Enriqueta Rylands is one of the most influencer philanthropists in the history of the United Kingdom. Enriqueta was born in Cuba where her British paternal family had economic interests. Knowing her story opens us up to the relations that Spain had in Cuba and other parts of Latin America with the British and French through trading companies during the 19th century. As a result of these relations, she met her husband, the merchant John Rylands, a merchant of industrial Manchester, to whom she dedicated the foundation of the John Rylands Library in Manchester. 

Elizabeth Gow is a manuscript curator at the John Rylands Library in Manchester, and is also undertaking a PhD on the founder of the Library, Enriqueta Rylands (1843-1908), based in the Institute for Cultural Practices at the University of Manchester.

Elizabeth’s research explores and analyses Enriqueta Rylands’s book collecting between 1889 and 1908 (when she died), investigating how her tastes, personal values and practical resources combined to shape a major educational and cultural institution. Elizabeth also curates exhibitions and blogs about Enriqueta Rylands, most recently exploring her Cuban origins in the context of racism and colonisation as part of the ongoing ‘Rylands reflects’ series.

This pre-recorded event will be premiered on our YouTube channel on 8th March at 1 pm (EST) : Instituto Cervantes Manchester - YouTube