Chetham's Library: the First Free Public Reference Library in the United Kingdom

Chetham’s Library in Manchester, England, established in 1653 under the will of merchant Humphrey Chetham, for the education of "the sons of honest, industrious and painful parents", and as a library for the use of scholars. is the oldest free public reference library in the United Kingdom, and perhaps the first free public library in the English speaking world.