A Short History of English Printing, 1476-1898Plomer, Henry R. (Henry Robert)
History
A Short History of English Printing, 1476-1898
Plomer, Henry R. (Henry Robert)
England -- Imprints; Printing -- England -- History
With few exceptions the printers of this period easily enough conformed
to the religious factions of the day. Thus Cawood prints Protestant
books under Edward VI., Catholic books under Mary, and again Protestant
books under Elizabeth. Upon the accession of Mary he was appointed royal
printer in the place of Grafton, who had dared to print the
proclamation of Lady Jane Grey (Rymer's _Fœdera_, vol. xv., p. 125).
He also received the reversion of Wolfe's patent for printing Latin,
Greek, and Hebrew books, as well as all statute books, acts,
proclamations, and other official documents, with a salary of £6, 13s.
4d. The British Museum possesses a volume (505. g. 14) containing the
statutes of the reign of Queen Mary, printed in small folio by Cawood.
From these it will be seen that he used some very artistic woodcut
borders for his title-pages, notably one with bacchanalian figures in
the lower panel signed 'A. S.' in monogram, evidently the same artist
that cut the woodcut initials seen in these and other books printed by
this printer, and who is believed to have been Anton Sylvius, an Antwerp
engraver. Cawood was one of the first wardens of the Stationers' Company
in 1554, and again served from 1555-7, and continued to take great
interest in its welfare throughout his life. In 1557, Cawood, in company
with John Waley and Richard Tottell, published the Works of Sir Thomas
More in a large and handsome folio. The editor was William Rastell,
Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench, son of John Rastell the printer, and
nephew of the great chancellor.
The book was printed at the Hand and Star in Fleet Street by Tottell,
but the woodcut initials were certainly supplied by Cawood, and perhaps
some of the type. On the accession of Elizabeth, he again received a
patent as royal printer, but jointly with Richard Jugge, whose name is
always found first. Nevertheless, Cawood printed at least two editions
of the Bible in quarto, with his name alone on the title-page. They were
very poor productions, the text being printed in the diminutive
semi-gothic type that had done duty since the days of Caxton, and the
woodcut borders being made up of odds and ends that happened to be
handy. His rapidly increasing business had already compelled him to
lease from the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's a vault under the
churchyard, and two sheds adjoining the church, and in addition to this
he now took a room at Stationers' Hall at a rental of 20s. per year.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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