'Spooky' book goes under the hammer

A book allegedly bound with the skin of a Jesuit martyr has been sold for more than £5000 in auction. 'A True and Perfect Relation of The Whole Proceedings against the Late most barbarous Traitors, Garnet a Jesuit and his Confederats' is believed to date from 1606 and is the account of Fr Henry Garnet's trial following the Gunpowder Plot the previous year.

A private buyer paid £5,400 at auctioneers Wilkinsons in Doncaster for the book which has the mysterious image of a face on the cover, said to be that of Fr Garnet.  Auctioneer Sid Wilkinson said the face shows the haunting presence of a man falsely accused, and described the lot as 'a bit spooky'.

The book went to an unnamed buyer during what was described as a 'lively' sale on Sunday, 2 December.

Henry Garnet was the head of the English Jesuits at the time of the 1605 conspiracy.  He was accused of complicity and treason, but modern evidence suggests that while he knew of the plans, he tried to persuade the Catholic conspirators not to resort to violence.

There are tales of the Jesuit priest's image appearing elsewhere, including on a grain splashed by his blood following his execution in St Paul's Churchyard in May 1606.



 BBC News

 Wilkinsons auctioneers