Bookseller



William Caxton was born in Kent between 1415 and 1424. He was apprenticed to Robert Large, a mercer, probably when he was about fourteen or a little older. At some date between 1444 and 1449 he went to Bruges, then a thriving merchant town. Because of its predominance as a market, merchants from all over Europe gathered there and established themselves in national communities ruled by a governor. The English community was known as Merchant Adventurers and Caxton became their governor in 1462. He probably sold cloth and other goods including manuscripts, for Bruges was the centre of a flourishing trade in manuscripts and paintings. In 1469 or earlier Caxton decided to learn how to print and by using this knowledge to produce books in English for sale in England to the nobility. Having acquired a copy of the French version of the History of Troy, he started to translate it with the intention of printing the finished translation. The outbreak of civil war in England led him to postpone his plan. When after two years Edward IV was safely re-established in England he resumed his project, with the patronage of Margaret of Burgundy, Edward’s sister. He quickly finished his translation and went to Cologne to learn the art of printing. The first book Caxton printed, and the first book to appear in English, was his own translation of the History of Troy. It probably appeared in late 1473 or early 1474. In all he printed six or seven volumes before returning to England; these bear no place or date of printing but were almost certainly printed at Bruges. At Michaelmas, 29 September, 1476, Caxton’s name was entered on the account roll of John Estency, Sacrist of Westminster Abbey, as paying a year’s rent in advance for the premises - probably a shop - in which he set up his press. The first known piece of printing done in England, a Letter of Indulgence by John Sant, Abbot of Abingdon, with the date of purchase 13 December 1476, issued from this press. Its existence was unknown until February 1928, when it was discovered at the Public Record Office. The first dated book printed in England, The dictes or sayengis of the philosophres, was completed on 18 November 1477. This book was translated from the French by Caxton’s friend and patron, Earl Rivers. It was followed by nearly one hundred other works before Caxton died in 1491, including (1480) the Polychronicon written in Chester by the monk Ranulph Higden.

The presence in Chester of many clergy, teachers, lawyers, palatinate officials, gentlemen, and other educated people stimulated literary interests. By the early 17th century there were stationers and a printer, but as yet apparently no dedicated bookseller. Local authors included clergy who published religious tracts, and Robert Rogers (d. 1595), archdeacon of Chester, who collected materials for a history of the city, the 'Breviary', which was completed by his son David in several versions. The original Charter of the Chester "PAINTERS, GLASIERS, EMBROIDERERS AND STATIONERS COMPANY" is dated 1st May 1534 and was granted during the mayorality of Henry Gee, a noted Puritan mayor. The original charter has a clause which reads:


 * "that noe person or persons of what trade or occupacion soever as is abovesaid shall use or exercise the trade and occupacion of a Stacioner, etherr to binde, folde, cut or sell bookes of any sorte or sise whatsoever, and that none other company within this Citty of Chester shall intermedell in that profession, save such as have sarved as apprentises to the Stacioner or Bookebinder, or put of(f) any books for profitte or gane one the forfiture of v (five) poundes, and the said bookes with the tooles belonginge to a Stacioner that are soe set to seile [? sell] or used in the said occupacion to be seised one by the Sherifes of the Citty for the use of the King's Maiestie and the Companye of Painters, Glassiers, Imbrauderers and Stacioners as aforesaid "

Note there is no mention in this 1534 charter of printing books, only of binding them etc. However Chester was to become the home of the county print trade with a larger number of bookbinders and sellers, papermakers and printers than anywhere else in the county. Some few of the more interesting stationers, booksellers and printers are described below. One of the more interesting is Richard Thorpe, who was apparently the brother of the publisher of Shakespeare's Sonnets and did remarkably well in Chester despite an initial clash with the Stationers company when he first arrived in the city. Many of the later publishers and booksellers were involved in the production of guides to Chester which became popular when the city became a tourist location.

