This week, I journeyed back in time 150 years at the Land of Iron attraction in Skinningrove. The amazing tour of parts of the old mine system took about ninety minutes and highlighted, as I already knew, how appallingly dangerous ironstone mining was in the nineteenth century. After the tour, I headed straight to the in-house museum to find an example of an ironstone bible. I was not disappointed. On display were six of these wonderful small artefacts, pictured below, which gave me inspiration for the plot in my latest novel, The Ironstone Bible. The bible in my novel was based on the ironstone bible first on the left with the floral design.
Why the miners carved these small objects is not entirely clear. Theories include they were made as presents for loved ones or good luck charms to ward off evil spirits. I took a different line in my novel. Instead of repelling spirits, the bibles……read The Ironstone Bible to find out more.😊