Pickford collection

The Pickford collection is rich in material relating to medieval and modern French literature, Arthurian romance, and the development of French and English languages.

The collection consists of approximately 1,200 books and journals, as well as additional material including theses, maps, lecture notes, off-prints and other ephemera.

How to access the collection

The collection is held in the Morrell Library and the King's Manor Library. Most items are available for loan. A number of older or rarer items, including early publications and woodcuts dating from the 17th century, are held in our Rare Books Collection and may be consulted by appointment in the Borthwick Institute for Archives.

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About the collection

The collectors

Cedric Edward Pickford (1926-1983) was a Professor in Medieval French literature at the University of Hull. The library was given to the British branch of the International Arthurian Society and deposited with the University Library. The main subject areas are Arthurian legend, literature and romance, Old English language and grammar, Medieval French history and culture and medieval French literature and drama.

Acquisition

Cedric Pickford bequeathed the collection to the Centre for Medieval Studies, in association with the British branch of the International Arthurian Society, in 1984.

Related collections

The collection overlaps with the Wormald and Newton and Newbold collections (eg Medieval history and language). It is also augmented by the Karen Hodder collection (similar topics) and the Stephen Copley collection (books on the 'long eighteenth century').