Ruth's Blog

This leather bound Holy Bible, in two volumes, was published in 1827 by J McGowan and Son in London.  The first name inscribed in the Bible was Alexander James Furnish in 1829.  There are 36 names across both of the volumes.  Both volumes have reused paper as the first and last pages.  The first volume goes from Genesis through to Songs of Solomon, and the second volume starts with Isaiah and finishes with Revelation.

The reason I chose the Bible, is the fact that during the Victorian era many people started to turn away from religion and focus more on science, mainly due to the industrial revolution. So to be able to find a Bible with such a religious ownership is interesting, it also gives you an insight to the life and deaths within the Furnish family.  One sad fact is that the Furnishes had a daughter called Louisa Ann who died at age three.

Another reason I chose the Bible was that the Bible and Christianity has a big effect on how we live our lives and we don't even realise it.  For example the fact that we even have weekends is based on the creation story in Genesis, the fact that God rested after his work creating the world.  Christmas is another one since the whole holiday is based on the birth of Jesus.  Although Christianity isn't as openly practised in our modern society, we still hold a lot of the Christian beliefs and practices almost subconsciously.  It’s also rather interesting to think about how the religion has changed over the years and the different Christian denominations that use the Bible: Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed, Methodist, and Anglican. The denominations’ beliefs and ideals can differ significantly.

I personally believe that we should pay more interest in the Bibles owned by our families (if there are any) because it can give clarity about at least a portion of your family.