Gould Auctions - Wedgewood Bible

Contained in this 17^th century WEDGWOOD FAMILY BIBLE, is the introduction in Enoch Wood Sr.’s hand: “The youngest son of Aaron, Grand son of Ralph, I Enoch Wood bought this Bible at John Locknets sale by auction and had it newly bound about the year 1820 AD”. What follows is nothing short of remarkable and spectacular as in Enoch Wood Sr.’s own hand, is his own family tree; a story of the inspiration for his becoming a potter; whom he first hired at his pottery business and what he paid them; detailed descriptions of some of his most prized work; his deep seated sorrow and emotional entries upon losing family members; a most amazing tale of stowing early pieces of Staffordshire Pottery in baskets and placing them in the walls of a newly built church in Burslem and much, much, much more! And then, there are handwritten entries by the recipient of the bible upon EW Sr.’s death….. ENOCH WOOD Jr. in his own hand writes an amazingly poignant 16 page tribute to his father which highlights his Dad’s life in great detail, including stories of John Wesley “sitting” for the bust which EW Sr. created; EW Sr.’s amazement at the request of the accomplished London artist (Sir) Joshua Reynolds to paint his (Enoch Wood Sr.) portrait from which prints were made and sold……”even in America”; A significant observation of the close ties of EW Sr. to the “Wesleyan Body” and his close friendships with John Wesley, Dr. Coke and W Newton and “yet he never joined their body and preferred the Church as his place of worship”; A detailed physical description of EW Sr. that includes EW Jr., exclaiming that his father was a “great race runner” in his youth Also, a poignant description of the “private” funeral that was not to be as nearly the entire town of Burslem formed a parade behind the family, to escort them to the final resting place of Enoch Wood Sr. ……. plus much, much more in the hand of EW Sr. and EW Jr. And WHY was EW Sr. SO INTERESTED in THIS BIBLE that he would have purchased it at auction in 1820, had it rebound, post his manuscripts and pass it on to his son Enoch Wood Jr.???? The answer is that this Bible was once the bible of Dr. THOMAS WEDGWOOD (to whom EW Sr.’s father Aaron Wood apprenticed) and is inscribed in Wedgwood’s own hand “Thos Wedgwood his Book” which appears on a page that contains WEDGWOOD FAMILY birth dates of William Wedgwood, Joseph Wedgwood, Mary Wedgwood and Thomas Wedgwood. Also appearing is a notation that MARY WEDGWOOD gave this Bible to Alice Mitchell in 1749. Other family names appearing in the Bible are Malkin, Meir, Bunting, Mitchell and Hollins. At the very back of the Bible is a handwritten section that is dated August 26^th, 1791 and titled “A True & Perfect Copy of the Terrier of the Paris Church of Burslem” and is “Attested to by us …. John Robinson ….John Telwright”. The latest handwritten entry in the bible is this signature: “William H. Small Searsport, Maine 1859”. Much of the information contained in this personal Bible has never before been seen. It is assumed that some of the entries were copied, verbatim by Enoch Wood Sr. into this bible, from his personal diaries, as his diaries contain verbatim entries. The 1630 Bible was printed by Robert Barker in London. The bible measures 168mm by 120mm or 6 5/8” by 4 5/8”. Its backboard is partially detached otherwise the Bible is in strong condition with only minor random tears and page discoloration. The Bible and manuscripts have been inspected and authenticated by an internationally known ephemera expert and are guaranteed to be correct and authentic in every way! A remarkable coastal Maine, attic find which has never before been offered.