This Bible belonged to the Bell family. Joseph Bell was born on May 9th 1829. He married Elizabeth, who was born on October 22nd, 1833. Their marriage was conducted on September 12th, 1854, at St Pauls, Bristol, England. On the front pages of the bible there used to be a list of their ten children and their birthdates but there are only remnants of a heavy weight paper; the opposite Fly page with publication details is also missing, along with the Family Records section, which no longer has pages for Births and Marriages, only precise edges of two pages . The Bible is the King James Version, named after James Charles Stuart (1556-1625) who was King James VI of Scotland from 24 July 1567, and who was crowned King James I of England, France and Ireland from 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625. The Hampton Court Conference of 1604 commissioned a new and more accurate version of the Holy Bible that was translated from the original Sacred Scriptures and that included only the approved books. This task was undertaken be a group of learned scholars who worked in teams and compared notes, working to ensure a true and accurate version. It was completed in 1611 and became widely known as the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible and is still widely used and greatly respected for its poetic language. The first printed page of this Bible is the Translators Speech at the completed work which was handed over to King James I in 1611.This Bible was published after 1611, and likely to have been purchased at the time of the marriage of the previous owners, Joseph and Elizabeth Bell, in 1854, so it is possibly a century and a half old. The decorative cover and metal clasp are a sign that the Bible was a book to be treasured,. Indeed, our Collection included several Bibles brought to Australia by immigrants, even though luggage was tightly restricted. This Bible was once used as a family record, similar to Bibles printed in modern times, with lined blank pages in the centre for the owners to record their own, their ancestors' and their descendants' life events. Sadly, these pages are no longer within the Bible.Book, black textured leather front and back covers, gold leaf page edges, metal clasp on centre edge of front and back covers holds them together. The title is inscribed in gold embossing on the front cover. The Bible has coloured illustrations, cross references and maps. The front inside cover has remnants of a previous stuck-down page, the Fly page, and the Family Records pages for Births and Marriages has been cut out of the book. TITLE: The Holy Bible. PRINTER: University Press, London, England PREVIOUS OWNERS; Joseph and Elizabeth Bell, married in Bristol, England in 1854.Embossed in gold on cover: "HOLY BIBLE"warrnambool, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, religious book, bible, holy bible, king james bible, king james vi, king james i, 1611, kjv, joseph bell, elizabeth bell, st paul's church bristol, 1829, 1833, 1854, authorised king james version, authorised version, av, sacred scriptures

This King James version of the Holy Bible, with Old and New Testaments, was published in 1866 in London. The large Bible contains family records of Joseph Bell (born 9-5-1829) and Elizabeth Bell (born 22-101833). Joseph and Elizabeth Bell were married on 12-09-1854 in St Paul's church, in Bristol, England. The loose endpaper within the Bible is headed 'Singleton, 2nd day of 1st month 1869" It records their marriage and the birth of their ten children. between 1856 and 1878. It appears that the entries up until their 8th child were written at the same time, 2nd January 1869, with the last two entries for children number 9 and 10, written at a later date. This fits with the Bible being published in 1866. The children were Thomas, Mary, James, John, Ruth, Andrew, Joseph, Elizabeth, Lewis and Hannah. Further research is being carried out to connect this branch of the Bell family with local history.The Holy Bible is significant for being published over 150 years ago when printed books were very expensive. The book contains handwritten records of the Bell family of Bristol and is a significant source of the Bell family history. Book, black hard cover with embossed pattern and gold test, metal locking clasp. King James Version of the Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments. It was published by Oxford University Press in 1866. Inscriptions on the loose endpaper list the marriage of Joseph and Elizabeth Bell in 1854 at St Paul's, Bristol, England, and their ten children born from 1856 to 1878.Spine: "HOLY BIBLE" Fly: "THE HOLY BIBLE CONTAINING THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS: TRANSLATED OUT OF THE ORIGINAL TONGUES:: AND WITH THE FORMER TRANSLATIONS DILIGENTLY COMPARED AND REVISED, BY HIS MAJESTY'S SPECIAL COMMAND" "APPOINTED TO BE READ IN CHURCHES" "OXFORD: PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS FOR THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY, INSTITUTED IN LONDON IN THE YEAR 1804." "SOLD TO SUBSCRIBERS AT THE SOCIETY'S HOUSE, EARL STREET, BLACKFRIARS, LONDON." "MDCCCLXVI" (converts from Roman Numerals to the number 1866) LOGO with a motto: [shield with scroll, three crowns and test] "dominus illuminatio mea" (Latin, translates to "The Lord is My Light") On endpapers: Heading in script: "Singleton 2nd day of 1st month 1869" and listed below " Joseph Bell, born 9/5/1829 married Elizabeth Bell, born 22/10/1833 on 12/9/1854 at St Pauls, Bristol, England." (Numbered 1 to 10, their children and their birth dates, from 1856 to 1878, are also listed. The children were Thomas, Mary, James, John, Ruth, Andrew, Joseph, Elizabeth, Lewis and Hannah.) flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, holy bible, book, religious book, bell family, bell family bible, elizabeth bell, joseph bell, 1826, 1833, 1854, st paul's bristol