Osmond de Beauvoir Priaulx's original bequest

 

Osmond de Beauvoir Priaulx was a scholar, author, and bibliophile who never returned to Guernsey to live after university.  A lawyer by profession, he married quite late, having lived the life of a bachelor of means in London, and having amassed a vast and scholarly collection of books, which forms the basis of the library today.  He was also apparently an enthusiastic genealogist and could recite from memory some of the more important family trees.  He remained interested in Guernsey affairs, and felt strongly that his fellow islanders should have free access to books.

A quotation from the autobiography of the philosopher Herbert Spencer reads:

"The other addition to my social circle was a gentleman with a remarkable name - Mr Osmond de Beauvoir Priaulx; the author of a work entitled Quaestiones Mosaicae.  He was famed for giving sumptuous dinners to somewhat select parties. [Then follows a description of some of the guests, including the author Thackeray.] Mr. Priaulx was called by his friends an intellectual sybarite, and while one of these words was justified by the character of his parties, the other was justified by the quality of his dinners, which differed from other dinners, even of the elaborate kind, in that they always had a good deal of the unexpected; there were unusual dishes.  Various choice wines too, eight or ten in kind, came round in the course of dinner and dessert; of which the Château Yquem was always looked forward to by the guests as yielding the culminating pleasure of the feast."

In Tait's Edinburgh Magazine of 1837, another of his famous works is reviewed:

" ... the State and Prospects of Education ... The volume of the author with the foreign-looking name of Osmond de Beauvoir Priaulx, though he is, we are informed, an English gentleman, is a fine emanation of the spirit of humanity—the speculation of a philosopher, of highly refined mind and warm philanthropy, whose theories command reverence from hard, practical men, even while they may reasonably doubt about how they are to be put in action. Educators should read his book, if not to follow his methods, yet to soften their hearts and enlarge their charity. ... a work containing so much sound and original thought ... (page 742)"

His gift to the people of Guernsey, made several years before his death, not only included Candie House and gardens, but also his entire library.

His books now form part of the various collections housed within the library, and the Priaulx Library has a duty and responsibility to look after them, on behalf of the people of Guernsey, in perpetuity.

Many of his own books contain his distinctive bookplate. As well as history and geography, he also collected fiction and poetry, items reflecting his interest in genealogy, and even material from the orient.  Visit the library to find out more about this fascinating collection.  Also, many of the books are now catalogued and can be searched online.