Description
The booke of common prayer and administration of the Sacramentes, and other rites and ceremonies of the Churche: after the rite of the Churche of England. London: Edward Whitchurch, [4th May] 1549. Folio, title-page and calendar in red and black, title within woodcut border, woodcut initials, eighteenth century calf with green and brown morocco gilt labels to spine, annotations and inscriptions in several early hands, lacks 10 leaves (A2, A9, 02-7 and V10), leaves lxxxi and lxxxv-vi torn with considerable loss of text, title-page repaired at foot with some loss to engraved area, marginal repairs to initial leaves, some worming affecting text and engraved areas, some dampstaining, some bumping to covers, joints splitting [ESTC S122894; STC 1620]
Footnote
Provenance: The St Leger family copy from Leeds Castle, inscribed by the mathematician and astronomer, Thomas Digges; Robert St Leger (d.1564); Robert Stephenson (dated 1578 and 1581); inscription by John George Bell
Note: It is likely that Robert St Leger was the brother of Anthony St Leger (d.1559), who held the post of Lord Deputy of Ireland no fewer than six times. He was responsible for imposing the English liturgy, based on the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, on the Irish church. His work in Ireland led him to be granted Leeds Castle in 1552.
This copy is also inscribed murus aneas sana conscienta and signed by the sixteenth century mathematician, Thomas Digges. Digges was married to Warham St Leger's daughter, Anne.