The 1715 Spencer Bible

The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacrements according to the ufe of the Church of England 
Printed in the year, M D C C X V
and The Holy Bible
[on the first fly sheet]

Imported by John Jerrett w/ 3 others.
First given to Hannah Jerrett Spencer

On the third fly sheet:

Hannah Spencer Her Book given to her by her Father John Jerrett. And my Desire is that the Same may be for the use of her and the Heirs of her Body forever and for Confirmation of my Desire, I hereunto Set my Hand. The 23 of the 7 month 1751. John Jerrett

George Spencer His Book presented him by his Grandmother Hannah Spencer this 17th day of the 4th month 1801.

Given March 1st 1904 to George Moreland Spencer son of William Foulke Spencer [I] and his wife Christiana by Anna Spencer of Germantown Penn. at request of his Great Uncle George Spencer of Moreland Penn. in whose honor he was named.

bibles@foulke.org
Held by William Foulke Spencer IV
Transcription by William Foulke Spencer V

Hand-tooled leather, 17 inches x 11 inches x 4-1/4 inches thick; 4 brass corners, brass medallion in center of front & broken metal & leather clasp to close it.

Introduction:

There are 50 birth, marriage, and death entries in the Bible, ranging from 1676 (backdated) to 1877. (Transcription available.)

The Bible was originally given by John Jerrett (or Jarrett) to his daughter Hannah Jerrett Spencer in 1751. Her fifth child was John Spencer, who married Lydia Foulke.  Bible owners are shown in bold:

John Jerrett  >  Hannah m. Jacob Spencer  >  John (*A)

Edward Foulke  >  Thomas  >  William  >  Lydia (*B) 

Edward Foulke  >  Hugh  >  Samuel  >  Amelia Foulke m. Joseph Custard  >  Mary (*C)

John Spencer (*A)  m Lydia Foulke (*B) .>  George (*1) & Jesse (*D) 

Jesse Spencer (*D) m. Mary Custard (*C) >  George (*2) & William Foulke Spencer [I]

William Foulke Spencer [I]  >  George Moreland Spencer

The Bible was passed to John & Lydia's eldest son George Spencer (1787-1876) in 1801. His brother, Jesse, later inherited Foulke Mansion at Penllyn. (Then, Jesse & Mary's son George (b. 1826) inherited the homestead, and sold the property in 1855.) After the elder George died in 1876, he left the Bible, in the care of his niece Anna Spencer of Germantown (daughter of Jesse and Mary Custard Spencer), to be given to his 4-year-old namesake, George Moreland Spencer (b. 1871). George M. was the son of George's nephew (Anna's brother) William Foulke Spencer (I). Anna presented George M. the Bible in 1904. (This is the last written entry.) The Bible is currently in the posession of William Foulke Spencer IV.

William Foulke Spencer (I) was the son of Jesse Spencer and Mary Custard Spencer, and was a doubly-descended great-great-great-grandson of Edward & Eleanor Foulke:

The owners are listed after the Table of Books. Genealogy notes are in 9 places:
   after Genesis VIII 3
   page 6 following the map of Canaan
   at the beginning of the New Testament
   following Luke XV 25
   page 68 following John I 25
   page 80 following John XI 28
   page 92 following Acts II 31
   page 104 following Jude
   page 228

Format copyright of the Foulke Family Association 1999, all rights reserved. All comments are the intellectual property of the transcriber. Send comments to bibles@foulke.org.