George Lee d.1597

George LEE d.1597

Biographical Note

BA Trinity College, Cambridge 1568, fellow 1570, MA 1571, BD 1587; vicar of Barrington, Cambridgeshire 1594-97.

Books

A number of books survive with Lee's inscription, and although the extent of his library is not known he clearly had an appreciable one for his time. In his will, he bequeathed to Trinity College all such books of his "as shall seeme meete for the same and there wantinge", at the discretion of the master; he also left £20 to the college towards the cost of a new library. He made several small monetary bequests to his nephews and godchildren, and left his houses and tenements in Aldgate to his brother Christopher; the fate of any books not selected by the college is not clear. A number of his books survive in Trinity today, some of them apparently owned by Thomas Neville before reaching the college library; others are dispersed around other libraries. Examples: Trinity College D.11.18, S.5.39; St Catharine's College, Cambridge D.II.21-2; Gonville & Caius College K.10.24.

Characteristic Markings

Lee regularly inscribed his name, along with a date, place and price of purchase, at the top of his titlepages. Many of his books are in contemporary Cambridge bindings.

Lee's inscription, from the titlepage of Trinity College D.11.18, A. Osiander, In evangelium secundum Matthaeum, 1553

Sources

• Cambridge University Library GBR/0265/UA/VCCt Wills 3b(18) (Lee's original will).
• Venn, J. and J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge, 1922.