I have on my shelf two fairly old secondhand books. Each of them belonged to one of my great-grandfathers, and I think they say something about what they valued in life.
My mother's mother's father had a copy of William Gurnall's "Christian in Complete Armour". The date of the edition is 1862. It has a decent binding, though not deluxe, and it has suffered over the years. It was originally the property of a Mr Williamson of Notting Hill (or at least, he was the first to put his name in it) but it was given to my great grandfather on 8th Sept 1920, as a present from a Mrs Thorpe of the Aged Pilgrims' Asylum in Camberwell. I am curious as to whether the book was a kind of official gift associated with some service rendered to the APA, if so, what had Grandad Carpenter done for them, and was Mrs Thorpe connected to, perhaps a daughter of, Mr Williamson?
Whatever the history of this copy of the book in my family, there is no doubt about the value of the work itself. William Gurnall was a Puritan minister from Kings Lynn who ministered for a long period at Lavenham in Suffolk. He remained in the Church of England after the Act of Uniformity in 1662, which lost him many friends amongst the 2000 and more who were forced out. It was during his ministry at Lavenham that he wrote the three volumes which became the full Christian in Complete Armour. John Newton,
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| Oswald Beaumont Carpenter with Sainsbury's staff in 1899. |
My grandad Brunker gained the book through marriage to Ruth Carpenter, daughter of
Oswald Beaumont. I know he had read it, and valued it, as I have, although in my case not this copy which is possibly too fragile for comfortable reading. I am glad to have it because of family history and the evidence it shows of where my grandad and great grandad were at.
The other book is a beautifully bound edition (1876) of the Methodist Hymn Book (or A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists). It too came into my family second hand (the second hand book thing is clearly deeply rooted with us, on both sides of the clan). It was originally given
as a presentation to a Mrs Slater on the occasion of her laying one of the memorial stones at the new Wesleyan Chapel, Etwall, Derbyshire in 1883. I think that this chapel was in effect an extension of an existing building. In the book a Leicester address has been crossed through From what I can tell, Slaters were quite prominent people in the Leicestershire Methodist scene, hence her being asked to lay a foundation stone, I guess.
The only other address is in St Albans Road, Watford and dated 1897. I have always assumed that this is in my great grandfather John King's handwriting and was his address, but I can't be sure. I know that he lived further into London, in the Hornsey Rise area, and that his son, my grandad, subsequently lived in Watford.
What interests me with this book is that my great grandfather had it at all. He was a Gospel Standard Strict Baptist, and strictly speaking this Arminian volume should have been on his naughty shelf. But I love it! I think it is one of the greatest collections of hymns ever put together, and for anyone interested in Charles Wesley's hymns, as given a light editorial tweak by his brother, it is still an invaluable source. And I often wonder if John King actually looked on the hymns here with as much affection as I do, even though it would have been anathema in the chapels where he preached. Certainly my grandparents loved this book and its contents, and I am so glad to now have it in my care.
I am thankful for Oswald Beaumont Carpenter and John King. Without them, I wouldn't be here.
In more ways than one.
