Rare books, manuscripts and estate maps from Brasenose College, Oxford.

Brasenose College was founded in 1509 by William Smyth, Bishop of Lincoln, and Sir Richard Sutton, a lawyer and the first lay founder of a college in Oxford or Cambridge. Before the foundation of the College part of the site was occupied by one of the medieval Oxford halls, Brasenose Hall. The name is thought to originate from a 'brazen nose' - a bronze door knocker in the shape of a nose.

The Brasenose Archives are the official administrative records of the College. They are a rich historical resource of College life and its members since its foundation. We also hold records of College estates dating back to the 12th century. Thanks to the generosity of the William Delafield Charitable Trust, we have been able to digitise some of our collection of 18th century maps showing College estates across England.

Brasenose Library holds a wonderfully eclectic collection of rare books and manuscripts dating back to the 11th century. Our rare books collection, which includes items from the late 15th to the early 19th century, is still being catalogued, and until completed the full richness or exact size of our holdings cannot be determined (although we estimate it is around 12,500 items).

A selection of our items can be viewed here, and we hope to digitise more of our collection in the future.