Woman's mission to find owner of 100-year-old Bible

Jenna Abbott was given a box of odds and ends of bric-a-brac from her mum, who frequents charity shops and bric-a-brac sales, and gave her a box of bits and pieces when she was a child, more than 20 years ago.

Among the items in this box that Jenna has kept for all these years is a black leather-bound Bible which was unearthed from a charity shop in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

The Christian holy book has a hand-written message inside, which reads: “To Wilf, from Maudie, with best wishes for Christmas 1913.”

There is also a tiny stamp in the back cover which states that the Bible was printed at W.K Mortons & Sons Ltd Booksellers, Horncastle.

According to records, WK Morton bought the Horncastle-based printing company owned by D Cousans, and founded the Horncastle News in 1887.

WK Morton died in 1935, and the company was bought by Charles Edward Sharpe in the late 1950s, which printed the Horncastle News and Market Rasen Mail, as well as founding the Louth Leader and Skegness News in 1980 and 1985 respectively.

In 1999, it divided into three companies - the media and print companies, and Mortons Motorcycle Media Ltd and the newspapers are now owned by Johnston Press.

Today, Mortons Media Group consists of four divisions – publishing, events, print and mailing. More than 20 regular hobbyist-led publications are written and designed within its offices, more than a dozen individual motoring events are hosted at venues across the country and a wide range of print and mailing contracts are fulfilled.

"I never wanted to get rid of it because it clearly belongs to someone and didn’t want to just throw it in the bin,” Jenna said.

"So I decided to go on Twitter to try and find out who it belongs to.”

If you recognise the Bible, or Wilf or Maudie’s family, contact the Horncastle News to be reunited with the antique Bible.