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🧵Early subscription libraries in Yorkshire emerged in the 18th century. These libraries allowed middle-class members to pool money to buy and preserve books. The most important example is The Leeds Library, founded in 1768 and the oldest surviving proprietary subscription

It was probably well into the back half of the 19th century when wealthy industrialists began funding public libraries in the UK on a large scale . Probably the earliest though was Cheatham's in Manchester in the 17th century.