William Holme
In the City of Chester, the existence of the charter shows that there were booksellers and stationers from the sixteenth century, but the first of which there is any record was William Holme, who "came to Chester" in 1592. Holme was the son of Richard Holme of Tranmere, apprenticed 1569 for eleven years to John Harrison, citizen and stationer of London, admitted a freeman of the Stationers' Company of London 1580, and to the London Livery Company in 1604. He died in July 1617 at the age of 63 and was buried at Holy Trinity. Richard Holme was the brother of Thomas Holme, father of the first Randle Holme.

Exactly who was the city's first letterpress printer still remains something of a mystery, although copper-plate (or intaglio) printing seems to have been practised from the middle of the seventeenth century by William Thorpe (or Thropp) senior (1657-76) who was a native of Upton, Wirral. There is a curious, perhaps co-incidental, relation between the Holme and Thorpe families. Thomas Thorpe (c. 1569 – c. 1625) was an English publisher, most famous for publishing Shakespeare's sonnets and several works by Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson. Geoffrey Caveney, an American researcher, has unearthed possible evidence to link the initials with William Holme, who had both personal and professional connections to Thorpe. Both possibly came from prominent Chester families, were publishing apprentices in 1570s London and had strong connections with theatres through publishing major playwrights such as Ben Jonson and George Chapman. The 1609 quarto of Shakespeare's sonnets include a dedication to "Mr. W.H.". The suggestion has been made that "W.H." is William Holme, and that this is the same William Holme who lived in Chester, or a relative, possibly the eldest brother of Randle Holme, another William, who died in 1607. This second William Holme was apprenticed to his uncle in 1581 and admitted to the London Stationers Company in 1589.

There is some evidence of a connection between the Chester and London Stationer Companies found in the August, 1625, accounts of the Chester Company which contain this item:


 * "Spent in wyne to entertayne the wardens and others of the Company of Stacioners of London. 2s. 6d."

The books of the London Company do not seem to throw any light upon this visit, but that Company was interested in a plantation in Ireland, and it is possible that the wardens stopped at Chester on their way.



Richard Thorpe


Richard Thorpe/Thropp stationer, of Chester was a relative of Thomas Thorpe who published the Sonnets. He was the son of Thomas Thorpe of Barnet, innholder, and grandson of William Thropp, sheriff of Chester 1597 and therefore younger brother of the Thomas Thorpe of the Sonnets, who was apprenticed 5th June, 1584, to Richard Watkins, then senior warden of the London Stationers' Company.

Richard was apprenticed 6 Sept. 1596, for seven years to Martin Ensor, citizen and stationer, of London, made a freeman of Chester, 1635-6. In 1635 the Chester Company prosecuted him (under their charter) for setting up a shop as a "foreigner" and obtained an order to shut it up. The accounts of the stationers company record money spent:


 * "Given ye macebearer his fee for fechinge of Ric. Thrope, the Stationer, before Mr. Maior, for setting up a shoppe in ye citty, being a forener" 


 * "Spent more on Munday after, to suppresse Richard Throppe when we had a warrant from Mr.  Maior for shuttinge in of his shoppe"

He petitioned to join the Company, and on 22 Feb. 1637, "by extraordinary favour" secured admission on payment of the £5 fine specified in the charter and the gift of a cup worth thirty shillings (Cheshire Sheaf, I, 216-17, 225, 238). He also agreed, according to custom, to give a dinner on St. Luke's Day to the members of the Company and their wives. St Luke's day (18th October) was or later became the traditional "feast" day of the Company: Christian tradition, starting from the 8th century, states that Luke was the first icon painter. Of the five pounds the twenty-nine brethren and the widows of two others received two shillings each. He was alderman of the Chester Company 1655, and was several times fined for being "tardy" and attending meetings in his gown. Stewart-Brown states that he died on 18 April, 1668, aged 58, and was buried on 20 April at Holy Trinity Church, Chester. However those dates make little sense: as he could not have been born in 1610. It is possibly relevant that the family name seems to be sometimes recorded as Thorpe and sometimes as Thropp, and that a Thomas Thropp was mayor of Chester in 1637 and several other Thropps appear to have been sheriffs. Perhaps Richard was well enough connected to get the "extraordinary favour". Thorpe/Thropp certainly made good use of his freedom, in 1638 the minutes state:


 * "Richard Throppe, stationer, petitioned that Gilbert Vawse, glazier, on 24th November last was granted the loan of £25, part of Robert Offley's money. As Vawse had not received the loan, nor found any security for its repayment, nor was resident in the City, Throppe requested that he as a freeman and inhabitant of the City should have the money. His petition was granted."

