Mocatta Manuscripts
Item
Country
GB
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
Contact information: phone number
0044 (0) 20 7679 7792
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
spec.coll@ucl.ac.uk
Reference number
MS MOCATTA
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (official language of the state)
Mocatta Manuscripts
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
Frederic David Mocatta
Date note
14th century/20th century
Language(s)
eng
heb
Extent
76 storage units
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Mocatta Manuscripts collection comprises a mixture of religious and non-religious material, including service books, fragments of the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, prayer books, letters, diaries, calendars, and drawings. One of its highlights is a Manuscript Haggadah, produced in the first half of the 14th century, presumably in Castile (MS MOCATTA/1). It is made of parchment and richly decorated in ink, gouache, and silver and gold leaf. This item is notable for the use of micrographic text, the minute decorative text found throughout the manuscript. The micrography, and indeed the entire manuscript, may have been the work of a scribe known as Jacob, who was active in Barcelona in the second quarter of the 14th century. See the description in Mann and Glick (1992) and Avrin (1991). The collection also includes liturgical and religious manuscripts from the Sephardic community of London, such as a collection of Sermons, lectures, and a responsum by David Aaron de Sola (1796-1860) (MS MOCATTA/65) and an Order of service for circumcision according to the custom in the Jewish congregation of London, dating 1782 or 1783 (MS MOCATTA/72).
Archival history
The Mocatta Library was jointly founded by University College of London and the Jewish Historical Society of England in 1906, after the philanthropist and bibliophile Frederic David Mocatta (1828–1905) left his vast library to the Society. Mocatta's collection was enriched by other donations and purchases in the early 20th century, becoming one of the finest and most comprehensive Jewish Studies libraries in the United Kingdom. Tragically, the library was destroyed by bombing in 1940; only the rarest books, pamphlets and manuscripts survived, having been moved to Wales for safekeeping.
However, the library was quickly re-constituted through donations from many individuals and organisations, including the Jewish collections of the Guildhall Library, and the extensive libraries of the journalist Asher Myers (1848-1902) and the American scholar Cyrus Adler (1863-1940). It continued to be enlarged after the war. The Mocatta Library was merged with the University College of London's other Jewish collections in 1990.
However, the library was quickly re-constituted through donations from many individuals and organisations, including the Jewish collections of the Guildhall Library, and the extensive libraries of the journalist Asher Myers (1848-1902) and the American scholar Cyrus Adler (1863-1940). It continued to be enlarged after the war. The Mocatta Library was merged with the University College of London's other Jewish collections in 1990.
Administrative / Biographical history
Frederic David Mocatta (1828-1905) was a British philanthropist, historian, bibliophile, and patron of learning. From 1857 to 1874, he directed the firm (founded by his grandfather) of Mocatta and Goldsmid, bullion brokers to the Bank of England. Upon retirement, he devoted his time to charitable works.
Mocatta’s chief historical work is The Jews of Spain and Portugal and the Inquisition (1877), which was later translated into several languages. He is perhaps best remembered as a patron of learning and as a bibliophile. He subsidised the publication of such major works as Leopold Zunz's Zur Geschichte und Literatur (1845) and the classic History of the Jews (1891–92), a condensed and updated translation of Heinrich Graetz’s Geschichte der Juden von den ältesten Zeiten bis auf die Gegenwart, 11 vol. (1853–76). Mocatta bequeathed his library of Jewish history and English Judaica to the University College of London.
Mocatta’s chief historical work is The Jews of Spain and Portugal and the Inquisition (1877), which was later translated into several languages. He is perhaps best remembered as a patron of learning and as a bibliophile. He subsidised the publication of such major works as Leopold Zunz's Zur Geschichte und Literatur (1845) and the classic History of the Jews (1891–92), a condensed and updated translation of Heinrich Graetz’s Geschichte der Juden von den ältesten Zeiten bis auf die Gegenwart, 11 vol. (1853–76). Mocatta bequeathed his library of Jewish history and English Judaica to the University College of London.
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Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2023