The order and format of Anglican church services were laid out in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). Large folio editions of the BCP were commonly read from lecterns by clergymen in church services.

Maturin undoubtedly had a lectern copy of the BCP in his (now demolished) church on Aungier Street, a few hundred metres from this library. He would also have had personal copies of the BCP in various sizes and formats in his personal residence in York Street.

Maturin was adamant about the literary merits of this form of service: ‘I am not ignorant of books; but I know no human composition like the liturgy of the church of England …[for]… its beauty, its sublimity, and its spirituality.’

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Citation:

The Book of Common Prayer, And Administration of the Sacraments, and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church.

,
Marsh's Library Exhibits: ‘Ragged, Livid, & On Fire: The Wanderings of Melmoth at 200’ curated by Christina Morin and Jason McElligott,
accessed November 23, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/Melmoth/item/756