Welcome

Books from the Congregational Library unpacked and on the shelves

Welcome to our website. We hope you’ll find it useful, inspiring and informative. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Who we are

The Congregational Memorial Hall Trust was founded in 1872 to create a memorial to those Christian ministers who were forced out of their positions in the Church of England following the Act of Uniformity in 1662. The fund established by the Trust was used to create the Congregational Library and encourage and assist Biblical studies.

Since 1872 the Library has occupied a number of sites in London and until recently was lodged with Dr Williams’s Library in Gordon Square, London, who managed the Congregational Library collections on behalf of the Trust. The Congregational Memorial Hall Trust and Westminster College, Cambridge, are pleased to announce a new partnership which will see the Congregational Library relocated to, and working out of, the College.

Accessing our printed collections

You are welcome to visit the Congregational Library to consult its collections. Requests for access should be made to the Congregational Librarian, Jacqueline Reiter (01223 330637). Access is conditional on your agreeing to its regulations by signing this form. More information on how to access the Library can be found here.

The Congregational Library’s online catalogue can be accessed here.

Accessing our archives and manuscripts

Click here to access the Congregational Library manuscripts handlist.

For the Archive of Ministers’ Papers, please click here.

Otherwise, choose from the following links:

Congregational Lectures

The Congregational Lecture has been held every year since 1987. Previous Congregational Lectures can be downloaded from this page.

News

Books from the Congregational Library unpacked and on the shelves

Congregational Library monthly update for January 2025

Hello and welcome to the first of a series of Congregational Library monthly updates, and there’s a lot of big news to kick off with. The biggest is that the library is moving to Westminster College, Cambridge, following a partnership between the College and the Congregational Memorial Hall Trust. It’s going to be a long […]

The Congregational Library appoints a new Librarian

The Congregational Library are pleased to announce the appointment of a new Librarian. Jacqueline Reiter received a PhD in history from the University of Cambridge in 2006 and an MA in Library and Information Studies from University College London in 2009. After several years working in a number of specialist libraries, including the Legal Library […]

Librarian Required for the Congregational Library

The Congregational Memorial Hall Trust is seeking a part time Librarian to manage and develop the Congregational Library which has recently relocated from London to Westminster College, Cambridge. The job advertisement, job description and other documents and information can be downloaded here. Job Advertisement Job Description Person Specification Background Equality and diversity monitoring form

Looking after your church history

Interested in looking after your Church history – see our guidance here.

More about the Reformation and Non-conformity

The way that Non-conformity grew out of the Reformation and influenced more than three hundred years of British and global history is often hidden from the national narrative.

From John Owen, born in 1616, who lived through the turbulent years of the Civil War, to the great non-conformists of the 19th century, who ministered when dissent from the Established Church was itself a bar to education and public office, and into the early 20th century, with its terrible wars and upheavals, they shaped the world in which we live now. Read more