A Dictionary of the Booksellers and Printers who Were at Work in England, Scotland and Ireland from 1641 to 1667/Wright (John), senior
WRIGHT (JOHN), senr., bookseller in London; Kings Head in the Old Bailey, 1605-58. Took up his freedom in 1602 and became the publisher of many notable books, including Shakespeare's Sonnets and Marlowe's Faustus. On January 2nd, 16423, he was committed to the Compter in Wood Street for publishing a scandalous book against the Parliament [Commons Journals, vol. 2, p. 910], but he quickly made his peace with the Government, and when next heard of, he is found to be one of the official printers to the Parliament. On May 11th, 1643, in company with Thomas Bates, he started a news-sheet called Mercurius Civicus, which was distinguished by each issue having on the first page a woodcut, or sometimes two, intended to illustrate some event mentioned in it. This news-sheet ran till the close of the year 1646. Wright and Bates were also the publishers of another news-sheet, The True Informer. John Wright married Katherine, the daughter of Christopher Hatfield, citizen and cutler of London, and is mentioned in his will [P.C.C. 83, Soame.] He had a son, John Wright, junior. John Wright, senior, died in May, 1658, being buried on the 11th of that month. [Smyth, Obituary, p. 47; Library, April, 1905, pp. 184-207.]