Pensioner returns grandfather's book to library 120 YEARS late and escapes £7,000 fine

A pensioner has avoided a hefty £7,500 fine after she found her grandfather’s school library book on a shelf – which was 120 YEARS overdue.

Alice Gillett, 77, discovered the copy of ‘The Microscope and its Revelations’ by Dr William B Carpenter, while she cleared through her late husband’s possessions.

As she flicked through the 1,000 page tome, Alice unearthed a date stamp which showed the book had been borrowed from the library of Hereford Cathedral School in 1886.

It had been initially loaned to Alice’s grandfather, Professor Arthur Boycott, who attended the school between 1886 and 1894.

Alice, from Taunton, Somerset, has now returned the book to the school – and included a friendly letter in which she apologised for her grandfather ‘stealing’ the book from the collection.

She wrote: ‘I am sorry to inform you that one of your former pupils, Professor A.E.Boycott appears to have stolen the enclosed – I can’t imagine how the school has managed without it!

Thankfully, the school does not charge for overdue books, but Alice would have faced a bill of £7,466 – based on a rate of 17p a day.

But it seems like the book put Professor Boycott in good stead – as he eventually graduated with first class honours in Natural Science, and became a celebrated naturalist and pathologist.

Alice explained: ‘As a child he took great interest in natural history, and his particular passion was snails.

‘At age 15 he published his first paper listing the snail species that could be found in Herefordshire.

‘He also had a fascination with fauna and flora made him quite a hazardous driver because he was so obsessed with observing the hedgerows.

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‘My grandmother said he always had snails in his pockets.’

A spokesperson for the school said: ‘We are delighted to be reunited with the book and are pleased it is still in such good condition.’

The surprise return comes only a year after a rare wooden sculpture, known as ‘The Flame’ was returned to the school after it was stolen as a prank 60 years ago.