The Primer – Prayer Book – 1710 | Early Church of England Devotional

The Primer set furth by the kinges maiestie & his clergie, printed in London in 1710, is a mid-Tudor devotional book produced for the Church of England. Based on the 1545 Henry VIII primer, it contains the Lord’s Prayer, Apostles’ Creed, Ten Commandments, psalms, and reformed devotional readings in English. It marked England’s departure from the liturgical Latin used in Catholic worship and was intended for lay readers, and is considered to the direct precursor to the Book of Common Prayer.

This edition was “reprinted without any Alteration” in 1710, based on the 1546 printing. (Hoskins 262)

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Primer set furth by the kinges maiestie & his clergie, to be taught lerned, and red
• Author(s): Church of England
• Publisher: Richard Grafton, London
• Edition: 1710
  • “reprinted without any alteration”
  • The 1546 title page is notably different from this edition
• Format: (8vo), single volume
• Binding: Leather binding and corners, marbled boards
  • “1546” embossed on spine; though this edition is not the 1546 printing.
• Size:  7 in x 4.5 in (17.8 cm x 11.4 cm)
• Collation: 118 unnumbered leaves
• Illustrations:
• Contents Include:
  • Lord’s Prayer
  • Apostles’ Creed
  • Ten Commandments
  • Psalms
  • Reformed devotional readings
• Provenance: stamp – Museum Britanicum, 1831 duplicate for sale
• Reference(s): Hoskins 262

Condition:

Binding tight, leather with light surface rubbing, gilt spine title legible. Marbled boards with retained color. Pages show light, even toning.

Why Collect This?

• Tudor-era Church of England devotional in English
• Printed by royal printer Richard Grafton
• Text predating the Book of Common Prayer

Item Number: # 29188