Book of Common Prayer (General)

by dsteel , Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 04:21 (5446 days ago) @ pclark

Sorry to disappoint, Pete, but not such a heck of a find.

The Book of Common Prayer would have been found in virtually every household in the 19th century. Every Anglican Church would have had dozens if not hundreds of copies. It enabled worshippers to follow the order of services such as Matins, Evensong, The Eucharist, Baptism (both infant and adult), Marriage, Funeral, The Churching of Women, etc. etc. It contained much useful information including the dates of Easter, and even told you whom you may or may not marry. It was often given as a gift at Confirmation or First Communion. We should be grateful that our ancestors were church-going folk. How would we cope with our hobby if there were no baptismal or marriage registers?