Ancient 'Geneva Bible' sells for £20,000 in East Belfast

The Bible is the most cherished book for many millions of Christians worldwide and it was not surprising that there was considerable interest in a 400-year version put on sale at an East Belfast auction house this week.
Elizabeth Pole's copy of the Geneva BibleElizabeth Pole's copy of the Geneva Bible
Elizabeth Pole's copy of the Geneva Bible

The cherished copy of the Geneva Bible, printed in 1615, was taken to America in 1620 by aristocratic English migrant Elizabeth Poole and, at the Bloomfield auction, it went for an impressive £20,000.

Retired Free Presbyterian minister the Rev David McIlveen was among an evangelical church group from various Protestant denominations who made the purchase and, while the Bible sold for double its valuation, Mr McIlveen said he did not think about it in monetary terms.

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"I see it as a vision in terms of reaching out to school children and also to libraries as well. This historic Bible will be used to reach out and reignite interest in holy scriptures" said Mr McIlveen.

"Something like this - I would pray - could reactivate that interest in the scriptures. I see it not only an artefact, but as a message that is so relevant for this modern generation" he added.

The Geneva Bible, first published in 1560, inspired by the evangelical mission of the period by Protestant Reformers John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer and John Knox, and was the first mechanically printed, mass-produced Bible available to the public.

The East Belfast auctioned version sold as part of a private collection from a Northern Ireland gentleman's residence and it is understood there was interest by up to 10 prospective buyers, including several from the United States.

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The original owner Elizabeth Poole travelled with her brother on the 'Mayflower' ship to the Plymouth colony in America.

Originally from Devon, she went on to help with other Plymouth migrants in founding the town of Taunton in Massachusetts and she is believed to be the first woman to help establish a settlement in the 17th century American colonies.

An unsuccessful offer from the library in Taunton, Massachusetts was made at this week's auction..

The copy was printed by Robert Baker, printer to Queen Elizabeth I and Kings James I and VI.

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It was presented to Elizabeth's father, Sir William Poole, by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, in recognition of the Poole family's services to the church and the poor of Devon.

When Elizabeth Poole died, the Bible was returned to her family in Devon and it remained in the possession of the Poole-Carew family until the mid-20th century when it was sold to a collector from Northern Ireland in the 1990s.

Mr McIlveen, a close associate of late Free Presbyterian moderator the Rev Dr Ian Paisley, said he was sure Dr Paisley would have recognised the significance.of the Bible's sale.

"If he had been alive today he would have been among the first to make an offer for this Bible."

He confirmed a number of people from various Protestant denominations in Northern Ireland had generously come together to pay for the Bible.