The Bamburghe Castle Library was collected by three generations of the Sharp family, beginning with John Sharp, Archbishop of York (1644-1714), who had been collecting books from about 1660. The Sharp family were also successively Trustees of Lord Crewe’s Charity and curates of Bamburgh. Nathaniel, Lord Crewe, Bishop of Durham, had purchased Bamburgh Castle in the early eighteenth century. One of the result of the bequests made by Lord Crewe was the purchase in 1779 of the library of Thomas Sharp (1725-72) to form the nucleus of a library for the use of the alternating resident Trustees.

This rare first catalogue of the library at Bamburgh Castle was prompted by the gift of the library of John Sharp (1723-92) Archdeacon and Prebenary of Durham which was added to the collections formed by his brother Thomas and earlier members of the family. The bequest was made on the understanding that the library was to remain at Bamburgh Castle. Indeed, it remained there until 1958, when it was deposited with the university library in Durham.
Martin, Privately Printed Books, p. 144; Doyle, ‘Unfamiliar Libraries IV’ in The Book Collector, Spring 1959.