Texts connected to King Charles I to go in display in public library

Texts associated with Charles I are being displayed near his birthplace to mark 400 years since he became king.

An illustrated, first-edition biography, published in 1662, is one of three volumes being exhibited at Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries from April 8 until May 6.

The king, who ascended to the throne on March 27 1625, will have his biography, Basilika: The Workes Of King Charles The Martyr, displayed at the library for the public to see.

The biography is believed to have been written by Bishop John Gauden of Worcester, though experts previously thought it was written by the monarch himself, prior to his execution in 1649.

A page from The Workes Of King Charles The Martyr (OnFife/PA). PA Media

Also on show is a 1656 edition of The Reign Of King Charles: An History Faithfully And Impartially Delivered And Disposed Into Annals.

The text, by English historian Hamon L’Estrange, is a comprehensive account of Charles’s policies, his relationships with parliament and the people, and events that led to the English Civil War.

Published in 1655, this revised and enlarged second edition – produced the following year – addresses criticisms prompted by the first print run’s composition and errors.

The third book on display is a copy of the 1638 edition of the Church of England’s official service book, the Common Book Of Prayer – a devotional text that played a pivotal role in Charles I’s reign.

A page from The 1638 edition of the Common Book Of Prayer (OnFife/PA). PA Media

Charles wanted to impose a slightly different version of the prayer book on the Scottish Kirk in 1637, which provoked a rebellion in the church.

Charles’s military failure in the so-called Bishops’ War that followed triggered a financial and diplomatic crisis that proved to be the first of many endured by the monarch.

Library staff say the new display is a reminder of Dunfermline’s role as an ancient Scottish capital and how, in 1625, Charles I became the last king to be born in Scotland.

The venue’s local studies supervisor, Sharron McColl, said: “Dunfermline can be rightly proud of its illustrious history and significant royal connections – we’re delighted that visitors can see these magnificent artefacts at close quarters.”