We have moved to our new web site!

Follow this link to transfer to our new updated web page.

http://www.stjohnslunenburg.org/

The Francklin Bible

This large folio Bible, originally printed in 1717, while George III was king, is of great historical interest to the Parish of St. John’s Anglican Church, Lunenburg and to the entire Province of Nova Scotia. It was first presented to the Reverend Robert Vincent, the second missionary of St. John’s Church, by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. In addition to his pastoral ministry at St. John’s, he also served for a time as the town’s school master. The Rev’d Robert Vincent was in Lunenburg from 1761 - 1765. Financial difficulties led his widow to sell the Bible in July 1766 to the Honourable Michael Francklin (1732-82), Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia(1766-1772).

Dr. Marie Elwood (Chief Curator of History at the Nova Scotia Museum 1973-1992), speaking of the Bible says that John Baskett was indeed the Printer to the King, based at Oxford University. His bibles sometimes contained typographical mistakes and he at times was given the reference: “A Basketful of errors.” This particular bible has a mistake in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 20, where instead of speaking of the ‘Vineyard,’ we find the word ‘Vinegar.’ Hence this bible is at times called the “Vinegar Bible.”

Of historical signifiance are the end-papers of the bible, written in the The Honourable Michael Francklin’s own handwriting, giving an account of his ancestry in Devonshire, then his marriage to Susannah Boutineau of Boston in 1762 and their subsequent children. Much of this pedigree is set out by the Honourable Michael Francklin. It is continued until the 1850's, in a later hand.

The Bible was sold to St. John’s Anglican Church, Lunenburg by Doctor Richard Luckett, Chief Librarian of the historic Pepys Library of Magdalene College, Cambridge, England. Dr. Luckett says, “I am delighted that this bible will be repatriated to historic St. John’s Church Lunenburg, NS, from where we have its first beginnings.”

The Bible was presented to the congregation of St. John’s Church, Lunenburg, at a special ceremony on June 8th, 2008 which marked the 255 anniversary of the founding of the Town of Lunenburg and St. John’s Church.