Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Coldock, Francis
COLDOCK, FRANCIS (1530–1602), stationer and printer, 'by birth a gentleman' (so runs his widow's monument), was apprenticed to William Bonham, and made free of the Stationers' Company 2 Dec. 1657 (Arber, Transcript, i. 70), began to take apprentices 6 July 1668, was under warden in 1680 and 1682, upper warden in 1687 and 1688, and was twice master, in 1691 and 1595. The first entry to him in the Registers is for Bishop Bale's 'Declaration of E. Bonner's Articles in 1661, which, however, was printed for him by J. Tysdall. In the same year he was fined 2s. 'for that he ded revyle Thomas Hackett with unsemely wordes' (ib. i. 183), as well as on other occasions for keeping open on St. Luke's day and during sermon time. He was one of those who signed the petition setting forth their grievances from the various book monopolies, presented by the stationers and printers to Queen Elizabeth in 1577 [see Barker, Christopher]. He seems to have been more of a bookseller than a printer. Many volumes issued by him in conjunction with Henry Bynneman [q. v.] were very probably printed by the latter. He printed a few important books, among which may be mentioned the 'Æthiopian Historie' of Heliodorus, translated by Thomas Underdowne, who refers in the preface to his 'friend' Coldock. He first had a shop 'in Lombard strete, over agaynste the Cardinalles hatte,' and afterwards 'in Pawles churchyard at the signe of the greene Dragon.' He was a benefactor to the company, presenting on 4 Aug. 1589 'a spoone gilt poiz. 3 oz. 3s. or thereaboutes with his name on it,' on being made warden, and in 1591 'a silver college pot' on being made master.
On his widow's monument in the church of St. Andrew Undershaft is this inscription: 'Near … lieth Alice Byng, in a vault with her father, Simon Burton. She had three husbands, all bachelors and stationers. Her first was Richard Waterson, by him she had a son. Next him was Francis Coldock, by birth a gentleman; he bare all the offices in the company, and had issue two daughters, Joane and Anne, with whom she lived forty years. Lastly, Isaac Byng, pent., who died master of his company. She died the 21st day of May A.D. 1616, aged 73 yrs. 5 months and 25 days' (Stow, London, ed. Strype, 1754, i. 400). Coldock died 13 Jan. 1602, aged 72, and was buried in the vault of St. Faith, in the crypt of St. Paul's (Dugdale, St Paul's Cath., ed. Ellis, 1818, p. 86).
[Ames's Typogr. Antiq. ed. Herbert, ii. 918-922; Collier's Extracts from the Registers of the Company of Stationers (1667-70), 1848, 8vo; Watt's Bibliotheca Britannica, i.; Catalogue of Books in the British Museum printed before 1640; Timperley's Encyclopædia, 1848, pp. 411, 436; Nichols's Lit. Anecd. iii. 572, 590; Illustr. viii. 461.]