Robert Offley was the son of William Offley who was Mayor of Stafford twice and Sheriff and Alderman in Chester in 1517. William Offley was married at least twice and had as many as 26 children. Robert later served as executor of the will of his half-brother, Sir Thomas Offley who was Sheriff and Mayor of London. Robert prospered in trade with Calais and Bruges on the coast of France. In a monument to his father placed in St Peter's Church in Chester by his brother William it was said that Robert left £600 to the town of Chester for relief of the poor and two £5 scholarships. It would appear that the money was not made available only to the poor, but was like the bequest of Owen Jones used for the benefit of guild members whether rich or poor.

Richard Thorpe was followed in his business by his son, William Thorpe. A hand-bill from William is the earliest known existing sample of Chester print media. It reads:


 * "THESE are to give notice, That at the Sign of the Hand and Bible in this City of Chejter, that any one that stands in need or hath a defire to buy any Boohes, may there be furnifhed with feveral forts of New and Old, or have new and old bound at a reafonable price; and smal Pictures in black and white, and in colours, And alfo feveral forts of Maps, fmall and large, black and white, and in colours. Like-wife white paper of feveral forts gilt and ruled for Mufick Books, and ruled for books of Accompts, and coloured paper of the beft. Sealing Wax hard and soft. Pennes, Pen/Us black and red. And also Ink-horns of several sorts; and Letter-Cases, black boxes, Vellome, Parchment, Spectacles of several sorts, Mouth-glue, clasps for books, Quills, Wafers, New-bookes and Newes weekly. WILLIAM THORPPE"

Ince
Peter Ince stationer, of Chester (Watergate Street) was made a freeman of Chester, in 1612, as a draper and admitted to their Chester Company. He was an alderman 1635-42: leave looker of Chester in 1635, he died 1648. The registers of Holy Trinity, Chester, have many references to his family but do not give his burial. Writing on 20 Aug. 1637, to the Archbishop of York on the subject of Wm. Prynne and Peter Ince (see: Bruen) Bishop Bridgeman of Chester says:


 * "We have no other stationer in that city, yet no Puritanicall bookes [appear] but our citizens get them as soon as any, which I suppose come by his means, tho' he be so cunning as it will hardly be discovered unless by his own answers upon his oath." On 20 Nov. 1637, the Bishop writes that Ince had visited Prynne in the Tower and that the Privy Council ordered a search to be made in Ince's house for seditious books. This the mayor did, but all the birds were flown ere the nest was searched." (a reference to a quote from Charles I).

There must have been an element of farce in this, as Ince held the lease on the "long shop under the Pentice and next to the High Cross" (ZCHD/6/8). The Pentice was effectively the Mayors office and so Ince had the shop directly beneath the Mayor (probably Thomas Thropp). Peter Ince was the cousin of Royalist mayor William Ince (1642-3) who protected William Brereton from a Royalist mob and so survived the purge of the Corporation at the end of the Civil War siege, married Thropp's daughter and was elected MP for Chester in 1660. Hanshall informs use that:


 * "There were several other prosecutions but it is said the offenders bought peace of the Archbishop (Laud) for two butts of sack"

Ince was fined £300 for associating with Prynne and made a public recantation in the Cathedral and before the Mayor.

There is a later Edward Ince printer in Chester, from about 1712. Perhaps Edward Ince (son of Randle Ince), freeman of Chester 1709. Thomas Gent (1710-78), the York and London printer, in his "Life", p. 79, writing of his return to Ireland to visit his parents in 1718, states, "I would not stay [in Chester] to ask Mr. Ince, a master printer newly set up, for business, but travelled to Holyhead," etc. Ince probably died about that date, as Gent also states that William Cooke (q.v.) bought the late Mr. Ince's materials.

