Chesshyre Library, founded in 1733 by Sir

John Chesshyre Sir John Chesshyre (11 November 1662 – 15 May 1738) was an English lawyer who rose to the position of king's first serjeant. Family background Sir John Chesshyre was born at Hallwood, Runcorn, Cheshire, the son of Thomas and Catherine Ches ...

, was one of the earliest free public libraries in England. It is now a meeting room attached to St Mary's Church Hall in Halton,

Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

History

In 1733, Sir John Chesshyre, a wealthy lawyer, built one of the earliest free libraries in England at Halton and left an endowment in his

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

for its maintenance. The building, probably to a design by Francis Smith, was largely completed by 1730. But the ill health of Chesshyre's brother, Robert, who was overseeing the works, delayed its opening. The library had 400 books when it opened which were mainly

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