Prayerbook of priest who saved Charles II’s life on display in Staffordshire hall

Rare 1623 missal bears signature of Catholic priest John Huddleston, who hid king after final defeat by Cromwell's forces

A 400-year-old prayerbook owned by a Catholic priest who helped save the life of Charles II, son of the executed King Charles I, has gone on public display at the house where he sought refuge after being defeated by Oliver Cromwell's forces.

The rare missal was bought by the National Trust (NT) at auction, more than 60 years after a man paid sixpence for it in a Liverpool secondhand bookshop.