Randle Holme
Randle Holme (III) (1627-1700) is included here as a Chester publisher and printer, but he was primarily a herald painter. In 1688 he issued his well-known book, The Academy of Armory. A complete copy should have two title pages. The engraved title page has upon it:


 * "Printed att Chester by the Author."

The printed title page has:


 * "Chester: Printed for the Author MDCLXXXVIII."

There are some commendatory verses in the book signed "T. Tillier, Typog." In expressing the opinion that the book was printed in Chester, Earwaker (Jour. Chester Arch. Soc., N.S. 4, 152) points out that the will of Randle Holme (IV) (son of the author) refers to a room in his house in Bridge Street, "which room was formerly made use of as a  printing house or place"; that at the end of the book Randle Holme (the author) writes of the high price of paper, great wages and his daily layings out; and that elsewhere he described the book as "my own labour and printing." According to Beloe, (Anecdotes of Literature, vi, 342) Dr. Johnson confessed that the Address to the Reader, at the end of Holme's book, suggested to him the idea of his own preface to his "A Dictionary of the English Language".

Bodvel
Peter Bodvel (Bodvell, Bodrell) had been apprenticed to Thomas Brewster, bookseller of London, and gave evidence against his master in 1664 at the latter's trial for seditious publishing. The case arose when John Twyn was brought to trial under the prosecution of Roger L’Estrange, government surveyor of the press, on a charge of high treason. Twyn had published a book, "A Treatise of the Execution of Justice", in which he had asserted the right of the people to revolt under an oppressive government. He was convicted, hanged, drawn, and quartered. In company with Simon Dover the binder and Nathan Brooks the printer, Brewster was tried at the Old Bailey for having caused to be printed two pamphlets, the one entitled "The Speeches of some of the late King's Justices"; the other "The Phoenix of the Solemn League and Covenant". Brewster was found guilty of sediton condemned to pay a fine of 100 marks and to stand in the pillory on two days. [An Exact Narrative of the Tryal … of John Twyn, etc, 1664.] In a note in The Newes of April 28th, 1664, he is said to have died shortly afterwards. A list of books on sale by Thomas Brewster occurs at the end of Robert Purnell's Little Cabinet, 1657. [E. 1575.] It consists mainly of theological books and pamphlets against the Quakers.

Bodvel's shop in London was burnt out in the fire of 1666, and he then removed to Chester, where hed had trouble with the local Company but bought his way out with a fine. He was associated with Edward Fowkes of London in publishing the first Prayer Book in Welsh, printed for them by S. Dover, London, 1664. He was an eccentric Presbyterian and, at the beginning of the book was written a memorandum that:


 * "Peter Bodvel, the undertaker of this book, was a Presbyterian bookseller at Chester, and often bragged of comparing the King to an owl, the Royal family to cranes and the clergy and their followers to apes, by the capitals in the Morning and Evening Service at the beginning of those Prayers." 

The words quoted are written on the flyleaf of one of the copies (G. 19895) of this Prayer Book in the British Museum. The capitals used for certain of the prayers have owls, cranes and apes in the designs. A suggestion that this note is in the writing of Dr. Johnson seems to be without foundation.

When Bodvel opened a shop in Chester, he was brought by the Chester Co. before the mayor, whereupon he obtained admission to the Company. He was made freeman as bookseller in 1668, later alderman of the Company. He died 22 April, 1676, and was buried at St Michael where there is a memorial to him.

