A PENSIONER is seeking to reunite a 19th century bible with the family which originally owned it.

Billy Craggs, 77, bought the John Brown family bible from a house clearance firm in Bishop Auckland last year and was surprised to find a number of photographs hidden within the pages.

At the start of the New Testament, he also discovered information about the bible’s first owners, John and Susannah Wood of Tow Law, County Durham.

The large, leather-bound bible records how the couple married on August 4, 1886, and lists the names of their children, Lily, Susannah, Elizabeth Ann, Ada, John Edward, Elsie and Sidney, born between 1889 and 1904.

A photograph taken by The Northern Echo in front of County Hall in Durham City in the 1960s, a Mother’s Union membership card and a snapshot of a family party provided a further insight into the lives of previous owners over the years.

Mr Craggs, from St Helen Auckland, said: “If the descendants of the Wood family would like to contact me I would be delighted to return the bible to them.”

For Mr Cragg’s phone number, contact the Northern Echo on 01388-602232.