SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
433
1599, NoT.29. DM, CbrirtopherBarkbb, printerto queen Elizabeth, in the 70th year of his age, and has erected to his memory, where be is buried, against the north wall of the chaucel of St. Mary's church at Datchet, near Windsor, Bucks, a handsome altar monument of white and black marble, supported by two pillars of led veined marble at the top, on the dexter side these arms, or, on a fesse dancettv azure three fleur-de-lis, of the first being Barker's. On a sinister side, the arms also on another shield im- paled per chevron or, and azure three mullets counterchanged, heme the arms of Day, bishop of Winchester, whose daughter was wife to Robert Barker.
On a black marble tablet is this inscription : —
Fix MIMORIX
CBRtSTOFBSHI BARKER ARHIOBRI
8SRCNIB91HS RXOINX ELIZABITHiB TTPOORArHI
QUI TTrOORArBIAM A.VOL1CANAU
X.ATBR1T1AM INVKNIT MARMORIAM RKLtQlXIT
PARBNTIS OPTIHl
BT
Rachblii Barber oii.ecti«sihjb conjdois qua dtodxna pbolb 8vscbpta
TVDRNA SVPEBSTITB
aVOaOOT ILLAM N08CBRE CONTIOIT
TBI8TB SUUM DBSIDBRIITH RB1.I4VIT
POSVI
Oeiit Jtlii is ammo Douini 1(I07. aTATia tvm 3t.
Here Barker lies, once printer to the crown.
Whose works oT art aeqair'd a vast renown.
Time saw his worth, and spread around his Aune,
That ftitare printer! mtxht Imprinl the same.
Bat when liis strength could work the press no more.
And his last sheets were folded into store, —
Pore lUth, with hope, (the i;reatest treasures given,)
Open'd their gates, and bade him pass to heaven.
Christopher and Robert Barker dwelt in Patemoster-row, at the sign of the Tyger's Head, and kept a shop in Paul's church-yard, at the sign of the Grasshopper. They came of an ancient family, being descended from Christo- pher Barker, knight, king at arms. Edward Barker, who probably mignt be father to Chris- topher the printer, was by a will dated Dec. 31 , 1549, appointed heir to one William Barker, his cousin, who had a considerable estate of houses in London, but nothing in any county, and died the 2nd of Jantiary after he nad made his will. Queen Elizabeth granted to our Christopher, and to Robert bis only son, a patent, in consi- deration of the father 8 great improvement of the art of printing: king James I. May 10, 1603, in the first year of his reign, granted the same patent to Christopher, son of the said Robert, to nold the same after the death of liis father, with a proviso, that if Christopher should die before his father, then his heirs, kc, should have it for four Tears after his father Robert's death.
July 19, 1603, a special license was granted to Robert for printing all the statutes during his life. James I. in consideration of the sum of three hundred pounds, and an annual rent of twenty pounds, aemised to Robert Barker, Upton manor, for twenty-two years. The rent soon after was raised to forty pounds per annum.
William Ball, in bis treatise conceniing the Regulating of Printing, 1651, as quoted by Ames, V. ii. p. 1091, expressly states that Robert Barker had paid for amendment, or correcting the translation of the bible, the considerable stun of j£.'),50(), therefore his heirs had the right of printing it. The magnitude of this sum seems to show, as Mr. Herbert has remarked in a note, that it must have been paid to the translators as the whole remuneration of their labours.
James I. Feb. II, 1616, in the fourteenth of his reign, granted the same to Robert, son of the said Robert, for thirty years, to commence from the death of Robert die father. Charles I. July 20, 1627, in the third of his reign, having notice that the several interests of the Barkers were assigned over to Bonbam Norton and John Bill, confirmed the said assignment to Norton and Bill. Charles I. Sept. 26, 1635, in the eleventh of bis reign, granted the same to Charles and Matthew Barker, two other sons of Robert the father, after the expiration of the four years, to Christopher's heirs, and the thirty years to Robert their brother. Robert, to whom queen Elizabeth granted the office for life, 1589, died in the Queen's Bench, Jan. 10, 1645: so that Christopher's four years ended Jan 10, 1689. Robert the son's, began Jan. 1649, and expired Jan. 10, 1679. Charles II. Dec. 24, 1675, in the 27th of his reign, g^nts the same to Thomas Newcomb and Henry Hills for thirty years, to commence after the expiration of the respective terms granted to the Barkers. Charles and Matthew Barker's began Jan. 10, 1679, and expired Jan. 10, 1709.
The Barkers, according to the custom of that period, used a cut of a man barking timber, consequently he was denominated a Barker. Quere; would not a barking dog have been equally applicable?
The above list of patents relates only to the Barkert, but the office of king's printer will be more fully treated on under the year 1662, pott.
In the Burghley manuscripts* is a memorial of the stationers' company, signed by Christo- pher Barker, stating, that pursuant to the orders of government, they had made search in every printing-bouse, to ascertain what works were in progress, and had met with resistance from Roger Ward.
1599. The tcourge of villainie,vith additions of new tatvret. 1 2mo. .
1590. George Shaw printed the following work : Encomittm iUiutrit. Heroii, D. Rob. Dumitit Euezii, el alia poemata, avion GvU. Vaughanno Maridunensf. 8vo.
- The Burghley papers state from the diocesan's certlll-
catc. 1567, that there wprc then In London, and its im- mediate vicinity, 3,833 Dutchmen, 730 Frenchmen, 137 Italians, 10 Venetians, s6 Spaniards, 85 Portuguese, S Grecians, i Blackmores, I Dane, and but 98 Soots.
To show the value of money and the method of travtil- ing, it Is stated by lord Burleigh, (to follow the words of his diary,) about sixty-three days coming Irom Scotland to Oreeuwich having had £i per diem ; and for postage, with twenty-two horses from London to Edinburgh, and from thence back to London, ^117.
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