Mary Jones
Over Hill and over Dale
Mary Jones was a young Welsh girl who longed for a Bible of her own. It was a vain hope as money was scarce. But her desire grew and she became even more determined; she started saving money so she could buy her very own copy.
It took six years but finally Mary had enough to realise her dream. She was 15 and needed to walk to Bala, over 25 miles away, to buy her Bible. Excited, she set off in bare feet and finally reached the home of Thomas Charles – only to be told he had no more Bibles for sale. Heartbroken, she began to weep. Her despair touched Mr Charles, who found her a Bible, and made him think what could be done for others such as Mary.
Thomas Charles was central to the founding of Bible Society. His tale of Mary saving her pennies and then walking across Welsh mountains helped inspire others to a vision of God’s Word being made available all across the world. Four years after Mary received her Bible, the British and Foreign Bible Society was founded in London.
You can download a longer version of Mary Jones’ story here. DOWNLOAD MARY JONES STORY (PDF 1.32MB) (opens in a new window).
Mary Jones and her Bible traditional and well-loved story is available from http://www.bibleresources.org.uk/g.asp?isbn=0564082058 (opens in a new window).