Page
Humfrey Page, stationer and bookseller, of Chester, made freeman 1684, was formerly of Nantwich, bookseller (Local Gleanings, i, 254, and Plomer, Diet.) where he was one of the advertised sellers of Holme's Academy of Armory, 1688. He complained in 1685 against John Minshull (q.v.) for having set up two shops in Chester contrary to ancient usage and about the same time (and later) action was taken against grocers for selling books (Jour. Chester Arch. Soc., O.S., 2, 28-9). He was alderman of the Chester Company, sheriff 1700, and mayor 1707. Leigh Page, his son was also a bookseller, made freeman as gentleman 15 Oct 1719 and Sheriff of Cheshire 1733. Leigh's son John was apprenticed 15 November, 1721, for seven years to his father and was sheriff of Chester 1742, alderman 1750, mayor of Chester 1755. He relinquished his business in Dec. 1751 to his apprentice John Lawton (q.v.). The death of John Page is recorded in the Chester Courant of 30 May, 1780:


 * "Sunday last, died, John Page of Hawthorne [Hall, Wilmslow], Esq., one of the Body Corporate of this City, a gentleman much respected by all who had the Pleasure of his Acquaintance."

He was Provincial Master of the Freemasons in Chester.

Cooke
William Cooke, printer and bookseller, of Chester (of the sign of the Bishop of Canterbury, near the Eastgate) was apprenticed to Andrew Crooke, King's printer and bookseller in Dublin (1681-1731), for seven years, but returned to Chester, his native place, and was admitted a freeman. He set up a printing press and became a bookseller. He was Postmaster of Chester about 1727. He bought the materials of the late Edward Ince c 1718. Cooke complained, in 1726, of the interference of the Chester Stationers' Company stating that:


 * "there was only one bookseller in the said city who had served his apprenticeship Mr. Leigh Page, and also Peter Potter, who, although never apprenticed to that trade, had been apprentice to a bookbinder and followed that trade solely, until lately, yet by connivance of the Mayor & Citizens, for about 3 years he (Peter Potter) has kept an open bookseller's shop. He (Cooke) hoped he would have been permitted to carry on the said trade, there being demand for the sale of books, for until lately there had been no bookseller there, but divers grocers had sold schoolbooks, Bibles - common prayer books, divinity, history and poetry books, and they sold them openly, without interference from any corporation."

Cooke then goes on to describe how the Stationers were asking him for fees and damages and that they had no right to do so. Adding:


 * "As the Mayor is judge of the Portmote Court and the jurors free men of the City and also free of other companies and corporations, complainant could not expect a fair trial and he desires the same may be tried elsewhere,"

The Corporation denied any irregularity and the matter appears to have been settled "out of court". Cooke was printer of the Chester Weekly-Journal, the first Chester newspaper, probably commenced in 1721 (Jour. Chester Arch. Soc., N.S. 21, 25) and in existence in Sept. 1729, in which the following advert appeared in 1725:


 * "WILLIAM COOKE, Book printer and Book-Seller of the City of Chester, at the Sign of the Bishop of Canterbury near the Eastgate, doth all manner of Printing Work, as Books, Bonds &c. and selleth Books in most Faculties ; With all sorts of Stationary; which Goods may be had if sent for by the Men that carried this News. Also all manner of Almanacks. December 8, 1725"

He largely printed religious works and one contains the note:


 * "N.B. We were forced to print the Greek words in English characters for want of Greek letters"

George Alexander Cooke may have been a relative.

Lawton
John Lawton, stationer, of Chester (Bridge Street) and son of John Lawton of Chester, innholder (The Plume of Feathers) was made a freeman 13th July, 1747, after being apprenticed to John Page in 1742. On 2nd Dec 1751, John Lawton advertised that his employer Page had turned over his business to him and asked for:
 * "the continuance of the resort and orders of his master's friends to the old accustomed shop where they will be sure to meet with every Piece that takes with the Publick and as early as such can possibly be got from London; and likewise shall be well supplied with every Particular in the Book- sellers and Stationery Way."

John Page added a recommendation (Chester Courant, 3rd Dec, 1751). Lawton was sheriff 1758 and mayor of Chester 1770.

