Short Description:

This is an exceptionally rare 1714 King James Version Bible, printed in Edinburgh, Scotland by the notable royal printer James Watson, and catalogued as Herbert 930. This example retains its original early 18th-century leather binding with brass corner pieces and central boss, a feature seldom found intact.

Of particular significance is the armorial bookplate of Colonel & Mrs. Forbes-Leith of Whitehaugh, a distinguished Scottish noble family. This firmly establishes historical provenance and adds meaningful collector value.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Holy Bible Containing the Old Testament and the New

• Translation: King James Version

• Printer: James Watson, Printer to the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty

• Place: Edinburgh

• Date: 1714

• Reference: Herbert 930

• Format: Quarto

• Binding: Contemporary paneled calf over boards with elaborate blind tooling and original brass corner bosses, central lozenge and original latches.

• Provenance: Armorial bookplate — Colonel & Mrs. Forbes Leith, of Whitehaugh

• Condition:

• (Please see above photos for more information on condition)

• Original binding.

• Text block complete pages age-toned but clean and legible.

• Evidence of careful historical use but no modern restoration.

• Some foxing and staining.

• Front cover is weak where it connects to the spine.

• All original metal working and tooled cover.

• 1 loose leaf that contains an inscription:

An outstanding example of an early Scottish-printed Bible in period binding with aristocratic pedigree.

Historical Context: Britain & Scotland in 1714

The year 1714 was one of the most pivotal in British history. Queen Anne died that year, bringing an end to the Stuart monarchy and ushering in the Hanoverian era with King George I. Scotland was still adjusting to the Act of Union (1707), and Jacobite sentiment simmered beneath the surface, soon erupting in the 1715 Jacobite Rising.

Printed in this atmosphere of political tension and religious importance, this Bible represents a crucial moment in British and Scottish history—a nation transitioning between dynasties and identities.

About the Printer: James Watson (d. 1722)

James Watson is widely regarded as one of Scotland’s most important early printers. As Printer to the Queen, he was responsible for producing official and ecclesiastical works, including Bibles, statutes, and theological texts.

Watson:

• Improved the quality of Scottish printing, which had lagged behind England

• Published influential works on the art of printing itself

• Ran one of the few presses capable of producing large-format Bibles in Scotland

His 1714 Bible (Herbert 930) is considered one of the better-executed Scottish Bibles of the early 18th century and is relatively scarce compared to London and Oxford printings.

Provenance: The Forbes-Leith Family of Whitehaugh

The armorial bookplate inside this Bible belongs to Colonel John Leith Forbes-Leith (1820–1888) and his wife, prominent members of an old Aberdeenshire noble lineage.

The Forbes-Leith family:

• Descended from Clan Forbes, one of Scotland’s historic highland families

• Held estates at Whitehaugh and were later associated with Fyvie Castle

• Served in military and civic leadership roles throughout the 18th–19th centuries

• Used supporters, mottoes, and heraldic devices seen in the bookplate (stags, mascles, bear heads, etc.)

The bookplate motto “Laus Per Christum” (“Praise through Christ”) and the distinctive heraldic shield confirm this lineage.

Owning a family Bible from such a household adds cultural and genealogical importance far beyond its bibliographic rarity.

Dimensions:

• Weight - 1.63KG
• Height - 23.5cm
• Width - 19cm
• Thickness - 6.5cm