It’s not a secret that I love old books and this is a King James Bible that dates from around 1633, which the priory has been able to date due to the inclusion of metrical psalms that weren’t in earlier editions. The Bible was important, it was the third translation into English that had been approved by the Church of England, with the first being the Great Bible in 1535 and the second being the Bishops’ Bible in 1568.
Unfortunately, the priory doesn’t know much about the heritage of this Bible, other than knowing it has been rebound. But, it’s likely that the Bible was used extensively in the church and it’s not in bad condition today. As a side issue, I’m not sure why the building is still known as Christchurch Priory (as its days as a priory have long since come to an end), I suspect it’s the reality that Christchurch Church doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue (although its formal name is the Priory Church of the Holy Trinity).