Archbishop Robert Leighton died in London on 25 June 1684.^[2] His will, written on 17 February 1683, left a small token to his sister and her son, Saphira and Edward Lightmaker of Broadhurst.^[2][4] They jointly became executors to Leighton's will and carried out his wishes to have his books bequeathed to Dunblane Cathedral.^[2] Edward wrote to the Bishop of Dunblane on 8 July to inform him that the books were ready to be transported by sea and that a sum of £100 had been put aside for the building of a chamber to house the books.^[2]

The library was completed in 1687, with Dr James Fall, the Principal of the University of Glasgow, coming to inspect the building erected in his friend's memory.^[2] The total cost of the works was £162 2s. 6d. sterling, which included the payment for more land for the foundations of the building and was paid for by the Lightmakers.^[2][5]

The Lightmakers also donated a sum of £200 to provide a salary for the librarian and also to go towards the upkeep of the library.^[5] The oldest book in Leighton's collection was a copy of Herbert's Exquisitio, which is dated 1504. Other books of interest include the works Justin Martyr, Walton's Biblia Polyglotta in six volumes and the works of St Augustine.^[5]

There have been donations of books to the library over the year. Shortly after it opened, it received a large donation from James Turner of Dunblane.^[2] In the early 18th century, another large donation came from Thomas Hislop; these included several 17th-century books. Other donors include Dr David Laing and George Paton.^[2]

The trustees of the Leighton Library voted to offer the service of a public subscription to the library on 31 October 1734.^[1] The first to pay for the service were two of the trustees, Sir James Campbell and Sir Hugh Paterson, with each of them giving £3.^[1] Although the readership contained small numbers, the high quality of the collection meant that there was constant support from the gentry, professionals and the clergy.^[1]

It was in the 19th century that the library had a rise in numbers; this was due to the mineral wells that had been discovered on the Cromlix Estate in 1813.^[1] During the period where the wells had many visitors, the trustees offered a temporary membership to the library for 2s. 6d. a fortnight.^[1] By 1831, the subscription to the library had risen to 10s. 6d. for full members.^[1] Dunblane was over-shadowed by Bridge of Allan for its water, and the library struggled to keep its readers: by 1843, the subscription to the library had fallen to 5s.^[1]

The two-storey building consists of one apartment which is entered from a stone staircase, beneath the apartment are two vaults which have previously been used as a plasterer's store and at a later point as a painter's store.^[5] The library is lit by three windows, two to the west of the building and one to the south, it is a wood lined library with sixteen bookcases lining the walls and low presses for books stand in the centre of the room.^[5][3] The fore-stair into the building had originally run from east to west but at the start of the 19th century it was changed to run north to south.^[5]

During the period of 1842-1870, the library was briefly opened for general reading,^[5] and was then closed from the mid 1850s.^[3] At the beginning of the 20th century the building had fallen into neglect and was affected by damp and, during World War II, an air-raid shelter was constructed within its vaults. During the 1950s and 1980s renovation, repair, and cataloguing was carried out, and the library was officially re-opened in May 1990.^[5] The library's collection has grown from 1,400 books to 4,500 books.^[3] The library was given listed status as of 5 October 1971, and is a category A listed building.^[3][6]

• List of Category A listed buildings in Stirling
• List of listed buildings in Dunblane

• Leighton Library, Dunblane Website
• Leighton Library Collection at Stirling University
• Dunblane Cathedral Online