Broster
Peter Broster stationer, bookseller, printer and antiquary, of Chester (The Exchange) was the son of Thomas Broster, alderman, and father of John Broster. He was made freeman 6th June, 1766. He was the publisher of The Chester Guide and Directory, 1780, and later editions of the same. His son John Broster wrote and published "A Walk round the Walls and City of Chester", 1821, and several later editions, being a revision of The Chester Guide. Broster & Son published The Traveller's Companion from Holyhead to London, 1794 ; and Willis's History of the Cathedral of Chester, 1794. He sold, by auction, in Jan. 1816, the library of John Lloyd, LL.D., M.D., deed., of Wigfair, St. Asaph, the sale catalogue, entitled Bibliotheca Lhvydiana, including books printed by Caxton, Wyiikyn dc Worde and Pynson (Cheshire Sheaf, II, 271). He projected and advertised, about 1822, Holmieiana or Biographical Notices of the three Randle Holme's, an octavo, 30 copies large paper and 150 small; but apparently it was never published (Cheshire Sheaf, II, 28).

John Broster conducted other auctions besides books and in Dec. 1817, held an important sale of furniture, etc., at Brereton Hall, Co. Chester, when the Brereton estates were being sold, and he also sold at Liverpool, in April, 1818, the ancient stained-glass figures of the Earls of Chester, once at Brereton Hall, and later in the possession of Lord Leigh of Stoneleigh Abbey (Cheshire Sheaf, III, xxi, 13). John Broster, who lived at Brook Lodge, Flookersbrook, Hoole, went to Edinburgh and became F.A.S. (Scot.) and thence to London. He died at Chester Lodge, Sandown, in the Isle of Wight, aged 84.

John Fletcher
The Whig Chester Chronicle was begun by the printer John Poole in 1775 and at first struggled to survive, changing its day of publication several times before settling on Friday in 1776. It was rescued in 1783 by John Fletcher (d. 1835), whose long life, business acumen, and growing political influence in Chester ensured its continuance. Fletcher's obituary read:


 * "Born of humble, but reputable parents, at Halton, in this county, he was the architect of his own fortune, and rose, by the force of his genius and talent alone, to considerable eminence among scientific men, and to the distinguished honour of having twice filled the office of Chief Magistrate of this City. The history of his life is curious and instructive, and furnishes an important practical lesson of the value of Temperance, Prudence, persevering Industry, unsullied Probity, and uncompromising Integrity, in all his relations and Social Life. At present, while the grave has yet to close upon his mortal remains, it will suffice to say, that, in him, his servants of every degree and those who were in any way dependant upon him, have lost a liberal and considerate Master; his fellow citizens, an upright and intelligent Magistrate; the cause of Public and Private Charity, a Munificent Benefactor; and the Community among whom he lived, a kind-hearted and benevolent Man."

Reading the above, one would hardly suspect that Fletcher was once jailed for libel.

Catterall
Number 8 Eastgate Street was Catterall's Booksellers which Hughes describes as follows:


 * "In the centre of our view looking affably down on its two gabled neighbour is a bold and substantial building of white freestone erected in 1837 on the site of an older and more picturesque house. This is the business retreat of our publisher and by the same token the oldest book establishment in the city. Here are procurable in almost endless variety, Guides to Chester and North Wales, local prints books of views, &c. to suit every imaginable taste and requirement. Perhaps no city in the empire has been so fully and faithfully illustrated as Chester, - Prout, Cuitt, Pickering, Sumners and others equally celebrated in the walks of art, have plied their pencils in its honour, while the genius of the engraver and the enterprise of the publisher have given permanence to their works."

Related Pages

 * Randle Holme;
 * Shakespeare and Chester;
 * Newspapers in Chester;
 * Broster;
 * Polychronicon;

Sources and Links

 * THE BOOK TRADE IN CHESHIRE PRIOR TO 1850: by DEREK NUTTALL, author of "A history of printing in Chester from 1688 to 1965";
 * THE STATIONERS, BOOKSELLERS AND PRINTERS OF CHESTER TO ABOUT 1800.;
 * Has the mystery of Shakespeare’s Sonnets finally been solved?: The Guardian;
 * A dictionary of printers and booksellers in England, Scotland and Ireland, and of foreign printers of English books 1557-1640;
 * Chester Welsh Printing;
 * On Chester literature, its authors and publishers, during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries: (1864);
 * John Fletcher and the Stranger in Chester: (1924);