The Mechanics Institute movement was begun by Dr George Birbeck of Glasgow University in the early 19th century. Finding that he could not buy the apparatus he needed he invited workmen to make the items and started lectures and classes for their instruction. Banbury Mechanics Institute was formed in 1835 and membership grew rapidly to 193 by the end of the year. by 1884 the Institute had outgrown their original premises in Church Passage and new premises were provided by Sir Bernhard Samuelson on Marlborough Road. The library of the Institute was popular reaching over 10,000 volumes in 1894. In 1923 the name was changed to the Banbury Institute and Library and after the Second World War the Borough Council took over its running; opening Banbury Library in 1948.
The records were deposited by Banbury Library as Acc 5632 in April 2007 and Acc 6624 in October 2017. Catalogued by Alison Smith in October 2017.
Open
with a register of attendance at the end of the volume
found inside O51/A1/9
The Manuscript Magazines contain essays poems and obervations on a wide range of subjects including science, philosophy, grammar as well as matters of local interest and customs. At the end of the earliest volumes are astronomical and meterological obervations of recent weather conditions.The first editors of the magazine were W. Biggs, W Potts and Arthur Beesley.
Vol. 1
Vol. 2
Vol. 3
Vol. 4
Vol. 6
Vol. 7
Vol. 8
Vol. 9 this volumes contains details of Banbury's celebration of the coronation of Queen Victoria
Vol. 10, this volume contains a list of all the cricket matches played by Banbury Cricket Club 1836-1838
Vol. 11
Vol. 12
Vol. 13
Vol. 14
Vol. 15
Vol. 16
Vol. 17
Vol. 18
Vol. 19 with am example of early photography
Vol. 20
Vol. 22
Vol. 23
Vol. 24
Vol. 25
Vol. 26
Vol. 27
Vol. 28
Vol. 1
Vol. 2
Vol. 4
Vol. 5
Vol. 6
Vol. 7
found inside O51/A1/6
found inside O51/A1/6