Page 5 | I’ve found an enormous - I mean enormous - old bible in the rafters of my loft

TheBramley · 2025-02-08T20:45:52+00:00

It’s got marriage, birth and death inscriptions in the front pages from 1840. It’s in a bad way but fully intact. What should I do with it? I live in an ex local authority properly from about 1950. It was behind the old wadding.

Titasaducksarse · 08/02/2025 23:57

I had one...think it went to the tip

Calmomiletea · 08/02/2025 23:59

Read it! Men died so that we could read it.

TakeMyLifeAndLetItBe · 09/02/2025 00:25

Calmomiletea · 08/02/2025 23:59

Read it! Men died so that we could read it.

They did, indeed.

Onthemaintrunkline · 09/02/2025 00:28

Perhaps contact ‘The Repair Shop’ tv program. They have a chap on there that does truly amazing restoration jobs on old books. Love it when he’s on, what he can’t do with a falling apart old book isn’t worth knowing! The story might just appeal to the producers or whoever of the Show.

Justdontknowanymore2024 · 09/02/2025 00:50

How amazing

PennyApril54 · 09/02/2025 00:51

Wow that's fantastic. I'm so glad it was found by someone who understands it's value/ significance and not someone who would just bin it.

Toddlerhelpplease123 · 09/02/2025 01:04

Unpaidviewer · 08/02/2025 22:49

Have you considered it was put there for a reason? I'd put it back.

Absolutely this!!

It was in the wadding OP. It’s supposed to be there. Don’t muck with the juju of the house!

PigletJohn · 09/02/2025 01:17

I can think of nothing less likely to be imbued with evil spirits.

wibdib · 09/02/2025 01:24

MJconfessions · 08/02/2025 23:38

Well your options seem straightforward to me, keep it or get rid of it. If it’s not particularly sentimental then no point keeping it. I personally can’t imagine there’s much of a market for it so it’s unlikely to sell for much. Maybe some collector might want it but I wouldn’t assume it would get snapped up for a high price. Just donate it somewhere.

Years ago my gran got her old family bible rebound as it was getting old and worn. Sadly the person that did it was unscrupulous and cut off the the front and back cover, the spine and the first and last few pages, so she lost all the family tree and notes that had been written in it, then replaced them with a very ordinary bit of plasticised cardboard.

She was heartbroken - he had said he was going to do it sensitively and nothing would be lost, but when she asked for the old pages back he claimed that they had been thrown away so he no longer had them…

She later found out that he was well known for doing this sort of thing and if he came across a nice Bible he would take the front and back off and put it onto a fake middle bit - either to use in old libraries as filler books for fancy old libraries or interior decorators that wanted a few more yards of books to add to their shelves, or to turn into boxes to hide things in etc.

so if it looks nice, there may well be some value to it if you can’t track down the original owners.

lnks · 09/02/2025 01:36

I possibly watch too many horror movies with hauntings and demonic possessions but, in answer to your question, I would put it back where it was and definitely wouldn’t remove it from your house!

pollycallout · 09/02/2025 02:07

FreedomandPeace · 08/02/2025 21:34

Well off Catholic families maybe, not us Irish lot who lost it all 😒

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My family is a very poor Irish family, who immigrated to the UK and lived in the literal slums of Glasgow we had one and my husbands family very similar back ground, poor Irish catholic immigrants also have one.

Sugargliderwombat · 09/02/2025 02:28

Unpaidviewer · 08/02/2025 22:49

Have you considered it was put there for a reason? I'd put it back.

Me too, not Sure if it's becayse it's 2am and I can't sleep but I've found this very spine tingling! 😂

ThoroughlyModernNotMillie · 09/02/2025 02:56

Titasaducksarse · 08/02/2025 23:57

I had one...think it went to the tip

How awful, I can't believe there was no one in your family interested in family history who would want to keep it. They're a mine of information for family historians, I treasure the one I've got. It's wonderful to have something like that passed through the generations.

Clarabellasingsthisbit · 09/02/2025 03:08

I've got one.It's in Welsh and has my great-grandfather's name embossed on the spine,but the bookplate from the inside front is missing which is a great shame. It's massive and very heavy indeed!

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 09/02/2025 03:29

Is it a First Edition?

I’ve found an enormous - I mean enormous - old bible in the rafters of my loft

FreedomandPeace · 09/02/2025 03:40

pollycallout · 09/02/2025 02:07

My family is a very poor Irish family, who immigrated to the UK and lived in the literal slums of Glasgow we had one and my husbands family very similar back ground, poor Irish catholic immigrants also have one.

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Ours didn’t have enough to eat let alone buy books or paper. It would be amazing to have something from the family going back to the mid 1850s!

Although as no one could read or write I don’t know what they’d do with it or how they’d write their marriages and births down anyway.

Passwordsaremynemesis · 09/02/2025 04:19

We have a similar one in my family, on my father’s side. It would have passed down to me but I am not religious so let a more devout family member have it. My mother’s name was tippexed out of it by my granny when she divorced my dad, which my mum found hilarious, I think she was added back in again as her erasal made me look illegitimate in the family tree.😁

Oblomov25 · 09/02/2025 04:33

Wow. Lovely op. Glad pictures are now allowed again.

rwalker · 09/02/2025 06:23

Put it back it would creep me out
reminds me of the start of a horror film where disturbing things like this kick things off

HoraceCope · 09/02/2025 06:57

have you got any antique book shops or second hand book shops that might pay you for it

CoffeeCantata · 09/02/2025 07:45

teaandyarn · 08/02/2025 20:48

Google image search? Might be valuable

I don't think these old family bibles are particularly valuable - a few quid, perhaps - but they are really interesting historically and as pps have said, it's worth researching the family if you can - or passing it on to someone who will do this. Possibly a local museum might be interested??

CharityShopChic · 09/02/2025 08:10

I would offer it to your local family history centre or archives.

EarlierDistraction · 09/02/2025 08:24

I’d offer it to the local museum or family history society or similar. I seem to remember my grandparents having one but hopefully I won’t end up with it as I’m not really interested and constantly trying to declutter but would feel obliged to keep it.

neverknowinglyunreasonable · 09/02/2025 08:43

Jennaveeve · 08/02/2025 21:54

@neverknowinglyunreasonable I’m embarrassed for you. Are you the sort of person who absolutely has to make everything a joke. It must be very trying for everyone around you.

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Thank you so much for your message. I'm sorry I caused you to be embarrassed. I've had a good think about my life this morning and never again will I leave silly messages on the internet. Sorry to everyone I've hurt.

EarlierDistraction · 09/02/2025 08:49

neverknowinglyunreasonable · 09/02/2025 08:43

Thank you so much for your message. I'm sorry I caused you to be embarrassed. I've had a good think about my life this morning and never again will I leave silly messages on the internet. Sorry to everyone I've hurt.

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Well, I thought it was funny, it’s not as if it was a thread about something really upsetting where it would be inappropriate. I’m embarrassed for the person who pulled you up on it.