Binding: Thick Octavo (8” x 5.375” x 3”). 2 lb 13 oz. Rebacked (1794-1853) blind and gilt tooled full fine brown calf leather binding with a.e.r. Original spine relaid with five compartments divided by double gilt-lined fillets. Second compartment with blind tooled brown calf leather label and title in capitals HOLY BIBLE. Boards with blind rolled pattern borders and blind stamped corner fleurons. Modern marbled endpapers with three original fly-leaves at front and two at rear. Recornered, slightly worn, and stained.

Provenance & The Binding: Sir William Codrington the 1^st Baronet (1680-1738) married Lady Elizebeth Bethell (1693-1761) in 12^th March 1717/18, and had twelve children. Their 2^nd child Sir William Codrington the 2^nd Baronet (1719-March 11, 1792) married Ann Acton (1721-17??) in 22^nd February 1735, and had two children. Their 2^nd child Sir William Codrington the 3^rd Baronet (1737-September 5, 1816) married thrice in his life time, and had ? children. He died in Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France.

The mid 18^th c. Chippendale style armorial bookplate to the front pastedown belongs to: Sir William Codrington [2^nd] Bar[onet]. The entries for Codrington in the vast collection of bookplates held by the British Museum (Franks' Book Plate Collection), which was compiled by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks (1826-1897), show the same bookplate. The catalogue attributed this bookplate to Sir William Codrington 2^nd Baronet (succeeded in 1738). There are instances where a bookplate was used by successive generations, therefore it could have been used by the 3^rd Baronet, however since the 2^nd Baronet disinherited his son than that seems unlikely here. To learn more visit Wikipedia.

The final fly-leaf with inscriptions is from an earlier stock per tail watermark: 1794; indicating that at one point the Bible had endpapers and fly-leaves, therefore perhaps was rebound as early as 1794. The final fly-leaf belongs to this book per earlier inscriptions, and identical staining pattern to the first leaf of text (A4). Interestingly, James Collins (Thomas Collins’ father) also died in 1794 so there might be a connection.

James Collins (1759-1794) married Sally Noad (1765-1841) in 23^rd January 1788, and had three children. Their 2^nd child Thomas Collins (1790-1866) married Sophia Pamela Danvers (1808-1863) on August 2^nd 1826, and had ? children. Their 1^st Thomas Danvers Collins (1827-1856), 2^nd James Carden Collins (1829-1916), 3^rd William Alex Collins (1832-1832), 4^th Jessie Lambert Collins (1838-1911), 5^th Sophia Elizabeth Earle Collins (1849-1929). To learn more read: A Study On The "Three Bees" And The Convicts Who Sailed On Her by William D. Archbold PHD (see photos of p. 64-67), & Captain THOMAS COLLINS-Master Mariner, Whaler, Queensland Pastoralist-An account of his life in England & Australia and of his ancestors and descendants by Moreland Smith.

According to William D. Archibold PHD: After this vessel's disastrous destruction by fire in Sydney Cove Thomas was virtually cast adrift in a strange port with little means to secure a return berth to England. We are not certain of his next movements; however, between the years of 1814-1826 he was a Captain for the East India Company on the United Kingdom to India run. He also conducted voyages to South America, Tahiti, and Australia. The Three Bees ship fire occurred about 4:30 PM on May 20^th, 1814. So about 2 years 10 months 17 days later the Bible was gifted to Thomas Collins by his mother: Thomas Collins, the gift of his mother, April 6^th 1817. Later: James Carden Collins born 15^th Feb[ruar]y at 6:45 AM, 1829. SWIW? One of the descendants note that the ship was completely destroyed by the fire two weeks after its arrival. Believing that he wouldn’t have received the Bible before setting sail on the Three Bees, and that some of the details on the loosely inserted card are incorrect.

The Bible was then passed onto his daughter Jessie Lambert Collins with her genealogical inscriptions on the first two fly-leaves. Alfred William Compigne (1815-1909) married Jessie Lambert Collins (1838-June 25^th, 1911) on June 1^st 1853, and had three children. Their 1^st Mary Indoole Compigne (1857-1921), 2^nd Jessie Sophie Compigne (1858-1858), 3^rd Arthur Danvers Compigne (1865-1871). The two fly-leaves at the front and rear is from a later stock (clearly 19^th c. but not the very early 19th c.), and while they don’t have watermarks its earliest inscription: 1853; indicates that perhaps the Bible was rebound as late as 1853.

Varying reddish looking fingerprints were found on some quires. Logically these occurred after the Bible made contact with water and was thumbed through (when the Bible was already rebound and had its edges painted red). Perhaps the following were done during the late 18^th or 19^th c.; OT: Z4 with a few words inklessly inscribed (barely noticeable), Ss2/7 tiny V mark.

There is a loosely inserted card describing the Bible: Bible. Rescued from sailing ship “The 3 Bs.” burned in Sydney Cove 1814. Capt. Thos Collins settled in N.S.W in 1820.

Penciled lightly: S…. 1943.

Recent sticker to verso of front free endpaper by the Royal Bindery who conserved the Bible.

Collation & Notes: OT has [394] ff or [788] pp: A-Z8 ([A1r] G.T.P., A2-3), Aa-Zz8, Aaa-Ccc8, Ddd2 (ends Ddd2r). Apocrypha has [96] ff or [192] pp: A-M8 (ends M8v). NT has [122] ff or [244] pp: Eee-Ttt8 ([Eee1r] T.P.), Uuu2 (ends Uuu2r). Total [612] ff or [1,224] pp.

Complete, with an original title page. Lacks first 3 ff & last 1 ff. Vertical chain lines. Wove paper fly-leaves. Darlow & Moule 866. Herbert 1163.

Condition: Leaves about (7.5625” x 4.75”). Tight gutters; stained & foxed; some folios cropped with slight text loss, but generally good. OT: H2 tail slight paper loss; Zz5 in text minor hole; Ccc1 tail into text small cut. Apocrypha: Some quires cut down & reset; I4 in text small tear; M8 in text old repair to large tear. NT: Lll4-5/8 marginal tiny tears; Lll5-6 marginal tiny paper loss; Uuu1 head into text slight tear.