), but an unknown number have been lost over the years. Examples: York UL Halifax C38.3 MAY, MA115.9 AUL, C30.2 BEL, MQ142.

Characteristic Markings

Sterne seems commonly to have inscribed flyleaves with his name and sometimes a date of acquisition.

Sources

• Perkin, M., A directory of the parochial libraries of the Church of England, London, 2004, 225-7.
• Venn, J. and J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge, 1922.