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Henry VIII had over fifty palaces each with its own collection of books.  The “Keeper of the King’s library” was paid £10 a year for his services.  The main library was in Richmond and was apparently a personal collection accumulated by successive monarchs.  In need of information in preparation for the royal divorce, the king and his advisers looked to the monastic libraries for resources.  This was during the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and as it turned out Henry VIII ended up providing a safe haven for many monastic books that would have otherwise been lost or destroyed.

Carley, James P. “The Royal Library under Henry VIII.” 1400–1557. Eds. Lotte Hellinga and J. B. Trapp. Cambridge University Press, 1999. Cambridge Histories Online. Cambridge University Press. 11 June 2009 DOI:10.1017/CHOL9780521573467.015

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