Three Primers Put Forth in the Reign of Henry VIII

Annotation

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. The first of three Primers contained in this volume was printed in 1535: and though it was by no means the earliest book, which bore the name of Primer, it has been selected for republication on account of its antiquity, and the importance of its contents. The word Primer appears to have been in use long before the date mentioned above, and to have been applied to a first or elementary book, which was put into the hands of children a. The term was perhaps sometimes applied to a mere spelling-book, or to any book which was used for teaching children to read: but it seems generally to have conveyed the notion of religious instruction. The lessons were taken from the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, the Ave Maria, or from some other common formulary, with short and easy explanations, for the use of young beginners, or for private devotion.