After prayers at sea, gunpowder treason!

As part of my research for my novel ‘Raddy and Syl’ I bought a couple of nineteenth century books for research; one was Eliza Acton’s with its wonderful illustrations by Henry Adlard, the other was  The Christian Year published by Parker and Co of Crown Yard, Oxford, and 6 Southampton Street, Strand, London. it was originally published in 1827, but I don’t know when the copy I have was published.

My copy was given as a gift to A.E.White, with birthday wishes, St Stephen’s, May 7th ’89 – 1889 that is! It was given by J.M.C and E.E.C,and later it was owned by Keith M. Beck who dated it 8/12/47.

The book is exactly what you might imagine it to be,  ‘thoughts in verse for the Sundays and holydays throughout the year’… but I can’t find who wrote the verses, nor can as yet discover anything about Parker and Co. There is a note at the end, signed T.K.

Among the items in the contents at the front, coming just after ‘Forms of Prayer to be Used at sea’ and just before ‘King Charles the martyr’, is ‘Gunpowder Treason’ – I’ve never come across that before in a book of Christian verse. The verses, to my mind are very sentimental, trite, and indifferent… no doubt A.E.White who received it as a gift was very pleased with the kind thought.

It is illustrated, with mawkish and sentimental pictures, including the one I have used as my featured image – which just cries out for a comical caption!