This 1844 edition of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, (first published in 1678 and the second part in 1684) was in such poor condition when I first discovered it on the shelves that I had doubts about keeping it.
However finding this charming inscription on the inside of the back cover by Bunyan’s great grand-daughter dated 1849, ensured it stayed.
It reads To Miss Martha Morvand, Presented by Mrs Sanigear Aged 88 great grand daughter to John Bunyan The Pilgrim’s Progress Anno Domini 1849.
(Note her use of the Long S , this had been phased out in printed works in Britain and the United States by 1810.)
Unsure of the correct spelling of her name a quick search on the internet led me to pages 23 and 24 of Pilgrimages to English Shrines by Mrs S.C. Hall published in 1850. It contains an account of the author’s visit to Bunyan’s birthplace which then leads her to visit Mrs Sanigear in London where she is shown Bunyan’s portrait copied from an original that was painted on glass.
The author Mrs Hall refers to her as the great great grand-daughter and ‘observed how very like she was to the portrait; she admitted that everyone said the same’. Later adding a description of Mrs Sanigear ‘She is not easily forgotten; her formal dress, close cap, and snowy neckerchief – pinned down as you see in portraits of some sixty or seventy years ago – and above all, the earnest steadfast expression of her face , telling of firmness of the most immovable kind, softened by a world of affection in her deep brown eyes.’
John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English Christian writer and preacher who wrote the hugely popular allegorical novel The Pilgrim’s Progress during his time in Bedford jail. He had been imprisoned for ‘unlawful preaching’ due to the strict laws at the time.