HARPER (THOMAS), printer in London; Little Britain, 1614-56. The son of William Harper, of Woolraston, co. Salop, minister. Apprentice to Melchisedeck Bradwood, September 29th, 1604. [Arber, iii. 549.] Took up his freedom October 29th, 1611. First book entry July 14th, 1614, at which time he appears to have been in partnership with his brother William. [Ibid.] In 1634 he bought the printing business of George Wood and William Lee, which had previously belonged to Thomas Snodham, who in his turn had succeeded Thomas East or Este. Wood brought several actions against Harper in the Court of Requests and the Court of Chancery, in all of which he was non-suited. In 1639 Harper was in partnership with Richard Hodgkinson. [Sayle, 866.] During the early years of the Rebellion he was more than once in trouble for printing pamphlets against the Parliament. [Commons Journals, ii, 168.] He died March 22nd, 165556. [Smyth's Obituary, p. 41.] Many notable books came from his press, amongst them George Ruggle's Ignoramus, 1630; John Weever's Ancient Funeral Monuments, 1631; Camden's Annales, 1635, and Camden's Remaines, 1636. He also printed music for John Playford.
HARRIS (JOHN), printer and bookseller, London and Oxford, 1647-69. Mr. W. H. Allnutt in his papers on the English Provincial Presses, after noticing the presses of Newcastle and Gateshead, refers to a statement made by Lord Holles in his Memoirs, that the Parliamentary Army was in 1647 accompanied by a printing press. He also notices a statement made by Mr. C H. Firth, who in 1891 edited the Clarke Papers for the Camden Society, to the effect that, "The printer of these pamphlets seems to have been a certain John Harris, who himself wrote several pamphlets under the name of Sirrahniho." [Bibliographica, vol. 2, pp. 292-3.] This seems to be confirmed by the two following imprints: (1) Declaration of Master William Lenthall, Speaker of the House of Commons … Oxford, printed by J. Harris and H. Hills, living in Pennifarthing Street, 1647. [B.M. 103, a. 39.] (2) The humble address of the agitators 14th Augt 1647. London, for J. Harris, Printer to His Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax. There was also a John Harris carrying on the trade of a bookseller at Addle Hill off Thames Street in 1649, who may have been the same person whose name is found on a pamphlet entitled The Accuser sham'd [E. 624 (2)], while Hazlitt in his Collections, and Notes (ii. p. 530), notices another book issued in 1669 by a John Harris, of which, however, no copy has been traced.
