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Two Charles Darwin manuscripts were reported to have been stolen from the Cambridge University library two decades after they were last seen.
The staff believed that the precious items had been “misplaced” within the vast archives in late 2000 and the matter was not reported to Cambridgeshire Police until 20 October this year. The force said it launched an investigation and notified Interpol.
It’s difficult to estimate the value of the notebooks, given their unique nature, but it would likely cost many millions of pounds, the library said.
The two notebooks, including Darwin’s 1837 tree of life sketch, were removed from storage for photography in the library’s photographic unit, where the work was recorded as completed in November 2000.
During a subsequent routine check in January 2001, it was discovered that the small blue box containing the notebooks had not been returned to its proper place.
Dr Jessica Gardner, the university librarian and director of library services since 2017, said: “My predecessors really believed that what had happened was that they had been archived or archived incorrectly and conducted extensive searches over the years on that genuine belief.
“Now we have completely reviewed as a new team what happened and we come to the conclusion that this is not a sufficient position or a set of actions to take.”
He said “extensive construction work” was underway at the library at the time the items were found to be missing.
There have been continuous searches since the notebooks disappeared, he said, and it is now believed that “a robbery has likely occurred.” Gardner reported the matter to the police.
An information appeal has been launched with the advice of outside experts, including in the art and antiquities crime unit of the metropolitan police, Dr. Gardner said. She said there were no leads.
Dr. Mark Purcell, Deputy Director of Research Collections, said he was confident that the manuscripts could not be sold on the open market and that it was possible that they had “gone under.”
He said he expected a similar result to that of London’s Lambeth Palace, where items were stolen after the bombings during World War II.
“More than forty years later, literally as a consequence of a deathbed crisis of conscience, those elements came to light and were returned to Lambeth and I think that is the kind of result that we and all institutions of this kind clearly we would like to wait. stop, ”he said.
The Cambridge University Library has more than 130 miles (210 km) of bookshelves and houses around 10 million books, maps, manuscripts and other objects.
Earlier this year a fingertip search was carried out in key areas, including the entire Darwin archive, comprising 189 archive boxes, but failed to locate the notebooks.
Gardner said the security policy was different 20 years ago, adding: “Today, any such significant lost object would be reported as possible theft immediately and a widespread search would be initiated.
She said, “I am heartbroken. We have dedicated our entire career to the preservation of cultural heritage and we are devastated by what has happened ”.
Darwin’s two notebooks had been previously digitized and their content is available online.
Professor Stephen J. Toope, Vice Chancellor of the University, said: “The Cambridge University Library is one of the best libraries in the world and houses collections of global importance, collected and cared for over more than six centuries, spanning thousands of years of human thought and discovery.
“As a result of this request for help, we hope to locate the lost Darwin notebooks and restore them to their rightful place along with the other treasures in the university library, making them available to scholars and researchers for centuries to come.”
Anyone who may have information on the lost notebooks should contact the Cambridge University Library by email at [email protected].
