Book of Common Prayer

A leather book with family bible written on the spine. It is at a slanted angle so the spine and front cover can be seen. there is a black, white and coloured scale to the right.

Object Identification

  • Object name: Book of Common Prayer
  • Date: Printed in 1635 by The University of Cambridge printers (later binding)
  • Owner: Lesley Hirst
  • Measurements: 62mm deep x 233mm tall x 175mm width. Weight – 1.67 KG
Damage spine of a leather book with a black, white and coloured scale to the right.
A leather book with family bible written on the spine. There is a black, white and coloured scale to the right.
A small piece of leather with family bible on it on a white background. There are a pair of hands, one is holding a cotton swab.
Spine of book with clingfilm at the top. There is a hand holding some tweezers picking at the spine.

Object Summary

Leather bound ‘Book of Common Prayer’ appertaining to the Smith Family of Baston, Lincolnshire. Printed by the University of Cambridge in 1635, it features annotations relating to births, deaths and marriages in the family, with an unusual transcription of a letter found 18 miles from Jerusalem purported to have been written by Jesus Christ. The bible has been rebound at some point during its lifetime and would have originally featured a spine with raised cords. Various tests were carried out on the object including X-Ray which showed the presence of pins lodged in the gutter of the text block. Subsequent findings of flower petals and lavender in the book suggest it was used by a family member to press flowers. 

This object was conserved by Michael Hall. Find out more about him by clicking on the profile below!

Michael Hall